[authorme] PUBLISHING EMERGING WRITERS - FEBRUARY 2010
- From: "Bruce Cook, AuthorMe.com" <cookcomm@xxxxxxx>
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- Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:06:55 -0800 (PST)
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In this issue...
SECURING A LITERARY AGENT - Bruce Cook
THE SOUTHERN SUDANESE CREATIVE WRITERS - Abdalla Keri Wani
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SECURING A LITERARY AGENT
By Bruce Cook
Typically a dedicated author will produce a manuscript that deserves
publication in book form. However, the process of becoming published is murky
at best.
The obvious options are publishing online, Print on Demand, or paying to have a
local printer produce the book. Then there are e-books (Acrobat, Kindle, epub,
etc.) When making these choices, the author has high hopes that the work may be
noticed by someone who will bring the work to the attention of a legitimate
publisher in the commercial book market.
Rather than hope against hope, the writer might well deliver the manuscript to
specialists whose job it is to present high potential manuscripts to legitimate
publishers. These are the literary agents. While there’s no guarantee they will
select your work, the chances of success are probably greater than if the
writer just makes the book available online in printed form.
Another option is to market the book to individual publishers. However, once
this is done, it’s hardly fair to ask an agent to represent it. And, as any
writer will discover, major publishers will only consider submissions that come
from agents. Further, while local publication is instant, publishing through an
agent, even directly through a publisher, is a frustratingly slow process.
Don’t underestimate the difficulty of the writer’s decision. Every unpublished
author cringes to think of marketing any product, especially a book that has
become a treasured part of his or her life. Nobody wants to face repeated
rejections from publishers or agents. But remember… An agent can hardly accept
a manuscript that hasn’t been submitted. Same goes for publishers.
We all have to expect rejections - repeated rejections. Like playing the
lottery, it just seems impossible to win. With the deluge of submissions now
descending on agents and publishers (partly due to high unemployment), it’s
useful to understand that the odds are not very high. You may submit a
perfectly marketable manuscript to 100 agents and get favorable responses from
few to none. But remember, it only takes one to succeed.
Consider the problem from the agent’s point of view. Perhaps you are a
one-person literary agency and you have hired three graduate students to screen
the 100 e-mailed submissions you receive each day. You represent only 100
authors, and have no time for new ones, but you review the submissions out of
duty. After all, you may discover a rare nugget (the rare blockbuster author),
and you attend enough writer’s conferences to sympathize with the plight of
aspiring authors. However, due to time constraints and other practical
considerations, you discard all but one submission in every 100 you receive.
And, from those you didn’t discard at first, you agent few to none.
Against this background, if you are able to steel yourself against the harsh
reality of multiple rejections, here are a few tips.
Find help online and write an effective query letter. Paragraph one is most
important, since it has to “hook” the agent (who is likely to only read that
much of your lengthy submission). Also, obtain help in writing a synopsis and
bio. Then read the description of each agent and customize each submission to
the particular agent’s specification and interests. (If your manuscript doesn’t
fit their interests, don’t send it to them. You don’t get points for trying to
convince an agent to start representing a new category!)
You will need to search published lists to find agents who are likely to have
an interest in representing your work. The book Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book
Publishers, Editors and Literary Agents is very useful. (Also, there are
services like “Writers Relief” that will submit to agents for you, but watch
your wallet!) Here are some useful online resources.
Literary Market Place. A British reference work, and a veritable standard. You
can search their lists for free, providing that you register, but it costs $399
per year for a full-featured membership.
Publishers Marketplace. The American corollary to LMP, you can search
Publisher’s Marketplace for $20 per month. This is costly, but the quality is
very high.
WritersMarket.com. This is the online version of the very popular American
publications – Writers Market, Novel & Short Story Writer's Market, Children's
Writer's & Illustrator's Market, Poet’s Market, etc. Cost is more reasonable,
usually around $29 to $40, depending how you purchase the products. Allows you
to store and save searches. Then, when a publisher or agent in your list
modifies their listing, or qualifies to enter your list, you are notified by
e-mail.
AgentQuery.com. This is a free online service of high quality. The website
operators provide their data and searches for free, and deserve high
commendations for their work.
Writers.net. Another free online service. Very helpful in searching for agents.
Duotrope.com. This free online service is oriented to new writers. Through
Duotrope, at no cost, you can locate publishers of books and articles,
including publishers who pay little or nothing. You can store your favorites
and tools are provided to track submissions. Further, Duotrope offers e-mailed
reports on successful placements, changes in publisher profiles, and other
useful items. They do request – and fully deserve – voluntary contributions.
If you are ready to become published, willing to work, and have nerves of
steel, use these sources and get published. Best of luck!
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THE SOUTHERN SUDANESE CREATIVE WRITERS
By Abdalla Keri Wani
Note: In response to the situation described here, author-me created a website
for writers in South Sudan. Please visit www.SudanLit.com.
There are more than a dozen Southern Sudanese creative writers actively
involved in literary works, but due to lack of promotion of their efforts, very
few of them have their books published.
The only writers among them who succeeded are few and include Taban Lo-Liyong,
who made it into the international community of creative writers with his
prolific works on Sudan in general and Southern Sudan in particular.
Coming from the Kuku tribe of Kajokeji in BahrelJebel State, although he was
brought up in Gulu, Uganda among the Acholi, a tribal community having little
in common culturally with the Kuku, Taban had survived the strong Luo cultural
influence and predominance over his childhood and based his creative works
squarely on his early knowledge of the Kuku culture.
His vivid references to his childhood among the Acholi community in his works
were clear indications of the cultural interaction his family had experienced
among their hosts since their emigration from Southern Sudan, making richer
material to present to his readers than other writers from the same area in the
same period.
Taban, in his subtle exposition, described the Luo culture and other variables
in his first book: The Eating Chiefs, which was published by Heineman. For
example, his lucid discussion of the influence exerted by TombeGboro, a Ma'di
of PatibiMoyiba clan among his tribe and the neighbouring tribes is a clear
indication that his parents were culturally strong and withstood the influence
of a predominant culture amidst which they lived and kept their original Kuku
traditions and customs alive and imparted them to their young son.
Likewise Taban could not have known anything about TombeGboro, the Ma'di man
who had a long legacy of turning from his human form to a leopard to solve
scores with his enemies and was known throughout the region especially among
the Kuku, Lulubo, Acholi and Bari communities.
Taban even tried to explain to the readers the meaning of the name Malakal, a
Shilluk name for the capital of Upper Nile Province in his book the Eating
Chiefs. Likewise ,his reference in The Eating Chiefs to Luo Legends of how
Nyikango and Dumo, the two brothers, separated was his acquisition of aspects
of Luo culture during his childhood.
Another creative writer of international repute who falls between Southern and
Northern Sudan is Francis Mading Deng. Having as a main theme in his writings
how he can promote understanding of the Afro-Arab interaction in the border
region where his DinkaNgok people seasonally share pasture land and water with
the MesseriyaBaggara people of Arab extraction, the works of Francis are
limited in scope inasmuch as other African cultures in South Sudan are
concerned.
Despite the readiness of potential Southern Sudanese writers to contribute
works to the literary scene of Africa like the West, and East Africans have
done in the 1960s and 1970s, the indifference of the world promoters of
literary works - especially publishers of books in English - discourages them
from making concerted efforts. This situation makes it necessary for those who
are daring with their own works to finance their publication locally.
Salvatore Ibrahim Diolelah is one of the prolific Southern Sudanese writers. He
has written three small volumes short stories whose publications he financed.
One of Diolelah's booklets is titled 'KamusaDagaig' describing fictitiously the
bad effects of over drinking the locally-brewed liquor, aragi. He draws on the
dimension of this on social and economic situation of a man in an urban
setting.
Another writer who financed his own creative works is Joseph Abuk Lo Diyo whose
Poems from South Sudan were published by the New Day Publishers in Khartoum in
1999.
Jonathan MayenNguen, the former Director of Radio Juba, is also a Southern
Sudanese writer who has a good appetite for creative writing but faces the same
problem of finding a publisher for his works. His most recent work is a
collection of mainly Dinka folktales, which he titled 'The Vision of
Folktales'. Jonathan financed the publication of his own books by the New Day
Publishers in Khartoum in 2001 and 2002.
Among the group of Southern Sudanese who promoted their own works due to the
indifference of both regional and international publishers in works written in
English from this part of the world is geologist AzariaGilo Emilio. His two
creative works: 'Victims of Follies' and 'The Fossils' were financed by him and
published by Fr. VittorinoDellagiacoma, in St. Paul's Major seminary, Khartoum
North in 1998 and 1999 respectively. The author added his effort to this trend
of self-promotional literary works by Southern creative writers with his
collection of stories titled Kenyi's Adventure and Other Stories whose
publication at St. Paul's Major Seminary in Khartoum North in 1998 was financed
by him.
Besides the creative Southern writers, there is another crop of them who
undertake research and documentation, which also contribute immensely to the
print media in the South. Among this group are BonaMalwalMadut with his work
Power and Politics in the Sudan, DustanWaideMogga' work and Abel AlierKwai with
his "Southern Sudan: Many Agreements Dishonoured".
Whether they are creative or non-fiction works, the books by Southern writers
enhance understanding of the potentialities of the South as a fertile field for
writing. The difficulty of finding publishers for their works inside or outside
the Sudan is making the Southern writers to think very hard of how they can
overcome this big obstacle on their way.
In 2002, OhisaAffwoniLais, the author of 'God the Master.' Otuho Religion
approached the author of this article and suggested that he work jointly on a
document outlining a proposal for formation of Southern Sudan Writers'
Association. The association membership is to be confined to Southerners who
have published at least one book or booklet about a theme related to the South.
Any other writer outside the South who has written a book or booklet about the
South is to become an associate member. Other Southerners who have manuscripts
but cannot find publishers for them can be accepted as associate members of the
association and become full members after their works are published.
_________________________________________
This article was first published by Sudanvisiondaily.com
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Publishing Emerging Writers
February, 2010 (No. 1102)
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