My Publishing Experiences

[Jack M. Neigut]

THIS IS THE VERSION WITH THE CORRECT TITLE
I recently wrote a book called "The Time Keeper" It is a story about current events wrapped in a clever story and it also deals with the dangers of uncontrolled technology. I tried 10 Independent publishing companies and 6 turned it down. The rest I never heard from. Only one TIN HOUSE PRESS actually commented on the content of the book and said it was a work of merit but they could not publish it since they are a small publishing company and only publish a small number of books each year. The rest of the independents sent out standardized form letters and I am not sure if they ever read the text. The premise of this post is about the conglomerates the big guns in publishing. I sent 5 query letters to them with a brief autobiography; only one came back unopened with a stamp on it saying unsolicited/unagented. I assume that the rest where just thrown in the trash, Here’s my problem. Are the editors of these conglomerates so busy that they can't even open a letter and at least read it and send some type of response? After all I did not inundate them with manuscripts. Is their time so precious? Maybe it is to them, but I believe they could at least have the courtesy to respond in some manner. Eventually I gave up and I am now offering my book as a free pdf download on the internet. I am not in it for the money. I just wanted people to have an interesting story that deals with some very real issues that are facing our country and I feel that it is important for the upcoming elections. If you’re interested, I don't want to be called a spammer, just type in jack neigut in a major search engine and it will be near the first ones to pop up. There are other methods of publishing that I have not tried. Self publishing or print on demand sounds interesting and I might try it one day, but these all require money, although the prices keep coming down especially with POD. In the beginning I did send my manuscript to a subsidiary publisher and they agreed to publish it at a cost. I did not, but at least they where courteous and prompt. I guess that’s because they want your money. So if you’re trying to get your book published at a large conglomerate, I guess the only option is to get an agent and this can have its own problems. Good Luck.

 

[Peder]

That was interesting but, yes, companies don't answer mail anymore. Resumes fall into an even deeper hole than you describe, never being answered if rejection is the intent.

 

[Stewart]

Are the editors of these conglomerates so busy that they can't even open a letter and at least read it and send some type of response?

Yes. After all, their job is editing, not answering the mail.

So if you’re trying to get your book published at a large conglomerate, I guess the only option is to get an agent and this can have its own problems. Good Luck.

An agent helps. Another thing that helps is that it be publishable. Third, if a book is going to be about current affairs, that the author be an authority on the subject shouldn't be too much to ask.

 

[Jack M. Neigut]

Jack M. Neigut

First of all have you even read my text "The time Keeper" and as for being an
authority on the subject; I do not talk about anything in the book that I have not personally experienced including the cost of health care and medicine in this country. As for politics, just read the news once and a while to see whats happenig in this country. If you want to know about current events start reading Newsweek, the newspaper, and The Economist to really see what is happening in this country of ours.Then tell me about it. I do not claim to be a political expert, but beleive me I could do better then George Bush. Just about anybody can and my book does not go into political theory or anything that would require a genius to understand. I would give you the site address of my web site so you can download my text but the forums rules prevent me from doing so. You have to use google or yahoo and type in jack neigut.Remember that nothing can give you more experience then personal experience and I would read something before commenting on it.

 

[Zolipara]

I read a couple of pages of your 11 page "book".
No publisher in their right mind would accept that.

 

[Jack M. Neigut]

It is difficult to understand the concepts behind a book. Reading the first 2 pages does not do it justice. There is a plot and a story behind the things on the cost of medicine and health care and the political views expressed. The first few pages might put you off because I start with some of the issues that are not really part of the story. The story has to develop as Dave my main character travels through the story. I understand that it is only 11 pages long. That’s why it’s a free download. Also, there are words of wisdom behind the story; such as heart and mind not being created by a biological accident. The destruction of the environment and that we are caretakers of this world we live in and that we where put here to take care of it. Also, the projects that Jack is working on that could have a profound effect on society and the views of time keeper himself are also interesting and show the dangers of uncontrolled technology. The time keeper says he has seen it all from life death and everything in between, brilliant men who have built the foundation of all the technology we have today and they were not thinking of the consequences of what they were doing and then there is the conclusion where Dave meets the time keeper and is shown the results if he continues his project; besides the plot of the story being interesting. There are words of wisdom in between and the political views expressed are pertinent to the state of the world we live in today. As I mentioned one independent publisher said it was a work of merit and it is. I would recommend reading the whole thing before criticizing it and if you still do not like it .You are entitled to your opinion.

 

[Zolipara]

Ok since you asked for it i read the whole thing, and it was exactly like i expected from the first two pages. Simply speaking there is more to beeing a writer than making up a "plot".

Your text is about as clever and subtle as a sledgehammer.
Your writing leaves much to be desired, especially the dialogue. (Ask someone that is better in english than me).
Your "science" is ridiculous.

If a publisher called it a work of merit i cant believe that its anything but a standard rejection letter.

 

[Jack M. Neigut]

jack M. Neigut

Its supposed to be science fiction not science fact and the plot is well thought out. There is absolutly nothing wrong with the story line . I dont know where your coming from or what your motives are, but there certainly not intended to help young writers. I have read a number of classics and story lines and mine is as good or better as the crap you see out there now. Maybe your an author that puts out diatribes of useless junk. Who knows.But I joined this forum in good faith and I have to say I am very dissapointed.
Authors should be encouraged to write better work not have insults thrown at them. Since I'Ve joined I have had nothing but insults, from being called a spammer to writing a work that is unpublishible. If thats how this forum treats young authors I want nothing to do with it. Theres such a thing as constructive critism which is something you apparently lack and I don't beleive your opinion has any basis in fact. I expect you to come back wih a one liner saying one thing or another but I don' beleive that it will be the truth. Again I think there are other motives at work here and in the future if your going to critizise somebodies work do it in a constructive manner. Not splurting out superlatives of one form or another. As for me
there eare a number of forums out there that I am sure treat there readers with more respect and consideration and can give some truly insightfull views into there work and without insulting them in the process.

 

[Zolipara]

Honestly i was pretty gentle compared to what i could be, and i know others on this forum would not be so gentle. If you get that upset over criticism you are in for a rough time.

Yes i'm sure there are plenty of forums with yes-men that will encourage you, but i'm not so sure you actually learn anything from them. Maybe you could try to send your short story to a magazine or something like that and see what they say if you refuse to see the flaws in your writing or believe what i say.

Its supposed to be science fiction not science fact and the plot is well thought out.

Good sci-fi authors at least make an effort to base their concepts on real science and try to learn a bit about it. You can then easily accept this as future tech. However reading your short-story i can only conclude that you dont have the slightest idea about the science your "future tech" is based on.

I dont know where your coming from or what your motives are, but there certainly not intended to help young writers.

Well what are your motives for writing this post? Is it asking for help to evaluate your work? It doesnt seem that way to me. It just look like you are whining about publishers not recognising your "work of genious". However what you really need is to get a bit of self-insight and try to view your text objectively. But i dont have much hope that you will do that.

To put my motives in a postitive light i could say i'm trying to save you the cash it will cost you to self-publish this short-story.

As for me there eare a number of forums out there that I am sure treat there readers with more respect and consideration and can give some truly insightfull views into there work and without insulting them in the process.

It might help a bit if you dont start out as hostile as you have done in your posts too.

 

[Jack M. Neigut]

Jack M. Neigut

Your Quote:<Good sci-fi authors at least make an effort to base their concepts on real science and try to learn a bit about it. You can then easily accept this as future tech. However reading your short-story i can only conclude that you dont have the slightest idea about the science your "future tech" is based on.>

I was a Physics Major at the University of Marylland so do not tell me that I do not know about science. I created Cellular transmutation in the story for the reason that it is impossible to do. I did not want to give information about a technology that was achievable to a bunch of half crazed terrosists. So I created something impossible. Also, my other character Jack is creating technology that one day might be really achievable, namely his brain implantations and his genetic engineering experiments. I wanted to show the implications that such technologies would have on society. Which is part of the premise of the book "Uncontrolled Technology" Scientists have been doing it since the beginings of science and they are doing it now. Take for example the multi million dollar project in switzerland.Their trying to recreate the big bang and in the process create minute black holes. Do yo really think they no what their doing. Their dealing with dangerous technologies that could have grave implications.Which is part of the premise of my book.

 

[Jack M. Neigut]

Jack M. Neigut

I have not heard from Zolipara in more than a day
His real name eludes me. At least I'm not afraid to use my real name.
A word of advice to him, don’t be so quick to criticize a person or his work;
personally I am going to find another forum where people are more compassionate and understanding; especially towards their work.
Good luck to Zolipara and to whatever you do

 

[Zolipara]

Your Quote:<Good sci-fi authors at least make an effort to base their concepts on real science and try to learn a bit about it. You can then easily accept this as future tech. However reading your short-story i can only conclude that you dont have the slightest idea about the science your "future tech" is based on.>

I was a Physics Major at the University of Marylland so do not tell me that I do not know about science. I created Cellular transmutation in the story for the reason that it is impossible to do. I did not want to give information about a technology that was achievable to a bunch of half crazed terrosists. So I created something impossible. Also, my other character Jack is creating technology that one day might be really achievable, namely his brain implantations and his genetic engineering experiments. I wanted to show the implications that such technologies would have on society. Which is part of the premise of the book "Uncontrolled Technology" Scientists have been doing it since the beginings of science and they are doing it now. Take for example the multi million dollar project in switzerland.Their trying to recreate the big bang and in the process create minute black holes. Do yo really think they no what their doing. Their dealing with dangerous technologies that could have grave implications.Which is part of the premise of my book.

Funny stuff. Good luck with that.

 

[Stewart]

Take for example the multi million dollar project in switzerland.Their [sic] trying to recreate the big bang and in the process create minute black holes.

Scientists in Switzerland were not trying to recreate the Big Bang, but instead to prove (or disprove) the existence of the Higgs boson. The aftermath of the Big Bang, and not the Big Bang itself, is what is of relevance here.

Do yo [sic] really think they no [sic] what their [sic] doing.

You know, it's hard to take you seriously when you can't even string a sentence together replete with correct spellings. On seeing the illiteracy displayed here, I have reservations about wasting time looking around for your PDF.

Their dealing with dangerous technologies that could have grave implications.Which is part of the premise of my book.

Zolipara mentioned earlier that your 'book' was only twenty pages. Can you really call it a book? Why do you think the Large Hadron Collider could have grave implications? I think you've been watching too much Fox News.

 

[Libra]

I think you've been watching too much Fox News.

I think he should get a few infractions just for that.

 

[Zolipara]

Zolipara mentioned earlier that your 'book' was only twenty pages. Can you really call it a book? Why do you think the Large Hadron Collider could have grave implications? I think you've been watching too much Fox News.

It is infact 11 pages..... including the title page.
I dont think he would survive the comments from you on it, so i'd recommend you skip reading it.

 

[sparkchaser]

I printed it out to read it last night but got distracted by The Muppet Show.

Did any of you find this amusing?

The novel in pdf format is a free download. By downloading this file. You must abide by the following conditions: This file is protected by U.S. copyright. It is only allowed to be used once per household. Reproduction and distribution in any manner is forbidden by law.

One use (reading?) per household?

Reproduction forbidden? Impossible! Anyone who has looked at it has reproduced it on their machine at home.

 

[sparkchaser]

I haven't finished the first paragraph yet and the grammatical errors are atrocious:

"Frederick Maryland" should be "Frederick, Maryland".

Americans would rather pay fewer taxes then get the services; they all deserve; like health care.

I don't even know where to start with that sentence.

I am going to trudge through the rest and report back.

 

[Isabell]

It is infact 11 pages..... including the title page.
I dont think he would survive the comments from you on it, so i'd recommend you skip reading it.

Yea, Stewart---don't read it. You'll make the guy cry

 

[sparkchaser]

The good news: I read the whole thing and once you take off the cover page and the last page, which is blank, the story is 9 pages long.

The bad news: I want my 15 minutes back. You should have run this by a high school English teacher at the very least before "publishing". I am not the expert on grammar so when I spot things amiss, you know it's bad. Very bad. Holy. Sentence fragment. Batman.

I dial my friend John’s number. An elderly scientist I know. “Hello John” “Is the dinner still on?” “Sure it is Dave; everyone’s going to be here. I’ve got a regular smorgasbord of people coming: Muslims, Christians, Jewish people, Democrats and Republicans.” “Can I bring the papers over?” “Sure Dave, but why bring them to me?” “Because there’s no one else and I can’t find anybody else who can help me with this cellular transmutation thing.” “O.K. Dave; I’ll see if I can help you.” “See you later” I say and hang up. John is the person I was speaking to.

Redundant much? Also, in a conversation, doesn't a new speaker usually mean you use a new paragraph? I've seen that rule ignored before but not as flamoyantly as in this story.

“You see Dave You see these books.” as he pulls a couple of books off the shelf. “They are my favorites Dave. Stephen Crane’s The Open Boat and these here; Edger Allen Poe’s Annabel Lee and The Raven. There [They're] beauty, sheer beauty and poetry, it took genius to create them. They accomplish something. What you’re doing. Your little project accomplishes nothing. Except possibly bring an end to this world of ours.”

Italics for names of books, movies, and so on.

The senator grunts a bit and Bill continues: “It's fine if you’re a congressmen, or senator, or president, because they all have health care, but if your without it and if you get sick or injured you are out of luck.” “Recently”, Bill continues: “I had a friend who had a bowel obstruction. Three weeks in the hospital and it ended up costing 100 [a hundred] thousand dollars for his stay and that’s no exaggeration. If you’re lucky you have insurance, and if you don't you hope they treat you, and even if they do treat you, when you get the bill, you either blow your head off with a shotgun or try to declare bankruptcy[.]”

You lost a set of quotation marks somewhere in this train wreck of a contrived dinner party:

John interrupts sitting at the end of the table. “ Reverend Paul. What do you think?” “I think it's true that most people feel that republicans are more moral, but I feel that were all the same. We all want to be safe, happy and healthy. Muhammad starts in: “The problem is that you Americans; which I'm one of by the way. That you Americans have a democratic society and you have too many freedoms.” “But”, John continues: “Muhammad that's what this country was built on freedom for everybody.”

I begin to watch and I start to get board.

Get board?


I was tempted to stop reading when I came to this part but I trudged on.

Unknown to me Jill is in the next room and picks up the phone. She starts: “Hello; is this the Washington Post?” A man is on the opposite line and answers: “Yes it is.” Jill continues: “I have an important story for one of your journalists.” “Hold on” is the reply as the man switches her to the press room. “Dave’s going to kill me.” She says to herself as she waits. The operator gives her Dick Harris; a journalist who's been with the paper 10 years now. Jill greets him with a big “Hello” “Hello”, he replies. “Dick Harris here. What can I do for you? ” “I have a story for you.” and Jill proceeds to tell him of all the work that Dave and she are working on.

Then I reached the end. I've never witnessed a more forced deus ex machina than I have witnessed today.

I'm sure that from the quoted bits above that Stewart will find a good 10-15 grammatical errors I missed.

 

[beer good]

I tried 10 Independent publishing companies and 6 turned it down. The rest I never heard from. (...) So if you’re trying to get your book published at a large conglomerate, I guess the only option is to get an agent and this can have its own problems. Good Luck.

Jack,

Not to say anything about the "book," which I haven't read, but just out of curiosity - what had you expected their answer to be? How many 9-page novels do you see in your local bookshop? I honestly don't think I've ever paid money for anything that short (possibly excluding photocopied fanzines).

Exactly what constitutes a novel can be up for debate; the rules of the National Novel Writing Month ask for 175 pages, which is usually considered very short. Whatever the bare minimum length is, it's certainly more than 9 pages - just like you couldn't write a 10-second song and expect it to be played on the radio, no publisher is going to put that out as a novel.

What you've got there is a short story. Submit it to a magazine or a short story competition instead, or write more stories and submit them as a short story collection.