Monday, September 04, 2006

Q & A 84 Continuation Questions


With the continuations, how do you choose? Do you wait for several to be submitted, than choose your favorite or do you just wait until one hits you, even if it is the very first one submitted.

As soon as there's a great one, I choose it and remove the opening from the queue, so others don't waste their time continuing that one. Often there's a pretty good continuation, and I hope for better, only to get another pretty good one, and another, until soon I have six pretty good ones, at which point I see if I can combine two into a great one. If not, I see if I can improve one into a great one. If not, can I write a great one myself? If not, it may sit there ten days feeling unpopular until I take pity on it and use the best one I have.

Hey, does this count as a publication credit?

You know, I would like to own a book containing the best of the New Beginnings. They make good reading, but a book is more convenient than an archive (and a better gift). No one would buy it except minions, and not a lot of them, as it's available free.

If I were to start Evil Editor Publishing, and make such a book available to more people than just myself, I would want to be sure that each contributor was credited (unless they preferred otherwise), and that anyone who didn't want their work included could bow out. It seems unlikely anyone who submits to this blog, which is seen by thousands, would object to having the same work in a book that would be seen by maybe a hundred at best, but you never know. It would count as pub credit. You don't have to admit in your query that you contributed only 38 words. Just say, My work appeared in the anthology _______________.

I've no idea if it's something I'll go through with, but for starters, if you guys would email me your responses to the following:

I am responsible for New Beginning(s) #____________.
I am responsible for Continuation(s) #______________.

If a book were produced I would
a. Not want my work included in any way
b. Allow my work to be used, but anonymously
c. Want to be credited under the name _____________________.

If you chose c, would you also like your work credited on the website? If so, by your real name, or your blogger name?

If you aren't sure you're responsible for a continuation, because Evil Editor changed it so much you barely recognize it, go ahead and claim credit; I'll check and confirm whether your idea was the inspiration.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are you serious?

You MIGHT publish some kind of book on our New Beginnings and Continuations and give us publishing credits?

Really?

You really, really love us.

I'm afraid to answer for fear of being a nitwit.

Anonymous said...

I love it, I love it, I love it!!! ANYTHING to get published....

Kidding aside, it would be a wonderful gift to us, to you and to those who appreciate our sense of humour.

I'm in.

You're serious, right?

Anonymous said...

EE's not serious. He can't be.

Anonymous said...

If he's not serious, it's very evil indeed. Ha!

McKoala said...

The continuations are pretty funny though. What a Christmas present for Grandma! (Apart from the 50% that you would have to obscure as too scandalous for Grandma's innocent eyes...)

Kanani said...

Dear EE,
I'm on information overload.
I'm taking time off to be evil in other pursuits.

Talia said...

I think you would have more success publishing your corrections to the query letters.

Your comments and questions are hilarious. When I'm feeling "down" I come here to read all your comments on the query letters, have a good laugh and feel better.

And then showing the new and improved query letter helps too

There are lots of books that show good query letters, but the way you point out logic errors is extremely helpful.

The fact that your database includes NF as well as the F genres makes it especially useful. I write NF and get frustrated as books often use only fiction queries.

Stacia said...

I actually think, given how helpful all of the queries and New Beginnings are here, and given how helpful things like the COM are, a book like this would be a great thing to have.

none said...

Meh, he's probably going to use lulu.evil.

Anonymous said...

Ooh, yes please, yes please. Oh, no, no no - haven't got a cool 'other' name. Son suggests 'Ankle Crusher', 'Manic Mom' or 'Angst Meister' Hmm, maybe not.

Just for the record: I love the 'duck and fluffing weeds' continuation. No, it's not mine. Still makes me chuckle.

Evil Editor said...

Yes, I'm serious. The easy part is putting the book together. The hard part is figuring out who wrote it.

Bernita said...

I'm probably being dim here - not an uncommon condition for me - but for the humour of the continuations to be apparent, wouldn't you also need permissions from the beginnings thus satirized?

Evil Editor said...

That would be why I requested the identity of those who submitted beginnings and those who submitted continuations.

Anonymous said...

I still have two beginnings on the queue. I'll wait till they appear (if they ever appear!) and submit my credits.

Or should I just submit what I have now and then again later?

Hopefully, doing this won't blow your cover, EE, unless you use a publisher other than your own.

Evil Editor said...

Now is fine. I believe there are enough good ones stored up so that the ones in the queue can wait for volume 2.

Bernita said...

Yep.Thank you.
"Dim" - as I said.

braun said...

So would this be a POD kind of thing?

Anonymous said...

I can't remember which continuations of mine were used, so leave those two-minute knock-offs anonymous (my mother will thank you, I'm sure).

Evil Editor said...

I DO know which are yours. Still prefer anonymous?

Anonymous said...

McKoala,

I don't know about your gramma, but mine has to watch Baywatch cause they won't let her have the Spice Channel in the nursing home.

McKoala said...

*mckoala falls out of tree laughing her pouch off*