Have you been published? Share your experiences here.

[Friadoc]

First off, Destan, congratulations are in order!

It is always an accomplishment, in my view, for someone to get published, even if they're a veteran, but it's a slightly different level of accomplishment when it's a campaign setting that a publisher sought you out and requested it.

Anyhow, time to turn this back to me!

Seriously, though, my first published piece was an artifact for Sword & Sorcery Studios book, Relics 7 Rituals, named the Tear of Mormo. In fact, it was published, verbatim, as I had written it, which is something I am still a bit pleased with.

It is not that I think my writing is something special, or beyond reproach, it is just the warm fuzzy it gives when the thought occurs.

My next, as well as currently last, time published was within Torn Asunder: Critical Hits by Bastion Press; it is at this point that I begin to think I can only create magic items.

The published pieces, in this instance, are the Amulet of Dire Need, Corruptor, Healing Satchel, and Wraith Blade.

Thus far, those are my only credits, although I submit whenever I see an Open Call that strikes my fancy, or whenever I come up with the inspiration to drop a submission on somebody.

Currently I am taking the ambitious plunge of attempting a novel sample/writing submission to Wizards of the Coast, for Eberron, but it is only my second attempt at a fiction submission.

My first submission was a story for the Scarred Lands Anthology, but it was an embarrassing piece that I am a bit ashamed of, in hindsight.

Anyhow, here is my credit list, short as it is.
http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=2852

Once again, congratulations on the 'girl in the soda shop' tale. It is a bit inspiring, a hope lender even.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Well...

I started out my career with White Wolf, back in 2001. The year before, I'd submitted a book to Justin Achilli, one inspired by my 1997 honeymoon in New Orleans. To that point, I'd written several novels (none of which have yet seen publication), but nothing game-related. Justin couldn't use what I sent him, but he liked the writing enough to use me on something else, and it went from there.

My first D20 project was with MonkeyGod Enterprises, but I've since worked for a whole plethora (which is more than a handful but less than a buttload) of companies, and published a few articles in Dragon as well. My first (and, to date, only) published novel was with White Wolf.

As far as advice on publishing, I'll take the liberty of quoting myself from an interview I did a while back for Flames Rising.

Keep creating. You learn by doing, pure and simple. Playing the game isn't enough to qualify you for working on it; you have to create, and create, and create. And you have to be willing and able to accept criticism and learn from it. If you're the type to get angry at people who point out flaws in what you've done, you're better off working in some other field. Learn to cull the useful feedback from the criticism, and to tune out the stuff that's just mean or insulting.

When you start submitting to companies, read their submission guidelines and follow them. You don't have to understand why they want something done the way they do. You don't have to like their methods. You just have to follow them. Don't ever assume "Oh, my stuff's good enough, they'll just ignore the fact that I didn't follow procedure." It's not. Mine's not either. When you're first getting started, nobody's is. Follow the rules, pure and simple.

Don't give up. Everybody fails; everybody gets rejected. It'll happen, and it'll happen again, and even after you've been working in the industry for years, it'll still happen. It's part of the business.

Don't get into this industry looking to get rich, or even to make a living. This industry is piss-poor, for the most part. Most RPG companies barely make enough to get to their next product, and they pay their creative staff and freelancers peanuts. Do this because you love doing it; in the end, it's the best reason there is -- and often the only one.

For anyone who's really curious (or monumentally bored ), I've got a list of published credits on my web site.

 

[WizarDru]

Destan, will you be making Gencon to promote the book this year?

 

[Destan]

Destan, will you be making Gencon to promote the book this year?

Sure am. Are you gonna be there, Dru? It'll be my frist GenCon and my frist convetion. If any of you see a weird-looking guy in a strange Valus shirt wandering around, please grab my hand and guide me back to the booth.

D

 

[WizarDru]

Sure am. Are you gonna be there, Dru? It'll be my frist GenCon and my frist convetion. If any of you see a weird-looking guy in a strange Valus shirt wandering around, please grab my hand and guide me back to the booth.

Much as I'd like to, it's not in the cards, this year. The wife and I are going to Otakon with the kids and Southern Exposure (formerly Shorecon) without them this year, so Gencon is out of the question. I think we'll set our sights on next year: we'd really like to go, but I think our plates pretty full, right now.

 

[Driddle]

Another perspective of the publishing dream:

According to an online archival search at the newspapers where I've worked, somewhere near 4,000 stories have been published with my byline. ... Seeing my name out in the public like that lost its thrill for me after the first thousand stories or so. It also cured me of any fantasies I had when I was younger of being published in some other media or industry. You know -- been there, done that, whatever it takes to pay the bills. ... A bylined news story can run anywhere from 300 to 2,000 words (depending on page space). So if you take a low average of 500 times 4,000 stories, you're looking at somewhere around 2 million words researched, composed and edited (on daily or weekly deadline!) over the last 15 years. Why in the world would I want to put myself through the same thing for a fantasy novel?

 

[RPGgirl]

More Publishing Perspectives

First, congrats on being published, Destan. As an aspiring Sci-Fi/Fantasy author it's always great to see someone get their first book.

I am currently submitting short stories to magazines, but have had no luck as of yet. I have had an RP article published in Dragon, and will hopefully hear back on two more (a RP and ecology article) sometime next week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but so far, my experience has been great. The editors/assisstant editors at Paizo have been very helpful and full of good advice. For my first time, I can't imagine a better experience.

 

[DeBhaal]

Originally Posted by Destan
As for the high points:

1. I very much enjoyed the editorial process. I was able to work with a professional, astute, reader who also shares my passion for gaming. Because he wasn't my "friend" or one of the players in my campaign, I could rely on him for objective criticism. Sometimes I disagreed, and sometimes I got a bit frustrated - but that's all part of the growth process. I realized, and appreciated, that he and I were on the same team. His comments were furnished only to make the end product better.

Heh, I know what that's like, as an editor that has been "published" a couple times (but no more than that, unfortunately), meaning I got to be one of the lucky people who's criticism of the authors work was actually considered fairly immediately, I can say that the editing process is at best amusing and at worst ... a royal pain in the neck. Spells are painful, this I can state with full gusto.

But, I can truthfully say this, I would rather be the one doing the editing, than be the one receiving the editing, but I'd guess that falls under the "you are your own worst critic" scenario.

Anyway, good luck on the setting/mod combo, we need more imaginative, and well written setting in the works. Much as I like crunch, it's painfully dull if there's no fluff of worth.

 

[Stormborn]

Jumping into the thread late

I am relatively new to gaming, been doing it about 4 years now I guess, but since I first read the Core Books I wanted to write something. My first shot at a Dungeon Critical Threats article was rejected, as was some other things. Probablly the biggest of which was a book proposal for GURPS that got well into the process before it was killed.
I was undaunted.
I sent in massive amounts of stuff (OK...several at least)to Dragon and sjgames.com's Pyramid. Dragon bit and my first proffesional article appeared in Dragon 311, Arcane Ancestry. Amazingly enough, my second appeared the same week in Pyramid, something I didn't even know about until I read it online. They have improved their system since.
A follow up to the Dragon article is forthcoming. I have also had a few bits picked up here and there by mostly PDF publishers. Currently I am waiting to here back on a few promising articles.
The only truly bad experiance I have ever had in the whole writing publishing thing was for a magazine article that was very rules heavy. I was working with an Assistant Editor and did three or four rewrites, all the while getting "This is great! Just what we are looking for!" until the last stage, where he took it to the Big Boss to have it put on the schedule for publication. I then got an e-mail that just said "Due to changes in editorial policy we will not be able to use the article at this time." I was a bit devestated. It was by far the most complicated piece of game design I had ever worked on and it had been very labor intinsive.
I have found another home for the article, one that doesn't pay as well and required more rewrites, but I believe it will see print now. I have also done more material for the book that lead me on.
Unfortunatelly, thats the nature of the buisness. Disapointing at times, yes. But I harbor no ill will (admitedly that was not my first reaction) and understand that its just the way things work.
That was the big negative. Overall every editor in gaming I have worked with has been very kind and helpful. Since so far I haven't seen more than a few hundred dollars in return I am definetly not making a real profit when you consider my time and the money spent on "research" (the 3.5 books did get deducted as a buisness expense) I keep doing it because I enjoy it. I like writing and I like gaming and am happy getting little bonuses for doing so.
I just got married in November, to an editor (nongaming) belive it or not. Between the new marriage and the joys and trials it brings, two creatively draining jobs (one of which may be ending), and my own recreational gaming I haven't had lots of time to just churn out material for publication lately.
However, if I had a "publishing dream" it would be two fold:
1) to work with an established game company and setting to get my name on a print book
and
2) to eventually be able to comerically produce some of my own worlds and campaign settings.

Until then I will keep trying to submit and publish where I can. Hopefully getting better at it all and actually contributing somethign lasting to a hobby I love.

 

[Wycen]

Happily, I finally heard from the long overdue publisher this week and so when they fully recover from their trials and tribulations, I will get to see my name on their product.