Behind the Door Marked "Tiger"

by C. Margery Kempe

A bunch of us writer folk got an unpleasant reminder of just how bad the publishing world can be. It's a long and horrifying story that's not without precedent in the fly-by-night world of digital publishing. Suffice to say, once bitten twice shy. I didn't have too much at risk and I've been through this kind of thing before (sadly) but it gets no less irritating. I feel bad for the new writers for whom this was their first publication: so much hope dashed by someone who held out the promise of a dream to them only to yank it away. It's the same with any business that goes awry, but there's so much of ourselves that we put into creative endeavours, it's difficult not to take it personally when we fail (even if our failure is failing to realise we're dealing with unscrupulous people.

Know the warning signs. Know your rights. Check sites like Writer Beware and Absolute Write Water Cooler. If your spider sense is tingling, there's probably a reason.

It's not worth having a publication if you're going to regret it the rest of your career. As much as you might be tempted by promises of a big splash, think about your career in terms of the long haul. For the majority of writers, that's what it will always be: a long slog. The fewer jerks you have to put up with over that time, the better.

I have a chronic inability to remember any quote correctly. Example? The title for this post came from a fave episode in Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which always cracks me up and I invoke at any instance of byzantine bureaucracy. Of course I've always had it wrong: it's not a tiger. I think I might be mixing it up with a Monty Python sketch. In any case, here's the conversation between Arthur Dent and a planning official (thanks to Planet Claire):

"But Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months."

"Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything."

"But the plans were on display …"

"On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."

"That's the display department."

"With a flashlight."

"Ah, well the lights had probably gone."

"So had the stairs."

"But look, you found the notice didn't you?"

"Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard'."

So beware of the leopard — or the tiger! — and keep your eyes on the prize, because that prize can be quite wonderful — like a new life in Ireland! And visit Things We Forget for inspiration: you'll need it.

Filed under: Business, C. Margery Kempe, contemporary romance, erotic romance, Horror Stories, inspiration, Kit Marlowe, romance, Romance News, Writer's Life, Writing Topics