a little rant

Okay, I’m in a pissy mood, I’ll give you that, but I’ve still had just about enough.

When I decided to pursue the business of novel writing, I did *a lot* of research. I studied, I read, I read, I read some more, I studied, I spent time on chats, and I asked questions of people. I did not:

1) Send 60k sweets to spicy lines asking for 100k. Insist that it’s so good that the publisher won’t care.

2) Rewrite romantic comedy novellas to be 100k romantic suspense novels or, alternately, YA books, because that’s what’s “hot.”

3) Insist that I know everything about the publishing industry to go it alone, then ask questions like, “Should I include a cover letter with my manuscript or just put it in an envelope?” And “How do you write a synopsis?”

4) Say things like, “How can this editor have requested my manuscript in this contest when it says on their website that they aren’t accepting any submissions?” This particular person also swore up and down that the address was not listed because of said policy of being closed to submissions. In actuality, they were very open to queries, and the address was listed right on the publisher’s website.

5) Post on a much-populated contest loop that my grammar is perfect because I’m a professional writer and have a professional copy editor critique my work, when my GH entry (which I emblazoned my name all over) was the worst example of bad grammar in the entire judging packet — and the judge is also a copy editor who recently received a perfect score on her copyediting test, so she knows of what she speaks. There’s grammar and there’s style. This was grammar. (And I would like to point out right now that I dont’ want any responses about the grammar on this blog, my emails, or my eharlequin posts, because I never edit them. I just sally forth. But you’d better believe I edit my novels before I send them out.)

6) Say, I’ve decied to write for this category line. I’ve read the backs of all the novels out this month and want to know if they are all just like that. I figure I’ll be published by next year — as long as I don’t decide to restart the book over again. No, I haven’t bothered reading any of hte books in teh line. Why would that be important?

I have observed each of these instances in the last two weeks, and I’m about to bite right through my tongue. PEOPLE! Research! Open your mind! Don’t act desperate! Admit that you don’t know something! Learn the f****** language! Sheesh.

Okay, I feel better now.