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Writing Porn For Fun and Profit! This issue may be distributed to friends, discussion
lists and writing groups as long as the entire
issue is included.
------------ADVERTISEMENT-------------- ========================================= To those of you who've waited so patiently for me to get this newsletter up and running, thanks and sorry for the delay. What with one thing and another - webmaster defections, deadlines and general life among them - it's taken me much longer than I expected to get everything together. But here we are, and I'm really excited about finally getting this off the ground. Back when I first started writing porn there was precious little information available on porn/erotica as a genre and even less for the writers who wanted to make money at it. There's a little more info out there now but not much. I know that personally I've spent hours on the internet looking for "help" but haven't found any. Where are the market listings, the workshops, the how-to's of writing porn or dealing with editors, etc? We porn writers seem woefully under-represented in mainstream writing circles. To that end, in addition to this newsletter, I'm working on a Porn Writers' Association. After all, there are clubs and organizations for mystery writers, romance writers, and just about every other sub-genre out there. I was astounded when I was unable to find one for porn writers. (I'm sure you'll let me know if you've managed to find any that I've missed.) I'd like to see an organization with enough members and enough clout to right wrongs - from slow payment to the confrontation of chronically non-responding editors - and to provide support for a growing number of writers who dare to push the envelope. But first, this newsletter - hey, one step at a time! In this bi-weekly I'm hoping to provide information that aspiring as well as professional writers can use. I'll be offering my own goods and services, like the updated version of It's a Dirty Job and manuscript critiques, as well as showcasing other authors (the Short Story Contest!), editors and markets. I'd like for this forum to be as interactive as possible so please feel free to email me with your questions, comments and suggestions. Katy --- Short Story Contest #2 ---
Fall, 2000
For those of you who missed it, the first contest was a whole lot of fun! (The winning entry was Lunch , by Kelly Kesner.) As I told all the entrants, the hardest part for me was that there had to be any losers at all! We got some great entries and the consensus from y'all (no, I'm not a southerner, I just type that way) is that we should run it either monthly or bi-monthly. The jury's still out although I'm leaning toward bi-monthly, but let's try again and see what happens! See Here for the rules. Prize is $25.00 plus publication on the site and the deadline is October 11th. Let's air out those fantasies and have some fun! Good luck! ========================================= --- Market Listings --- BEAU, P.O. Box 170, Irvington NY 10533 - E-mail: DianaEditr@aol.com
Website: http://www.youngandtight.com/title.htm CONTACT: Diana Sheridan,
Associate Editor. General interest "vanilla" digest for gay males. 100%
freelance; some assigned, some unsolicited. Works with new writers.
Responds in three weeks, sooner to e-mail submissions. Pays on
publication. Time between acceptance and publication "varies greatly."
Buys all rights but will reassign book rights on request. Guidelines
available online or send SASE. For sample copy send $5.00 and a 6x9 SASE
with first-class postage for four ounces. Submit complete manuscript.
CURRENT NEEDS: Doesn't really *need* anything but is always willing to
look.
PAYMENT: Pays $100 for a 2,000 - 3,000 word story
REPRINTS: No
PHOTOS/ART: n/a
SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S - $9.97 for four issues; Canada - $15.97
========================================= -----------ADVERTISEMENT-------------- =========================================== --- When To Give Up --- ============================================== I'm a firm believer in try...try...trying again, figuring that eventually I'm bound to succeed. As a matter of fact, I have a whole chapter devoted to that in my book. It's supposed to be an inspirational little story about how one should never give up, even in the face of overwhelming odds (like those actual odds of getting your manuscript looked at, read and eventually bought and published.) Unfortunately, not everyone plays by the same rules that I do. Meaning that not all publishers and editors show me the same professional courtesy that I show them. So just how much leeway should you give an unresponsive or difficult market? How many times should you query and/or submit before throwing in the towel? Whereas at one time I thought the answer to the above question should be "As long as it takes," I'm starting to revise that philosophy a little. Because, even when/if you finally get a reluctant market to acknowledge you, chances are good that the rest of the process - from editing to seeing your story in print to getting paid - will be just as fraught with problems as the beginning. I've sold to many markets that were difficult (at best) to contact - and rejoiced in the belief that I finally had the editor's "ear" - only to discover that they continued to ignore my ensuing emails, letters and phone calls. And I've had plenty of editors be less than pleasant and courteous even when they finally DO respond. True, I haven't yet been shafted completely as to payment, but I've found the "difficult" markets to be much slower (and less reliable) than markets who tend to be "author friendly." After much trial and error, I operate now with some loose guidelines. I ALWAYS give a market the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the first, and even second, submission/query/email. I am consistently amazed at how many of those contacts get completely lost somewhere along the way. Whether a manuscript is stuck under a slush pile or rattling around in some Postal Service truck, I don't know. But the truth of the matter is that it can sometimes take 2-3 mailings to get an editor to actually read an submission (unsolicited or not). Often, my second or third query or manuscript will be attended to promptly, although I'm never any wiser as to why it was ignored to begin with. But I'm much less tolerant now of markets that consistently ignore my requests. Sure I may think it's the best market in the world for my work, and I may be frustrated by the fact that if they'd only pay attention, they would be able to see that as clearly as I can. But now, if a market hasn't responded to three professionally submitted manuscripts/queries, I write them off. Not forever, of course, but I wait at least 6 months before trying again. And after repeating that process maybe once more, I'm more likely these days to write them off completely and look for markets that act as professionally as I do. Sure, I always wish things would change, and I'll
maybe check the masthead or guidelines of a
market I covet, hoping that the editorial make-up
has changed. But in the end I've found it's not
worth my time and effort to try to convince editors
to behave professionally. My time is more
wisely used communicating only with markets that will take me as
seriously as I take myself. =========================================== --- Q & A --- Send me your questions! I'll answer the most common
and/or interesting ones here, and if I don't know
the answer, I'll do my best to find a pro who does. =========================================== ---Looking for Writers--- Ok, so I'm really new at this newsletter thing and I could use some help! Not to mention the fact that a newsletter written entirely by me is going to be incredibly boring (can't you see my virtual yawn?) What I'm looking for is writers with something to share, whether that be a success story, a learning experience or a particular area of expertise. Right now I can "pay" with a copy of the updated "It's a Dirty Job..." but I'm hoping very soon to be able to offer AT LEAST $10.00 for each piece, along with, of course, credit and links. Got an idea? Email me!
I'm open to the new and adventurous as well as the blase and mundane! ========================================== ---Talk to Me--- One thing I've learned is that it's hard to operate in a vacuum, especially in the porn/erotica genre. The world is not exactly crawling with support groups for us, eh? (No, I'm not Canadian either.) I know what kinds of things I'm interested in, but what kinds of information are YOU looking for? What would help you in your porn writing career? Are you looking for markets? Feedback from editors? How-to's from writers? Success stories? Interviews? Communication with other writers? As for services, would you like to see critiques? Workshops? Editing services? There's precious little info out there for the likes of us and I'd sure like to remedy that. But I can't do it without you. I need to know what you'd like to see in this newsletter; exactly what kinds of information and articles would help you further your career. In the coming weeks/months I'll do my best to provide it and to that end please feel free to email me with any and all suggestions and comments. Katy
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