Any ideas on how to publish and not get ripped off?

Hey there, I'm sure a lot of you have the same fears as I have, publishing your precious poems and manuscripts with the fear of recieving a pink slip of rejection, then a shot while later...seeing your work in print under another name with a few things changed.
Any idea's to prevent this from happening or safer publishing?

Another fear I have is suppose my work makes the bigtime, the last thing I want is to be famous and in the tabloids. I can't stand gossip, and the press will make up anything to ruin your image and diginity.
I thought about using another name, like a stage name, but they always find you anyway.
What are your thought on this matter?

Thanks in advance for your input.
Peace everyone

 

Find someone wealthy, whose got connections whome you trust.

 

I really don't think the press attacks writers (they tend to be boring and nobody cares about them), and most writers never make the big time. The biggest writers are the ones who have had their books recommended by Oprah, adapted into movies, or both... and that only happens if you write to a certain kind of audience, and write in a certain kind of way.

People get published for writing non-fiction, but you have to have expertise in something or an interesting experience that people will want to read about. Or you can always write pornography-- but you'll be competing with the thousands of thirty second clips on the Internet.

If you're a real writer, you'd just do it and not worry. Even if you lose something at some point, if you're any good you can just write something else and try to make it better.

If you're looking for some kind of immortality or something, then just think of it this way: eventually you'll be dead and if someone's stolen it then your work will be out there, just with some other dead person's name on it, and when you're both dead it won't matter anyway. Either that, or it will just disappear and after a long while, no one will know about it.

And if you're only in it for the 'money', then maybe you should become a businessman or a stock broker or something like that. I would think a real writer would put the writing even before him or herself.

But maybe that's just me.

 

first... get over your self.

And then copyright your work OR (cheaper and easier) register your work with the Writer's Guild--

WGAe or WGAw (east or west) $20.

 

Actually, I was going to say this but then changed my mind. Absolutely, this is the first thing you should definitely do. In fact, chances are your writing isn't that good... and it's almost definitely not as good as you seem to think it is.

Anyone who would come onto a site like this with questions like the one you just asked couldn't possibly have a very good sense of reality, or possibly be good at being self-critical, which is always very important to good writing.

In fact, what you just asked is probably one of the most uncreative questions you could possibly ask, and worse than that it was put in a really uncreative way.

So anyway, I guess my point is don't worry because I really highly doubt that you would be a good writer anyway.

 

Well, you're certainly entitled to your opinion, but you shouldn't be so critical on something you never read before.
I was just looking for other ideas besides what I learned, maybe find a better way.
Also, I'm not the type to have an overblown ego as to tell total strangers to get over themselves... I know all to well writers hardly make it to the big time, and though getting rich would be nice, I'd just be happy to see my work in print as a personal goal.

Peace to you anyway

 

make your own damn book , print , bind , make your gift

 

Good thing you tried to make your original statement sound as though it actually had a completely different meaning, otherwise I would have thought I was right.

I don't see how telling someone to get over themselves means someone has a big ego. Usually, the people with big egos are the ones who think everyone wants to steal their writing and get rich off of it because it's so wonderful. The people who tell someone to get over themselves are the ones who see that a person has a big ego and try to bring them down a bit.
If you can't even recognize that basic fact of human psychology, how could you possibly write compelling characters???

 

Dang dude, why are you so critical? Just asked a question. So here's another, what have you actually written and published to give such advice?

 

I have two film deals in the wind--

And a long list of ghost writing non-credits.

Heywood Floyd knows what he's saying-- in my opinion, for whatever that's worth.

 

Hey thanks gecko!

SW:

Look, if you can't even take my criticism then how could you possibly expect to take the criticism of the numerous editors and critics who will inevitably be dying to evaluate your latest masterpiece??

Also, I've said it before and I'll say it again: getting published doesn't automatically make you a great critic. On the other hand, usually real writers have a keen enough critical eye and sense of literature/pop culture/formula to be able to offer sound advice.

Not that it's any of your business, but I've been writing for my whole life and I just do it for its own sake. I've never attempted to get anything published-- and no, that doesn't mean I don't think it's good-- I'm just not interested in what other people think, outside of some people I actually care about.

I've posted some things here that I didn't really care about, but very few people on this site seem capable of offering valid insights into it and tend to just shower people with praise, which is probably alright for people who are still afraid of writing and quite likely can't even be honest about things yet, but completely useless to anyone who knows that it's completely impossible for something to have only positive qualities and not have any mistakes or shortcomings whatsoever.

I for one would love it if someone could offer me a fresh and articulate critical perspective on my own writing-- unfortunately, it's really hard to come by.

 

Hey geckopelli, that's super cool, hope everything works out...

Lol, I have been told I'm not too good at taking self criticism, if that's what you guys are giving me... I have to work on that.
As for my books, I was told I have good ideas and quite original from whats out there, however, I do admit, I'm not a professor on writing, so my manuscripts do need some editing. I was just glad to have written them in the first place. I don't want to be a career writer or anything. So if my work goes anywhere, then fine, and (as you guys have said) most likely not, then I'm happy with actually writing a novel in the first place, as a personal acheivement.

Just for the record, I have been published four times for my poetry. It's in not only books, but was also selected for a music and poetry cd set. I won the best poet of the year award twice, and the last poem published was featured on the first page of the book... but I know that novels are another story...

Peace

 

I'll tell you guys something. The hardest thing to get is honest, constructive criticism.

And the hardest thing to write is a good short story.

Screenwriting is the easiest way to not-write a novel and still tell your story.

I suggest, spirit wynd, that you look into the art of writing treatments.
It's a good way to see if your ideas have the what it takes to actually fill out. Often times I find that a good idea is only that, and doesn't really have the depth to "go all the way" to a complete piece of work. It's also possible (but not easy) to sell, or at least get some VIP's attention, with a good treatment, be it a novel or a screenplay.
The writer's store.com has some excellent resources. Check 'em out.

But remember, all professional writers need a thick skin- especially screenwriters.

 

If you try to get things published keep dated copies from when the poems were written. That way if the issue of plagiarism comes up you can take the people to court.

 

Another idea is to send it to yourself and when you get it back don't open it. That way, if someone steals it you have proof from the date of the post office that you wrote it first. don't know how well it works but it won't hurt will it?

 

I'm thinking forward after adorning my walls (yes, plural) with all those fuggedaboutit letters. Check out http://frugalfiction.com. They're easy to work with and the younger generation is computer savvy. They'll think about saving trees and won't need paper to feel like they're reading. At least that's my hope...

 

An Excellent book on the subject of publishing is "The Well Fed Self Publisher" by Peter Bowerman. He goes into great detail and offers some practical reasons why you should be actively engaged in marketing your art. Unfortunately even a good book isn't a better mousetrap. Publishing isn't very difficult, but it does take motivation.


CF

 

Wow thanks guys (original replies). I was going to ask a simular question on these forums, but now I see that my question would not only go unanswered but would also subject me to the criticism of a group of people who I am only recently aware of. So again, thanks for this indirect warning to never foward any questions or share anything personal on these forums.

 

constructive criticism and insulting someone for no good reason aren't the same thing. i'm glad some answers came out of this....eventually....

 

I don't insult people for no good reason. If this guy had come on here with something good I would have told him it was good. But this whole thing about 'making it big' kind of suggested some pretty unrealistic expectations, and I pointed that out.

Also, I have lots of respect for someone who can confidently and articulately defend themselves or their work-- not so much for someone who attributes it all to me being a big meanie. Even if I am a little negative at times, I will still always give credit and positive feedback to anyone who can show originality, ingenuity, and even literacy in their writing...

The problem is that those qualities are very rare.