In which I ask internet weirdos for advice

[Imran Siddiqui]

But paying to get published is a bit weird.

[snoopy369]

After all, I can always ignore it.

I've spent the past couple of years working on a novel, which I completed a few weeks ago. I submitted it to Inkwater ( www.inkwaterpress.com ), which is a rather unconventional press that my sis-in-law's sister had some luck with. The manuscript was accepted for publication. They're sort of halfway between a vanity press and an ordinary publishing house; I'd pay a thousand bucks, but they'd handle sales/marketing/whatever and pass on thirty percent of the gross.

Naturally, I'm a bit ambivalent about accepting the offer. I don't think they're a scam or anything, but I know they don't have a lot of reach and a thousand dollars isn't pocket change. OTOH, I'm not sure how long it'd take to break in with a more selective publisher. I know some people here are successful authors (Vel, I think? Rufus's wife?). Do you, or anybody else, have advice?

No experience writing, lots of experience selling books. That qualifies to me for 'scam', though it's not a scam as in 'give us money and then go away'; it's a scam in 'give us money and we'll give you a little bit back maybe'.

In the publishing industry, if you have a book good enough to be published, someone will publish it without asking for money from you. Full stop. Don't pay anyone, ever, to publish something for you, unless you really just love seeing your book in print and don't care about selling it at all [and don't expect any of the money back].

I suggest getting some feedback on it from a writers' forum (there are lots), and if it's good enough to publish, finding an agent. Also, see if you can write a short story or two based on it [if you can either fashion the opening chapter(s) into a short story, or edit a large portion into a novella or something; or just write a story in the 'universe' with some of the characters] and get that published in a zine/magazine first. That will make it much, much easier to get published.

Whatever you do, don't ask John Scalzi to read your book.

Also, I'd be more than happy to read your book if you have a pdf version [and give suggestions, or not, as you prefer]

Finally - have you read The Magicians by Lev Grossman? That's the most recent big book in the vague category of 'theological fantasy' that I've seen, and quite interesting in its take on things [though probably not as theological as yours will be, I'm guessing; it's really only vaguely in the category due to its links to Narnia].

[Jon Miller]

Once more I think you do not have a clue about how to recommend books, or what sort of books they are. Is it that you have little reading comprehension?

The Magicians wasn't theological fantasy at all. It was a response to Narnia and Potter, but was a lot of 'lets put in some emo angst ridden people into harry potter'. It wasn't even all that imaginative. It's most interesting theme was that all the magic, etc (of Potter or Narnia) couldn't pull these angst ridden teens/etc heads out of their asses.

The last few pages imply that there is some change in the main character, but I didn't see any sign of one so I think that is a case of bad writing (wanting to put a happy ending on it).

It would only be called theological fantasy if Pullman's books could be considered theological fantasy (except Pullman was written better).

JM

[snoopy369]

Jon, did you read my edit? It's not theological fantasy per se in that there's little theology in it, but it's in the genre, in the sense that it's going to be grouped together with "Narnia-type" fantasy due to the lack of books in the genre. Unless Elok's book is highly theological and very little fantasy, publishers and booksellers will group them together.

And yes, Pullmans' books would also be theological fantasy (in that sense) ...

[Jon Miller]

So Pullman would be atheistic fantasy?

JM

[snoopy369]

I think that would be rather overly specific of a category

Remember, bookstores and publishers group books by 'How can we sell these', not by 'What are these'? The Magicians is being billed as Narnia-esque, even though it's not at all related beyond the author's obvious fascination with Narnia. Pullman similarly is sometimes linked even though it's sort of the anti-Narnia; they both sort of involve God thus they're linked.

[Jon Miller]

Do you agree that what is being done in Narnia and Subtle Knife is opposed? Pullman made his work directly opposed to Narnia.

I agree that they are both metaphysical. I wouldn't suggest that Pullman is theological.

By the way, I thought the response to Narnia was better than the response to Harry Potter.

JM

[Ben Kenobi]

in the sense that it's going to be grouped together with "Narnia-type" fantasy due to the lack of books in the genre.

Narnia books would sell better along with Christian Apologetics, and alongside anything with CS Lewis, Tolkein, Chesterton. Pullman would go right in hand with Dawkins, Dan Brown and other works of fiction.

You don't put Narnia together with 'anti-Narnia' if you hope to sell either.

[germanos]

They're sort of halfway between a vanity press

I loved Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum solely for this part of the story. (The rest was elaborately boring)