This thread is for questions regarding the publishing business and the many wheels and sprockets that turn therein.

Do you have questions regarding the proclivities of the word-selling business? Want to know the nuts and bolts of becoming a published author? Want to know how to become a paid editor?

Ask.

Keep in mind I am only a man. A man who has lived and seen things; but a man still. Mileage may vary.

3320409 Ooh! I have a question.

I'll soon be starting my research/query process to find an agent. How detrimental to my chances of being published is it that the novel I'm pushing has not been professionally edited? My worry is that I'll be discounted because, being a no-name first time author, spending money to hire a professional editor would be considered a gamble by the publisher.

Is there any truth to my worry? I hope not, but if so I'd like to know so I can start saving my pennies to hire an editor.

3366727

A question close to my heart, and wallet.

I was in that same boat several years back. Eyes full of stars. Manuscript in hand. Printed, mind you. On paper. Nostalgia. That first step into the industry waters is often a trepidatious one. Fear not.

Is there any truth to my worry?

Concise answer: Not really.

Your agent is your pimp. He talks up your piece. As far as getting your manuscript on a desk, I affirm, with complete confidence, that first filter is entirely based on your agent's gift of gab, and your hook. ("Robots that want boyfriends, and they have to fight in a tournament to get them. With vampires." Yeah.)

Then it's in the hands of the editorial staff. I affirm, with complete confidence, that traversal there is entirely based on merit. We don't know, or care, who edited your work. Does a hired editor usually improve the quality of your work, thus enhancing the chance of acceptance? Sure. Not required, though. If it's good, it's good.

I wave plenty of first-time authors through those sweet, pearly gates. Okay, maybe not plenty. Still, if the publisher (and I usually speak for the publisher in this regard; damn, do I sometimes hate myself for it) thinks the book will sell, the "gamble" aspect is moot. Merit, merit, and evermore merit. One thing that authors usually don't think about and editors do is format. Make sure it's formatted for print. Indents, fewer paragraphs, etc. It needs to maintain the same impact without looking like a screenplay (or how I write e-fiction... ).

It'll eventually get a red pen massage from a guy like me anyway. Nothing escapes the editorial staff. Nothing.

3320409
This question is about the group, so... yeah.

If the story submitted is incomplete, does it matter? I have a story here, but it sits at six chapters with the seventh coming soon, and it is not complete. So will it affect the review in anyway? Just asking.

3664163

No. I review what's there.

General business plan is:

Gather a following of 2,000 - 3,000 on FIMfiction, make my own website with my original material where you can download chapters for let's say 25c per chapter, (along with possible songs/ pictures/ games/ videos based on my stories); I keep absolute authority and profits over my own work.

What does the system offer me, and what does it want in return?