Do I need a pen name?

A fellow writer asked me yesterday my thoughts on pen names so I'll try to respond to that the best way I can.

I, technically, use a pen name because my name isn't really Pamela Caves anymore. When I first started seriously writing and submitting, it was my name but I have since married. However, I knew that having started with Pamela Caves, I should continue with it in my writing. I do use my real name, Pamela Gifford, to market my non-fiction, what little of it there is, but it made sense to continue to use Caves for my fiction. This happened through time and chance, nothing more.

The main pro of using a pen name is so you can (sort of ) detach yourself from the negativity that will inevitably pop its head up from time to time.  Sometimes a writer wants to hide and that's okay. You can do that on some level with a pen name.

The main con of using a pen name is that sometimes it doesn't seem like you get credit for the good stuff. But that is simply the basics.

There are many more factors you should consider before choosing whether or not to go with a pen name. Here's a great article from Writer's Relief that outlines the various reasons why authors might choose pen names.

Being of a somewhat feministic nature, I've toyed with the idea of setting up a male pseudonym to see if I would be taken more seriously as a writer. Right now, such an experiment is out of my time management, but I still may do that one day. :) In any case, if I had a REAL pen name ( I swear I'm not trying to be funny here), I might feel a little cheated on credit. Writers want to hide sometimes, but we want our credit. (Now I'm being funny.)

In any case, it is a personal choice. Evaluate your reasons for considering a pen name and if the pros outweigh the cons, go for it. Keep in mind though, once you start, you shouldn't stop mid-stream and start using a different name.

Also, when you are submitting as a new author, you should use your real name anyway. If your story is accepted, you can then ask that your byline contain a pen name.

One final thought, If you're considering a pen name, search for it and make sure there aren't a hundred writers with the same name. Don't choose a pen name that is hard to pronounce, and please oh please, don't pick something like Slade Overdrive or Diamond Glitter or some crap.

Peace, love, and what's in a name,

Pamela

Writers = $: Using fees to cash in on dreams

Let's have a discussion about reading and entry fees. Most recently I've come across this little deal from New Rivers Press where, for only a mere $20, they will consider your hard work for publication. Does that sound like a deal to you? Then, switch to this little competition on Short Story Place.com where you're charged a fee to enter.

So now I have to ask, what the hell is wrong with these people?

I can understand a large circulation mag (for example, Writer's Digest) charging fees for entry to their competitions and can understand (maybe) non-profit and/or education based literary publications asking for fees.

But I think it is tacky and pretentious (not to mention has the potential to be highly abused) for a small, unknown periodical or publisher to try to make money by using fees, regardless whether the fees are going to the judges or prize money or whatever. It is also unethical to charge reading fees in the eyes of many professional organizations, like the AAR for instance. Granted, the AAR is for agents of authors but the same principle applies.

From Section 8 of the AAR Canon of Ethics:     

• The AAR believes that the practice of literary agents charging clients or potential clients for reading and evaluating literary works (including outlines, proposals, and partial or complete manuscripts) is subject to serious abuse that reflects adversely on our profession. For that reason, members may not charge clients or potential clients for reading and evaluating literary works and may not benefit, directly or indirectly, from the charging for such services by any other person or entity. 

Obviously, though, it is a practice that is thriving, despite the information age.

Having been a slush reader for a literary mag and now owning my own publishing venture, there is something that these publishers don't tell you. It doesn't make you more likely to be considered for publication when you pay fees than it does when you submit to publications that don't charge fees. What they are doing is cashing in on writers who don't really know better; writers who haven't been in the game very long, writers who haven't yet come to the realization that if they are serious about their craft, they will go broke if they opt to pay all these unwarranted fees. And most writers who submit to ANY publication, including those fee-charging ones, will be rejected. So cha-ching! You've just given away your money.

You see, that's how the market operates. Pay $40 for this bottle of pills that will make you skinny! Pay only $75 to see how YOU can make big bucks at home. Pay $10 plus shipping to discover how you can quit smoking by using only the power of your mind. These types of ventures won't work for most people. You know that. I know that. But yet, people still get taken by them. To me, this is no different. Fee charging publishers are cashing in on desires and dreams knowing that most people won't get accepted in the first place.

"But I'm not scamming anyone! I just have bills to pay and costs to cover!"

You may not be intentionally scamming anyone but, in my opinion, the practice is still deplorable. You should've thought about bills you would incur before you took over the responsibility of having a publishing venture. You should've had the money backed-up as necessary to cover operating costs before you resorted to charging fees.

In case anyone missed it: I despise fees.

Granted, it is your money and you can do what you want with it, but isn't submitting for free better? There are plenty of places that want to consider your story, including mine. And you don't have to shell out moolah to submit it, either.

If you're anything like me (which I suspect most of you are), you're not made of money and every penny counts.

Peace, love, and say no to fees,

Pamela

Writing in 3rd person? Okay, so maybe Pamela will try it.

Now that The Influence is settling in its spot and as we work on getting everything ready for the print edition to come out, I'm left with the stiff question I always end up with when finishing a large project. What now? I always feel a little out of sorts after the euphoria of completing a big project dies. My mind seems to scramble for what I should tackle next.

Usually when I finish something so large, I start working on a few smaller projects. I had planned on starting the next Barrier story and then work on a short story I had stalled on several months ago. But that is out of my head at the moment. I'd even had part of an outline for a new historical novel started. Now even that is on hold.

I'm revisiting Future Past. The last time I spoke about this fantasy novel, I'd been debating whether or not I would take the editor's advice and rewrite the entire thing from a 3rd person point of view. After reevaluating what it would do to the story and after talking with several reliable writer friends about it, I've come to the conclusion that I am up to the challenge.

I've never been particularly skilled at writing in 3rd person. In fact, I've only written in 3rd person on some short stories. I've always had this notion that 3rd person can take a little away from how personal the characters seem. Several years ago, if I would try to write a novel in 3rd person, I always lost momentum with it within a couple of weeks. But I've decided now that I'm going to do it. I'm going to put aside my misgivings and fears and just do it and then hand it to Hadley Rille for a 3rd and final time before I shop around some more.

I guess at some point I knew there would come a day when I'd have to shove that fear aside and grow more as a writer. Writers don't have a lot of options when it comes to professional growth. You can either go for it or not. You can either learn more about your skill or hold yourself back. Is there really another choice for me?

Peace, love, and going for it,

Pamela

The End of my DAW Journey

Dear Mr. Stampfel,

In June of 2009, I submitted my science fiction novel, The Influence, to you for publication consideration. Just two short months later, I received word that you'd pushed my novel through the first stage. Every six months, I've sent follow-up letters and for each one, you've graciously taken time out of your schedule to respond.

It has now been two years since that first letter came to me. In that two years, I have written and published several short stories and I have written two other novels. My latest novel, a fantasy entitled Future Past, has caught the eye of another publisher and I'm in the process of doing their suggested edits in hopes that they will decide to take my work on.

I've been very patient with DAW because I love DAW Books and because I always have something going with my writing. With that being said, I feel like I've been patient long enough.

There was something that you found intriguing enough about The Influence to pass it on and it is my hope that you will give it another look. Even though I admit that I've learned quite a bit in the last two years and that The Influence could probably use another brushing, the story is unique and interesting enough to warrant further consideration.

I find that I can no longer offer you exclusive review after August 31 and will submit to other publishers. If you are interested (or whoever does the next reading), please let me know before the end of August. My contact information is at the end of this letter. If not, I feel it is time to move on. I love DAW but I love the story too much to continue to let it sit with no hint of when I might get some sort of answer.

Thank you so much for your attention. I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Pamela Caves

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Facebook has this thing where they show "On this Day in (year)".  If you're on Facebook, you've likely see this.  On this day in 2009, my status update was:

OMG! I got a letter from DAW (imprint of Penguin USA - Major publishing house in New York) that said my novel made it through the first reading! Not exactly an acceptance but it's not a rejection! Yippee!

I remember the excitement I felt that day.  I cried happy tears.  Finally, all my hard work and persistence meant something.  DAW recognized me and it felt incredibly good.  For almost a year, I kept that letter on my refrigerator so I could read it often. 

Eventually, though, it came down and is now stuck in one of my writing files somewhere.  When DAW said they were backlogged, I expected 9 months, a year at the most.  One year went by, then a year and a half.  Then last month I really had to ask myself if I was willing to sacrifice my dignity for a chance to work with a publisher as popular as DAW.

The Influence is very important to me.  It is a story that touches on the stereotypes of the South, a story about a religion's bad points while bringing out its good points.  It's a story about a girl who loves her sister so deeply, she goes to impossible lengths to protect her, even if she doesn't feel that her sister is entirely good.  I've been working on it for almost a decade.  It is a part of me as much as my arm.  It was hard to sit for so long without any word of how or why there was such a long wait and especially hard not to have any clue when I might expect a response.

As great as DAW is, and I mean no disrespect as I write this, I felt that I was being brushed off because without an agent, it was acceptable to treat me in such a way.  I'm a patient person and I realize in this biz, things often move slow.  However, telling writers to submit with exclusivity but then make them sit and wait for over two years to find out if they even have a shot is not very courteous or fair to those they've said passed the first reading.

Today is the last day of August and I haven't received a response on the above letter. I sent it near the end of last month so there has been plenty of time.  I've received responses to my follow-ups quicker than this.  To be honest, I really didn't expect to hear anything.  In two years if they hadn't decided whether they wanted my work or not, I don't suspect that they would pull out all the stops to tell me now.

It's sad that it's over.  For two years, I've clung onto that hope that I would get a phone call, email, or letter telling me that I'd passed the second reading.  It was a fun daydream, though.

Someone asked me awhile back if it was worth it.  I told them to wait until it was all over for my answer.  Even though it didn't turn out in my favor, I'm going to say that this experience was absolutely worth it.  Strange answer, I know, but I have learned so much in the last two years that had it not been for the first letter from DAW, I might not have learned anything.  I am so thankful for that.  It has and will continue to enable me to hone my skills.

What's next for The Influence?

I'm setting it aside for now.  I'm working on the first draft of Barrier, a sci-fi short fiction series that I plan on pitching to Fiction Lake.  Then I'm doing a complete rework of Future Past, my most recent fantasy novel, for resubmission to Hadley Rille.