Criticizing authors (and other creators) who are not producing a finished story "fast enough" has become popular in the last decade or so. Some fans in the SFF genre in particular, where long series tend to be common, have even adopted a practice of only starting series once they are finished. I get it! I … Continue reading In Defense of Unfinished Works
Publishing
Rise of the Mages
IRE has a new title: Rise of the Mages. It also has a new form: Ahhh! It's real! Fifteen year old me would have been blown away to see my name (pseudonym, at least) on a Tor book, even an advance copy. Hell, 31 year old me is pretty blown away. My editor, Jen Gunnels, … Continue reading Rise of the Mages
How to Write a Publishable Book
It has been proven to me time and again that very smart, amazing people have very different tastes than I do. And that's okay. They might disagree with many of the things below, but this is my take on how to approach writing a book that is worth publishing. Appeal/Setup: The story needs a strong … Continue reading How to Write a Publishable Book
The Write Life
I'm not entirely comfortable writing about my own life, my own family, but I write this for a few reasons: The life of an author is often romanticized, and I think people should understand what it's really like (at least for me). I'm in a pretty awesome situation in life, and still the creative struggle … Continue reading The Write Life
Ire Has a Home
I finally signed a contract. Ire will be the first book of a trilogy written for Tor. The first book is tentatively scheduled to be published in late 2020, and the other two books will follow shortly thereafter. Working with Tor is something of a dream come true for me. I grew up reading a … Continue reading Ire Has a Home
Elements of a Query Letter
Hey people - I'm part of a query workshop at LTUE on Friday at 10 AM. I'm putting this post together primarily as reference material for that event, but it should be useful for anyone putting a query letter together.
Literary Agents and Why I Want One
At a very basic level, literary agents take a 15% cut of the amount their authors make in exchange for selling your book to a publisher. They should have the contacts to make that happen. Essentially, they are gate keepers for the publishers. But that’s not all! They’ll typically handle the funds coming from a publisher, negotiate contracts, … Continue reading Literary Agents and Why I Want One
Publishing Process for New Authors
I may have unintentionally deceived some of you with my previous blog entry. I do not currently have anything lined up as far as publishing goes. That process begins when you have not just a complete first draft, but a complete fourth or fifth draft, or however many drafts it takes to turn the manuscript … Continue reading Publishing Process for New Authors
Scott Drakeford 