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Monday, November 22, 2010

The Many P’s of Publishing

We all know the Four P’s on the journey to publication:

Practise

Perseverance

Patience

Perspiration

Can you think of other P’s associated with publishing?

For example:

Panic: Did I send the right cover letter with my manuscript or did I send my grocery list? Did I remember to save that document before my computer crashed?

Polish: wax on, wax off, wax on again. We all know the hours of hair-pulling fun we have to endure to achieve a ready manuscript.

Pioneering: We hack and slash our way through the murky jungle of ‘what publishers want’ in search of that something special, that unique twist, the next best thing since sliced bread (without the clichés).

Poor: It’s a good thing we love to write because we’re certainly not in it for the money.

(Yes, my writing project is sending me a little crazy)

30 comments:

  1. oh, you forgot the big P - pain :) Both mental and physical - you will lose half of your wits and experience pain in your back :)

    PS the pic inspired me to make some pea soup tomorrow :)

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  2. Dezzy, Oh yes!! PAIN!! How could I forget that one! Hehehe. Enjoy your pea soup :)

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  3. Passion. Without it, we wouldn't get anywhere. And pea soup sounds like an excellent idea!

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  4. Cinette, yes! PASSION! Excellent and true! (I think Dez has started a pea soup trend)

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  5. Perseverance for sure! Just sticking with it is such a challange sometimes...

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  6. I'm right there with you on the "panic" one. Why is it I can't send out a submission without worrying that I made some major error with it as soon as I hit the SEND button?

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  7. Pain and Panic seem to be the two that come up most often, I find, hehe.

    Positivity is a big plus for me. keeping the old noggin' in the clouds is the best way to not be too affected by the realities of publishing :P

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  8. Er... plenty of pralines?
    :-)

    Good luck with your writing project!!! Take care
    x

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  9. Pat, perseverance is definitely a challenge. Feeln' the challenge right now in fact ;)

    Susan, seriously, it's doesn't matter how many times I check a submission, I still manage to panic.

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  10. Jamie, oo, yes, Positivity is a good one. We need that to keep going.

    Old Kitty, lol, love it: Plenty of Pralines. Yes! Thanks for the luck -- I need it ;)

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  11. Pals.

    Because I can't do this without my friends, online and in person!

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  12. Has procrastination been used? Sometimes I perform best with my back against the wall and the sands of time falling fast.

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  13. Lydia, Pals, yes! Every writer needs a great support group.

    Words Crafter, I LOVE it! Pffthbbbbitt!! says it all ;)

    Stephen, lol at procrastination, but yes, you are right, pressure has a way of focussing our talent.

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  14. LOL- oh thats a great list oing there,
    How about "prompting" for without some kind of prompt- could be hope, could be ideas, could be people, then we get next to know where sometimes.

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  15. I agree with Cinette too. Passion is a good one.

    Jai

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  16. Then there's that P for when you are published and hold your first book:
    Pride.

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  17. Ha ha. The darker "P"s. Tell it like it is, girl!

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  18. Great post and suggestions! I love it. Hand-in-hand with Practice (notice I spell that like an American LOL) and Perspiration, I would say: PRODUCTIVITY.

    You can't get anywhere without producing some work...can't just talk, blog, or dream about it. Butt in the chair, nose to the grindstone--er, keyboard!

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  19. How about pacing. Either the traditional kind where you walk back and forth while worrying or the kind that you need to write a good story.

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  20. Summer, Promting is a great one. We often need that to keep going

    Jai, yep, passion. Passion shines through.

    Helen, love it. I'm looking forward to that particular P

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  21. Loveable, hehe

    Carol, lol at American spelling. I often wonder if I should change my spelling since the majority of my readers are from there...but I figured, meh, I'm Aussie. I'm sharing the culture ;)

    Productivity is a great one. It's so true. Without it we won't get anywhere.

    Paul, Pacing YES! Love the two versions. Both work perfectly.

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  22. Well said Lynda. I can think of another P word, but it's not nice.
    Nancy
    N. R. Williams, fantasy author

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  23. When the P-pain strikes you as P-painful work ain't recognized, its the P-persistence to still continue for the P-passion of writing

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  24. Lynda, you forgot pity and passion. We have to be really passionate to keep writing despite all the hardships. We should also be allowed to indulge in a pity party when we encounter rejection starting from Beta Readers and coming down to the readers.

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  25. Progression - leaving our minds open to progress and mop up those edges that need buffing and polishing.

    I just got some peas for pea soup. Mmmmm. It's cold here, which is why it sounds so good.

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  26. Nancy, um-ah ;)

    Shyam, P-perfect and well said :)

    Rachna, I love the pity party. I partake frequently ;)

    Mary, progression. Yep. Another great addition.

    I hope everyone's Pea soup was delish!

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  27. Stephen Tremp said it !
    Procrastination... I'll tell you all about it soon.
    Kiran.

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