Why am I trying to get published?
The other day, my old college friend John asked me why I didn't just go the "self-publication" route -- by which he meant, put them up on your web site and let anyone read them who wants to. My initial response was that I like the idea of the validation that would come from an editor saying, "Yes, we want this." But I realized that that answer didn't entirely satisfy me.
So I ask myself, what am I looking for in writing? Why am I writing? What will it mean for me to have "succeeded?" I came up with a list like this, in decreasing order of urgency:
Now, Desire #1 could be satisfied with fan fiction -- it was satisfied with fan fiction. So clearly that's not enough. Desire #2 can be satisfied only if I write original fiction -- but possibly I'd get it fulfilled by self-publication, if the right people started reading it (and I do know a few people who know a few people, so maybe it could be fulfilled that way). But I don't think most of those in-the-know would respect mere self-publication. So I'm reaching for Desire #2 (and maybe Desire #3?) by trying to get published, and trying to get published in the big markets -- otherwise why start my stories at Asimov's or Fish or Glimmer Train, rather than a semiprozine where I'd have a better chance of having my pieces accepted quickly?
So I ask myself, what am I looking for in writing? Why am I writing? What will it mean for me to have "succeeded?" I came up with a list like this, in decreasing order of urgency:
- Most Importantly, I want people to read what I write and be moved by it. I want them to tell me that they were moved by it. I want to have made a difference to them.
- I'd like to earn the respect of people who know a lot about writing in general or SFF in particular. I'd like them to say, "He writes like a pro; let's see what he does next."
- In my dreams, I'd like to earn my bread from my writing. I know that that's very far-fetched, but I really love the idea of being a full-time writer. The reality's grittier than the idea, I know, but still, it's a lovely thought.
- Part of me would like to be a little famous; not grossly famous, not movie-star famous, not JKR famous, but gee, well-known among the cognoscenti. I've had a recurring fantasy (don't laugh) of being interviewed by Charlie Rose (as my friend Douglas was) or else by Terri Gross. That's about as much fame as I could stand.
Now, Desire #1 could be satisfied with fan fiction -- it was satisfied with fan fiction. So clearly that's not enough. Desire #2 can be satisfied only if I write original fiction -- but possibly I'd get it fulfilled by self-publication, if the right people started reading it (and I do know a few people who know a few people, so maybe it could be fulfilled that way). But I don't think most of those in-the-know would respect mere self-publication. So I'm reaching for Desire #2 (and maybe Desire #3?) by trying to get published, and trying to get published in the big markets -- otherwise why start my stories at Asimov's or Fish or Glimmer Train, rather than a semiprozine where I'd have a better chance of having my pieces accepted quickly?