[Ohmston WethParticipant]

Its 2.30am and i’m wide awake, wondering if its just me or if its a general phenomenom that its such a big deal for a writer to break into the world of authorship. Its frustrating enough that after six books (Three novels,a novella and two anthologies) one still battles day and night to get an agent or a publishing house willing enough to test the waters. Or is it because one has been looking for the likes of Farrafina and Cassava Republic and not trying out the smaller outfits because of . . . because of what?

[Seun-OdukoyaParticipant]

I understand what you’re saying – but your use of words is confusing.

A writer writes – but an author broadly means ‘the creator of anything’or ‘the originator of any written work’. In other words – I can author a book without ‘writing’ it. You dig?

However (sorry for the branching), I would like to think that with the advent of the internet now, no writer really has much of an excuse. Sure, we all want to see our books on shelves and so on. Sure, we want to make money like JK Rowling and some others but that did not happen overnight for them.

My point is, if a publisher is not showing interest, take it online. There’s such a thing as ‘self-publishing’, which; while not so easy has its perks. 100% ownership for one.

I just think we need to work harder.

[vescucciParticipant]

Oh boy. Six?! Self publish man. Very soon, it’ll become an even bigger market than hardcovers and paperbacks. Ok, maybe not so soon. Self publish.

[hotchocolateParticipant]

I think self publishing is the way forward here.
It’s fine to say you want to be published by the Farafinas et al, but they receive so many manuscripts on a daily basis that that may not be the most feasible solution for you.
Consider finding a publisher online, or ebook format, or a web serial. There are so many options available out there to the writer these days.
Good luck!

[HymarParticipant]

For me, it is not a case of not good enough, but one of not time yet. Till then Ama stay sharp

[UnfathomableParticipant]

Isn’t it even more frustrating when a publishing house chooses your book for publication and yet keep the book for more than two years? Where’s the motivation? Please if you have ventured into self publishing and it works can you kindly share the tips on how to go about it? Thanks.

[tadethompsonParticipant]

RE: Author versus writer: It’s even more complicated than that. In critical literary theory ‘writer’ is the person who produces the work, but ‘author’ refers to the intent behind the text. Confusingly, they may not be exactly the same thing.
David Foster Wallace used this simplified definition: “writer-the person whose choices and actions account for a text’s features-and an author-the entity whose intentions are taken to be responsible for a text’s meaning”
Blame the Poststructuralists for this.
Because readers/critics can derive meaning from text which the writer had no contribution to, the idea of authorial intent becomes divisive and there are many schools of thought.
Prior to the Poststructuralists the writer was pretty much taken to be the author. Whatever this individual said was the authorial intent.
Metacriticism in the 1960s changed all that.

I thought that was what we were gonna discuss here.

Sad now.

[RaymondParticipant]

Lol. @tadethompson has just come and confused all of us here. My head is aching now.

[tadethompsonParticipant]

Sorry, @raymond.
Sometimes my enthusiasm runs away from me
Not being a lit or English major makes it unclear. I’m sure there are people more qualified than I who can explain it better

[Tola OdejayiParticipant]

@tadethompson, is it a case of “writer is to author as labourer is to building contractor”?

[tadethompsonParticipant]

@tolao
That sounds like an apt metaphor to me.

[PsalmyParticipant]

Home of profs. If someone could just talk more on self-publishing.

[Author]

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