Replies

1. 
   keith1947 | Oct 03, 2004 12:23am | #1

   Hello Alison

              I don,t want to put you off the idea but "KNOT FORUM "will be a hard act to follow, with instant advice /comment on all subjects ,happy and sad stories and it has world-wide readership.

                       Have you approached Taunton Press?

                                 Good luck and regards, Teabag

1. 
   Indigo1557 | Oct 03, 2004 01:00am | #2

   Teabag,  I agree with you totally about the Knots forum.  This is a wonderful place.  I'm very grateful for it and don't have any intention of emulating it in written form.  I do plan on talking to Taunton, but  what I have in mind is not quite in line with the "technical" approach that Taunton takes....we'll see. 

2. 
   Alan | Oct 03, 2004 01:38am | #3

   Alison...or is it Kate,

   Getting a book published is a very difficult proposition these days.  It seems that everyone who has a computer and word processor thinks they are authors.  Be prepared for rejection slips enough to paper all the walls in your house.

   That said, for an anthology like you're thinking about, before looking for either an agent or publisher, you need to put together a submission to shop around.  For an anthology, put together a fairly detailed description of exactly what kind of stories you're going to use.  This means more than just a sentence or two; you need all the details of how the book will be organized, the authors, and so on.

   You should also have a few "chapters" already written, and carefully edited.  These are to show off the authors' abilities, the tone of the stories, and more precise exposition of the subjects you'll cover in the book.

   Needless to say this means a lot of work prior to beginning the process of looking for someone to publish it.  Unfortunately, for a first time author/editor, the materials you send out have to be absolutely great, great enough to grab the attention of the people who can help you.  And remember, agents and publishers get dozens and dozens of such submissions every day.  I'm not trying to discourage you; but you need to know what you're up against.

   A good place for you to begin is a current copy of, IIRC, Writers Market.  It has sections on the various markets, the publishers and agents, tips on submissions, and much else that's helpful.  It's invaluable.

   Alan

1. 
   Indigo1557 | Oct 03, 2004 02:04am | #4

   Hey Alan...thanks for the input.  Yeah, I think I"m dreamin if I can get this book published and its not quite something I'm ready to tackle, but maybe later on next year...

   My name is Alison Katherine...and folks call me Alison or Kate depending on how they feel..other names have been known to creep in :)

   Your comment on organization, presentation, sourcing, samples etc are good ones.  I'm going to start building the pieces/framework over the next few months and see how things either shape up or fall apart...

   Thanks

   AK

1. 
   Fingrs | Oct 03, 2004 02:26am | #5

   Allison,

   I would be interested in contributing to your anthology.  I have a few stories in me from both the distant and recent past.  It would be fun.  Shoot me an e-mail when you are ready to talk.  Regards, Lofton (aka "fingrs"...that's one of the stories) 

3. 
   nikkiwood | Oct 03, 2004 06:41pm | #6

   I spent my career as a book editor at Random House, so I can offer a few thoughts on your proposal.

   First, I would not worry about finding an agent. Woodworking is just a tiny little niche in the larger publishing business, and there are perhaps only a half dozen publishers that are active in the field. The editors are accessible, and it easy enough to make your own contacts.

   Second, Alan accurately describes the material you need -- it is called a prospectus. In your case it would, I think, be sufficient if you wrote a 2-3 page rationale and description of what you intend the book to be, along with a table of contents. Preparing that material would help you think the project through, and it should be enough to find out if an editor has any interest in pursuing such a book. You have to think why your book would be a compelling read for the woodworking community of book buyers.

   Basically, you only need to find one editor who would support your project, and that editor in turn would become your advocate within the publisher. If that person likes the idea (based on your prospectus), I would guess most would probably want to see at least half the completed manuscript before offering a formal contract.

   If what you are heading for is basically a disparate collection of war stories, I think it will be a tough sell. You need some kind of cohesive thread or focal point that would become the marketing hook for such a work.

   Let me know if you want to pursue this further.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 10/3/2004 11:47 am ET by nikkiwood

4. 
   Pondfish | Oct 04, 2004 03:27am | #7

   Alison,

   a nice web site for authors and potential authors is http://www.writersdigest.com ; it has several areas offering help for beginning authors.

   Good luck,

   Paul (novel #1 is almost finished with the plot for #2 well worked out)

1. 
   yotonyb | Oct 04, 2004 08:30pm | #8

   Alison Katherine...writers write.  And they do for the same reason many woodworkers work wood.  There is a certain degree of satisfaction that we achieve with the process as much as the end result.  And we don't stop with the completion of the first project.  We learn and we move on to the next project.

   Distinguish between writing for the satisfaction of writing, and writing to be published, gain recognition, and make money (all of which are mutually exclusive!).  It's very similar to woodworking in that regard.

   Write!  And, when it's done, if you enjoyed the process and the result, write again!  Regardless of the outcome, the actual exercise of writing should be satisfying to you. 

   And nikkiwood's advice is valuable information.  Just as we build furniture to a customer's standards and satisfactions (and not just our own) in order to get paid, to get published you will need to follow a different set of rules to satisfy people other than yourself.  Good luck and good skill!

   tony b.

5. 
   vern | Oct 05, 2004 06:21am | #9

   hi I have a son-in-law who is a poet of sorts-- and friends told him he should publish his works--now I'm not to say why he went in this direction but he ended up forming his own publishing firm and of course he could publish his book-- I will get more details-- have you run this by CERF-- they might have an angle --your idea is admirable

   making sawdust