Eberron Novel Proposal: Open Call

[takyris]

Similarly, while they may get a lot of submissions from people who have never written before, and while those submissions may be rougher around the edges, those people are the ones most likely to give you something *different*.

JK Rowling, the non-writer who spun tales about magic to her son came up with the biggest publishing juggernaut, maybe since Dickens. You aren't going to get something new by tapping the genre writing crowd or the guys who majored in creative writing in college.

I believe this to be -- no offense, Chuck -- a load of garbage, and indicative of a mindset that isn't actually IN the genre writing crowd.

Sure, you've got the people who want to churn out your stereotypical orphan-saves-the-world story (or "ugly girl gets mistreated and then learns magic and is revealed to actually be beautiful by some powerful masculine figure who falls in lover with her", for the stereotypical female set), and you've got people who are so knee-jerk against that they write stuff that isn't enjoyable, isn't comprehenisble, and isn't even really a story in an attempt to subvert the dominant paradigm. But you've also got people trying to get their cool new ideas into print.

Evidently, Chuck, you've never worked the slush pile at a major fiction publication. Yeah, it's certainly possible for folks who've never picked up a pen before to produce a mega-hit -- like Ms. Rowling -- and good for them, but by and large, the slush pile is full of garbage. The slush pile is full of people who don't realize that they're writing a tortured unintentional parody of David Eddings or Robert Jordan, because a) they're not very good writers and b) that's all they've read. I wouldn't say that the genre writing crowd is immune to this effect, but they're more likely to cloak it a bit better (and they get their own special problem, "different for the sake of being different instead of good", which is the mediocre genre writer's version of originality, to compensate).

In order to know what "different" is, you have to know what the field is. Otherwise, you get people being "different" by saying, "Okay, wow, my new idea is that dragons are good in my world?" as if TSR, Mercedes Lackey, Melanie Rawn, and a host of others haven't had that one already.

I'm not saying that somebody who's never written before couldn't be a really good natural writer, especially if they're a voracious reader who's been subconsciously studying how novels work ever since they started reading. I'm not saying that someone who was rough around the edges but had great ideas couldn't write a perfectly good novel (likely with the help of a strong editing team and a ghostwriter for some parts, but hey, that's still in the realm of writing). But saying "You aren't going to get something new by tapping the genre writing crowd or the guys who majored in creative writing in college," is just dumb. The idea that anyone who's been trying for awhile now to write a novel is going to automatically be worse at it than the people who've never tried or practiced their skills is... well, it's insulting reverse snobbery, and uninformed insulting reverse snobbery at that.

 

[Vigilance]

I never said the person this open call was looking for had never written *anything*.

However there is something to be said for going outside your field. Here's a recent example I know a little about that has worked really well for all sides-

Marvel Comics has recently begun taking submissions from the general public again, looking at writing samples off the street (as long as they have a legal form).

While you have to be published, the requirement is not, as has been true in past Marvel open calls, that you be published in the comics field. They have found they get "fresher" writers taking someone who has written movies, or novels, or even RPGs.

In fact if you pick up Iron Man these days you will see Robin Laws is writing it, he of GURPs and other RPG fame. The writer of Hulk has also been a genre fiction writer for quite awhile (one I had never heard of before Hulk lol).

Do I think WOTC is likely to get JK Rowling? Nope. Do they? Im sure not.

Is the person who successfully answers this call likely to have never written ANYTHING for which they were paid in the past? A magazine article (Clancy started this way)? A comic book? An RPG? Id be willing to bet the person who lands the gig has been published somewhere.

But I stand by my statement that by not tagging a guy with a list of Star Wars and Star Trek novels as long as my arm and dropping some cash and a deadline on him, they are more likely to get something fresh. Not necessarily BETTER. I never meant to imply that. Just DIFFERENT.

Chuck

 

[your father is]

But I stand by my statement that by not tagging a guy with a list of Star Wars and Star Trek novels as long as my arm and dropping some cash and a deadline on him, they are more likely to get something fresh. Not necessarily BETTER. I never meant to imply that. Just DIFFERENT.

Plus, they'll probably sell a lot of Eberron Campaign books (worked on me).

 

[takyris]

I never said the person this open call was looking for had never written *anything*.

...

Is the person who successfully answers this call likely to have never written ANYTHING for which they were paid in the past? A magazine article (Clancy started this way)? A comic book? An RPG? Id be willing to bet the person who lands the gig has been published somewhere.

But I stand by my statement that by not tagging a guy with a list of Star Wars and Star Trek novels as long as my arm and dropping some cash and a deadline on him, they are more likely to get something fresh. Not necessarily BETTER. I never meant to imply that. Just DIFFERENT.

That's a much more reasonable statement, although it's not exactly what you said earlier. I neither agree nor disagree with your hypothetical Star Wars/Trek writer with the long list of writing credits -- he could be good, or be could be bad. I love Timothy Zahn and intensely dislike Keven J. Anderson.

I was basing my response on "You aren't going to get something new by tapping the genre writing crowd or the guys who majored in creative writing in college," your original statment, which strongly implies that the entirety of the genre writing crowd is less creative than people who have never written genre fiction.

The genre writing crowd is a much larger and more diverse crowd than the media-tie-in-novel crowd (ie, the difference between the two or three shelves of Fantasy & SF and that one half-shelf at the back with all the Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, and D&D books in it). If what you meant was "I'm glad they're opening it up to others and not just sticking within the media tie-in crowd", then I'm right there with you, glad for a chance at bat.

 

[RangerWickett]

I'm offering to discuss plot ideas here:

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=96409

I don't see how discussing a book idea you might write could get you disqualified from writing it, any more than discussing an article idea would. So, if we get some interest, we can help everyone polish their proposals.

 

[Scribe Ineti]

It's odd that they don't talk at all about payment or anything. I mean, with a media tie-in, I'm not expecting discussions about royalties, but "Hey, this is worth $xxxx" would be nice.

The latest version of Writer's Market has a listing for WotC's publishing arm, and lists the general rates for royalties and such.

And, indeed, this is a very good opportunity to break into writing media tie-in, especially since WotC has indicated they're interested in good writing, not just a good Eberron proposal. If you write a great proposal that isn't selected for this project, you may be considered for something else. 11 pages of work is a paltry price to pay for such an opportunity.

 

[The Human Target]

Crap, I need to go buy the Eberron campaign setting book. If not, my submissions gonna take place in Silverymoon.

 

[RangerWickett]

On the link I posted above, I've detailed my submission idea, and I'm asking for advice. I've still got a few days to polish things up, and help would be much appreciated.