Networks and Beta Readers-

I recently read a book on getting a literary agent. It was a good book, well written and filled with the information I needed. The publication process is long, and the book helped to explain why that was the case.

Last night I finished my first edit of my first draft of Inn at the Edge of the World. It felt good to complete that part, even though I am far from done.

Apparently I should have a network of people who can help me with the next step. Beta readers. People who will read the raw text, and add their input.

I have been aware of networking for a long time. Networking for careers, and now networking for getting published. People serving as resources for one another in a given process.

I don't network well. I have little social drive, and this whole networking think is rather social. I just don't have the beta readers I would like to have.

This is awkward. The next step might be easier if I were studying writing in a school, with contacts and friends seeking publication. Unfortunately, I am pretty much alone in this.

Eventually I will find a way to get people to read the book, and comment and criticise. I will get to that rewrite, and be ready to seek representation by an agent.

Or, I could self-publish and learn my own marketing.

Meanwhile, I started the sequel. After all, editing and all of the other stuff is not writing.

Next up, Marcus and Ara. The tale of a growing relationship, filled with travel and adventure. Oh, and some steampunk. I just thought it would be fun.

Getting published-

I haven't written any short stories in awhile, due to investing my time in cleaning up my rough-draft novel.

Besides the task of polishing the story I have been exploring the best way to get the thing published. I have explored Lulu.com and the services provided by Amazon. I have looked at blogs on the subject of getting published, and checked web sites of those who offer to assist. I have also looked at web sites warning of the excesses of some who offer to assist writers in getting published.

I am currently researching how to get an agent. I face an uphill battle, since I am a first-time writer trying to get published at the age of 55. Still, I don't really see gaining the necessary skills to market a novel on my own. I may work on a project with the intent of self-publishing through print-on-demand resources, but this novel is not that project.

There is still much work to do in finishing and formatting my novel. I have a serviceable level of skill in word processing for writing reports and simple documents. I feel the need to gain a bit more skill in learning to manage and format a novel length text.

That, and ongoing research has limited my resources for writing the short stories I love. Oh, and the switch from working days to nights has been a bit taxing, as well. I am fairly well accustomed to the new hours, and hope to do better.

If all goes well I should publish a new little tale in a few days. For those of you who are checking in, thanks for sticking with me.

A little distance-

I wrote "The Mind Bug" over a decade ago. I even submitted it for publication in a suitable monthly magazine. I believe that this was my first rejection slip. I was not discouraged by the rejection, but by the enormous competition for space for short stories. The compensation was not sufficient for the effort, at a time in my life when most of my waking hours had to be assigned to getting a reliable income.

So, into the drawer it went. When I finally pulled it out, just a few weeks ago, I realized that my rejection slip was well earned. I pruned and shaped, and reduced the bulk of the writing by about 60%. I think it turned out much better.

Now, it is published. Perhaps not as I had imagined it would be, but in a fashion that is exciting and new.

Hope you like it. Comments are welcome.