@Mary Stetler: I must admit that I sometimes use AI in my work. We pay 20 dollars a month for an account. However, pure AI texts don't produce good text quality. And if you want to publish them on the web, you must be careful. Google doesn't like them at all. That's why you must adjust each text manually and make sure that everything is written normally. I would rather not do that for a book, I'm writing for fun. I intend to enjoy the experience. It is different with the photos I create with DALL-E. I play regularly with this tool. For example, I've sketched the ancient Rome. @Don Alaska: Of course there are writers who get rich from it, or at least got such sums once. But I like to keep my feet on the ground for now. @Ed Marsh: I apologise for writing again before your reply. I've had some time to do some research. Unless I've misunderstood something, there seem to be publishers (I mention Novum Publishing as an example for this) who collaborate with new authors. Perhaps do you have some experience of this? How did you publish your first book? Thank you in advance!
Good morning to all- Ms. Peacock- for my first book, I was contacted by the publishing company to put a book together. Since I write for several outdoor magazines, the publishers did research and found my name as a writer who had knowledge about the topic- a specific state and its fishing- and they paid me to put the book together. it was a long process and I don't think I made much money from it, but it was nice seeing that first ISBN number with my name behind it. It is difficult to get your new writer's foot in the door with most publishers- they want writers who folks have already bought and read. you all be safe and keep well- Ed
Have a wonderful Sunday! Mr @Ed Marsh, thank you for your report! To be honest, I didn't know that you contribute to several outdoor magazines. If one or more are exported to Europe, I can look for them. I hope that I'm not mistaken, but I'm happy for you that you managed to turn your passion into a profession. I understand that writing books hardly makes one rich, but hopefully, you get a relatively fixed fee from the magazines. More so as you write for numerous magazines. Do you concentrate exclusively on fishing or also on other outdoor themes? I can understand that publishers prefer to sign authors that people already buy and read. However, every writer needs to publish their first pieces, and they should be given the chance to do so.
Good evening to all- Ms. Peacock- I do not write on fishing to the exclusion of other topics. I write about rural living, gardening, small farm livestock, and just about any other topic I can research and put an article together about. If you get e-books from Amazon, I have two books there- Lessons learned from Living in the Country, and my most recent book- On Growing Old. The best way for a "new" writer to get published is to find out what the editor needs and supply it. If a writer solves a problem for an editor, that editor will be more than willing to use that writer again- this is true for a magazine writer. For getting first books published, Lord, that is a topic which books could- and have been- written about. If I might make so bold, what part of Europe is your home? you all be safe and keep well- Ed
I have published some scientific texts and I am involved in a few books. But I haven't written anything outside of science yet. I don't think you can compare the two things. But it's easy for me to write, simply because I really like the things I do. You will need to do the same with your own stories. I would say that writing is a really nice hobby and if it gives you something, you should sit down and write. It can be a very good balance. Nowadays you have many opportunities to publish your book. On the one hand, it has probably never been so easy to publish a book, on the other hand, it has never been so difficult to get attention for it. The ease of access increases the number of books, which makes it difficult to stand out from the crowd.
Good morning to all- Thomas- Brother, you never lied... Today it is easier to get stuff in print- or on screen- but it is very hard to garner enough attention ( think purchases by readers) to make much money. But I will dispute your statement that writing is a good hobby. In my opinion, anyone who writes for a hobby is comparable to someone who goes to hell for the view... I write because if I didn't I'd explore or implode or some kind of "plode" Good writing is damned hard work- at least for me it is. you all be safe and keep well- Ed And Thomas- welcome to the forum
I am 76, been retired for 12 yrs. I decided when I retired that I would fill my leisure time by researching for a fiction story which I am itching to put into words. When younger I had visions of becoming a writer, but life and the demands of making an income got into the way. Now, with more time and fewer distractions, I am attempting to make that vision a reality. I have written only papers, essays, etc. that one does while at University. No books, no short stories, nothing ever published. I have not taken writing workshops or worked with any authors. This is a huge challenge to me. I LOVE challenges. My story will be written around the theme of The Prometheus Myth ...... the giving of "fire" to human civilization. The battle against the de-humanization of humanity. The opposition to trans-humanism and the resultant post-humanism. The establishment of a super-society which would lead humanity into the future. I intend to create controversy by highlighting the importance of eugenics and social engineering in the building of the PERFECT society, the one which will lead humanity into the future. I anticipate enormous pushback. I love to stir people and to create debate. Presently I am completing my research (the result of 6 years of reading, taking notes, compiling, etc) and soon will begin to structure a story around these ideas. I am hoping the Creator will bless me with enough time to see it through to the completion of the book. Life is so exciting! Already I have learned some interesting things just from these few posts on this thread. I hope to learn a lot more from chatting with you people and I also hope to contribute something useful. Thanks and stay happy and well.
My middle daughter has been writing 'books' for decades. She is mildly handicapped and spends every day at the library because she can't handle noise/sounds. Most of her writings are childish. Anyway, the first five chapters of one book she had written a few years ago were really good! But then she fell off the track. I had her first completed novel vanity published. You can do this just for yourself or even try putting your work out there for an experiment. Pretty pricey. But it was worth it for my daughter.
Good day to all- Johnny- if I might be so bold as to suggest something to you- outline your story carefully and completely before you write it. Putting together a major work such as you tell us about is like building a complicated machine with lots of moving parts. Trying to assemble without a plan or direction is very difficult- things will get away from you without a plan. Write down your beginning, middle, and end of the tale- and don't be surprised at the major changes you make as you assemble the parts. And have a very clear picture in your mind- and perhaps even make a drawing or photograph- of your main characters. And write the climax and put it away and come back to it as you get closer to the climax actually occurring. Again, don't be surprised at the changes you will make. I can tell others how to do a major work as you have, but I can't do it. I know my limitations, and a long narrative is beyond me. But I do appreciate the work of others. you all be safe and keep well- Ed
I will keep those tips in mind. Next step will be a skeleton sketch, and a character list. I have bitten off a huge chunk, so I am hoping I will be able to chew and swallow it before I become an old geezer.