[stylist] Greetings from a new list member

[Jacobson, Shawn D]

Sem

Welcome abord.

My name is Shawn Jacobson, I write pretty much as a hobby (I have a day job that has to take priority.  I'm also treasurer for the Maryland NFB and for the Sligo Creek chapter in Maryland.  I have a wife too kids and three dogs.  Writing comes in kind of behind all the rest of this (so I don't do a lot).

I got started writing Science Fiction short stories though I've done some poetry and short memoir pieces.  Write now it's a little bit of everything.

I guess that wast Bridgit ran into with the new editor tells me that they are like dogs; they have to mark their territory.  I work for the government, and bureaucrats are the same way (smile).

Anyway, welcome abord.

Shawn

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter via stylist
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2015 10:23 AM
To: 'Semirhage'; 'Writers' Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] Greetings from a new list member

Sem,

Welcome. Hope to see more of you on Stylist.

I have my BFA in creative writing, my emphasis being creative nonfiction-- memoir/personal essay writing-- but I've always had a fondness for fantasy and love to write it when I can. It's nice to see other fantasy writers on the list.

I've often blended an element of fantasy into my nonfiction writing. For example, I wrote an essay beginning with the line, "Once upon a time," and the essay took on the princess-locked-in-the-tower motif. I also work a lot with a lyrical voice, which lends itself to more creative phrasing.

I love Neil Gaimon and Margaret Atwood, to name a couple. They blend a literary style with fantasy and speculative fiction. Neil Gaimon uses a lyrical voice often, and I love this.

Like you, I've only had material published in magazines and anthologies. I did write a blog about blindness and diabetes for a few years for a local newspaper, but when they hired a new editor, we had creative differences, and after a couple of my blogs were re-written in her own words, I decided it was time to move on. The really weird thing, and why I moved on, was that I had one of the top read blogs for the paper, so it was like, "Why are you fixing something that doesn't require fixing?"

Anyway, I've started several ideas for full-length manuscripts, both fiction and nonfiction, but I reach a certain point then move onto a new idea, and so I have yet to finish one. I find the full-length manuscript daunting and difficult. A short format, I can do, it's what I'm familiar with, how I learned at university. Creating longer formats, just tedious at this point, grin.

So my entire point is to say, there's pretty much anyone out there selling services to help people with a variety of things. You can find people willing to take care of the business end of publishing and sending queries for a price, but I would caution you to do a lot of research on a person or group providing such services. And make sure they understand you and your material. At the end of the day, this is a PR thing, and you want someone representing you and your work that will showcase it the way you want. As tedious as it can be, I suggest you study up on the business end and do it yourself. You can also trust yourself in a way that you can  not trust others, grin.

And like magazines, research the publishers and agents you send your work to. Make sure they are really the right entity for you. Is this a person/group/company you want your work in the hands of?

Good luck, and I hope to see more of you on Stylist. Look forward to reading your work too.

Question, I'm always curious as to why people use a pen name to publish.
What brought you to that decision?

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Semirhage via stylist
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2015 4:44 AM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] Greetings from a new list member

Hi everyone. How very exciting to connect with other blind authors! I'm Sem and I write fantasy, horror paranormal with comic elements. My pen name is Ciaran Corby,and I co-write with my husband, also legally blind, and his pen name is Coal Corby. Currently we've just had short stories published in anthologies and there was one on worldcastle publishing. They're honest, as in we got checks in the male for sales, but I don't think they do loads of publicity so you'd have to do a lot of your own.

We also write full books, but are seeking larger  publishers for those. That point brings me to my first question. We're far better at the creative bit than the business end of things. We've sent out tons of  queries to agents and larger publishers but just gotten back form letters that basically say they didn't even look at our synopsis because they're not taking more ETC.
Then we get discouraged which does not help the creative flow. So my question is this. Does anyone know where we can look to hire someone to do this that really knows  the business and how and where best to shop us around? We're  more than willing to pay someone who knows what they're doing as we don't, and we'd much rather someone else do it as though there are methods for  learning the skill it's  just like cooking or anything else.
It's best done by someone with a real knack for it. LOL. I say do what you do well, and pay someone else to do that which you do not or  do not enjoy.
Sem
I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed.
I get along with the voices inside of my head.
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