Dale’s Comments (group member since Sep 15, 2017)

Dale’s comments from the Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie group.

Alex wrote: "What makes it even sillier, Dale, is that I could include some numbers that would increase my chances of getting picked up by an agent, but when I think of those numbers I ended deciding that if I ..."

If you're speaking in terms of marketing, then sure, if you already have the marketing savvy and whatnot, it may not be an issue. I don't have those numbers. :-P

Amy wrote: "The default ones are also the ones where I received an automatic receipt when I queried. Their system got my book. They just don’t want it. One said he liked it but didn’t love it. (Waves a dismiss..."

Ah, well, okay. If they explicitly say that you can assume they don't want it after x weeks, that's different.

Great job! I like how "fire" and "ice" landed next to each other. ;-)

Amy wrote: "That is a lot of "assumed to have passed". It reminds me I may have another default rejection if the correct number of weeks have gone by."

I wouldn't assume a "rejection by default." So long as you've read and followed the agent's specific instructions (correct email address. correct content delivered in the correct form, etc.), I would send a follow-up query asking if they received your submission. Sometimes things do go wrong and emails go missing or get shunted off to the spam folder when they shouldn't. If there is no response to your follow-up, then move on, but don't let it go without a follow-up.

Alex wrote: "On a positive note, Dale, at least you have the courage to submit to agents, I'm too cowardly for that."

It takes some practice to become inured to rejection slips, but once you get there, it's not really all that hard. You just assume you'll get a rejection but hope for something better eventually. ;-)

Theodore wrote: "This might help you (in terms of who might even give you the courtesy of a response and who will blow you off):."

Thanks, Ted. I think I may have read that before, but it never hurts to be reminded. I've actually never been blown off by an agent. I find that if I follow their instructions (and I always follow the instructions from the specific agent/agency to whom I'm submitting), I always get some kind of reply, even if it's just a form rejection.

Anna Faversham wrote: "Yes do plough ahead. You know all the greats have been rejected many times so if you want to be a great writer, you have to collect at least 20 rejection slips."

Yep. And I'm sure I've collected more than 20, just not in recent years. Does that count? Can I brag about brag great now? ;-)

Christine wrote: "Nice interview, Dale. And the blurb hooked me - I'm off to buy a copy!"

Thank you! Ebook or paperback? There's a coupon you can use for the paperback at serpentcliff.com, if going that route: 2018ICE001. It will get you $3.00 off and a signed copy.

I'll be interested in this, too. I did some reading on U.S. price points a couple of years back, and at that time they were saying the $0.99 USD ebook seemed to be losing its appeal. The theory was, people were beginning to suspect that such a cheap book was less than professional, so the most popular price points with buyers had drifted upward to something like $3.99. For the ebooks we publish through our company, we settled on 3 price points: $3.99 for children's ebooks and shorter adult books, $4.99 as the "default" for most ebooks, and $5.99 for longer works or works with lots of illustrations. My ebook novels are priced at $4.99. This also allows us to run occasional sales on selected books.

But we haven't tried to spread them around to a lot of different platforms. We have them on our own website, Amazon, and B&N. That's about it. We sell the most ebooks on Amazon, but nothing in great quantities.

Not really a "Grrr!" Just part of the writing life. But I keep hoping it won't turn out this way:

Got my second rejection from an agent on Space Operatic. Shipped it off to a third and identified a couple more to keep waiting in the wings for the nearly inevitable next rejection.

Unfortunately, this is about where I usually start having doubts about a manuscript . . . but I'm going to keep plowing ahead with it.

Píaras wrote: "FB'd"

Thank you!

Anna Faversham wrote: "Tell her please, Dale, that we'll miss her and that we hope she'll find a replacement soon and thanks to you both for letting us know."

I'll do that, from all of us. I'm sure she'll appreciate everyone's concern.

The final stop on the tour: Straight from the Library (not a bad place to end!), where they interview me. Please enjoy, post comments, and share. Thank you all for following me around for the past couple of weeks!

Angel asked me via PM to let the group know that her computer died, so she won't be participating here for a while. This puts her planned publishing schedule and special features on hold, but she intends to pick up where she left off once she figures out how to get a new machine. Due to the cost, that may take some time.

Ben wrote: "Lots of claps, great work all!"

Thank you!

Amy wrote: "Wrote this:

https://medium.com/@debzcooper/the-uk..."

Clapped! Kinda reminds me of what happens here in Baltimore when we have an inch or so of snow. I'm from the American Midwest (born in Toledo, Ohio and spent about half my life in the Chicago suburbs), so I'm used to it. But the folks around here? Not so much, although they have gotten better at clearing the roads over the past 20 years or so.

Alex wrote: "Clapped and shared for you Carole and Dale"

Thank you!

Carole wrote: "Thanks, Dale. I shared and clapped for yours. Good piece of writing. Reminded me of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson- chilling."

That's a comparison I'll take! ;-) Thanks!

Carole wrote: "My latest- https://medium.com/@caroleproman/out-..."

Read and clapped. A wonderful, touching piece.

My first fiction piece on Medium: "In the Butcher Shop"