... to the debating podium ...
January 26, 1999
6:57 a.m.
One advantage of being sick is that it gives me "time" to catch up on stuff. I've now managed to read most of the stories on the Nebula ballot, and finish a first draft (which still needs work), and finish a couple issues of magazines that have been sitting around waiting for just such an occasion. Still, I would rather be feeling well. Okay, that's the dumb statement of the day.   Pro vs. Semi-pro. Jeeze. I think I'll go back and watch some more of the Clinton trial. This is one of those items that just never seems to die. It seemed so important when I was just starting out, so I guess I understand the buzz that goes on in the newbie/wannabe circle in regards to "career" planning. Should someone submit to semi-pro magazines? Is it the end of the world if you do? Should you congratulate someone who submitted? I repeat, jeeze. New writers have no careers. Let's not kid ourselves. Some new writers are building a career. Some are not really trying to, but wouldn't be upset if one fell in their lap. Some have no clue what in the world they're doing. So what? Mike Resnick says not to submit to semi-pro markets. I respect that. Mike's stories occasionally appear in semi-pro magazines, especially in overseas publications. What does that mean? Hmm...I know Mike has a tendancy to give away material to small presses in overseas markets so as to establish a readership there. Then he can sell material at higher rates. I also know established pros canget higher rates from semi-pro markets. Whether he asks for higher rates is not mine to know or to ponder. Mike Resnick is a true writer, a man who makes his living from the field. He has a career, that he's built in a variety of ways. He knows what he's doing. It would be wise to listen to him. Still, I occasionally submit to small press markets that I would like to see my work in. There are some pretty classy small-press zines, and both Mike and I know that. For what it's worth, I see a major name allowing a small press magazine to publish their work as another form of paying forward. Big names sell magazines. And a small press magazine with names like Fred Pohl, or Orson Scott Card, or even Mike Resnick on the cover might stick around an extra issue or two, you know? So, yes, I submit to a few small press magazines. But to date I have almost always been rejected by them, and to be honest it doesn't bother me at all. The small press is not widely known for its taste. I think, though, what James was really railing against is the exuberance shown by folks when they congratulate eachother for success in the small press. I tend to agree with him. Yes, if I sell a story to a small press zine, I'll be pleased. And I'll congratulate people for selling to the small press, especially if that's their primary goal. Heck, let's all be human beings here, okay? But small press is small press. It doesn't mean squat in regard to your career as a writer. At best it gives you a little recognition among a small set of readers so that if your stuff does make it to the "big-time" maybe they'll actually read it. But more likely, your small press success won't do much of anything for you beyond the $40 check and a few pats on the back from your writer-friends. So, Ron? Ar eyou saying I shouldn't submit to the small-press? Jeeze. Submit where ever you want. Be pleased when you sell something. I'll be pleased for you. But be able to put it in context. It's that self-awareness thing again. Amazing how almost everything in the business comes down to self-awareness and figuring out what things mean in regard to where you are. A small press sale to me (and I know to James) means very little. A small press sale to someone else can be cause for a major celebration. But again, writing is a very personal business. Small press writers are viewed through the same microscope as "real writers" (i.e. those with careers). It's like if High School players were invited to scrimage at half-time of the Super Bowl. If they score a touchdown, it doesn't mean much. And if they go hog-wild celebrating it, they just look funny in a cute sort of way, you know? So if you're invited to scrimage at halftime of the Super Bowl, should you go? Sure you should. it sounds like great fun. But if you're going to celebrate in the end-zone, I think it's best you tailor your exuberance to match the magnitude of the accomplishment as measured in the real world.  Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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"You got a lot of nerve to say you are my friend. When I was down, you just stood there grinnin'." Bob Dylan |
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