You are here:
- Home
- Arts/Humanities
- Writing
- Getting Published or E-published
Getting Published or E-published/Questions Answered by Expert Richard Dean Starr
| Subject | Date Asked |
| story rights | 8/25/2011 |
| Q: Many magazines ask for first print rights. What does this include? What are the boundaries of this ... A: Timothy: First North American rights mean that a publisher has the option to publish the story one ... | |
| 1st book e-published.... | 6/26/2011 |
| Q: I have also been one of the volunteers on this site in the past! I have been working with a ... A: Kristen: My apologies for the delay in responding, I've been out of the country. I must confess ... | |
| Getting Published | 6/24/2010 |
| Q: I have a friend who is an AMAZING writer. It's not only her friends and family who think she's a ... A: Shawn: The process of getting published is a long one that requires much patience and even more ... | |
| getting published in a magazine | 5/23/2010 |
| Q: I have recently submitted a poem to a children's magazine. I found out about a week ago that my poem ... A: Sorry for the delay in responding, we just moved so things have been extremely hectic. My advice ... | |
| Web based publications | 12/3/2009 |
| Q: I am currently looking for on line publications to submit my work to (paying or non paying) but with ... A: Malcoln: There are many resources for finding online markets that pay professional rates. However, ... | |
| reprints and reselling | 11/17/2009 |
| Q: A place says, "Please do not submit previously published stories. We do not accept reprints." My ... A: Lee: I would have to say yes, that qualifies as a reprint. It can't hurt to query them first, ... | |
| My First Book | 9/10/2009 |
| Q: Richard: I am interviewing couples to include their stories in my book about marriage. What is the ... A: Julie: My apologies for not getting back to you sooner, I didn't realize that after I changed my ... | |
| I have a story to tell, but I am not a writer | 4/23/2009 |
| Q: I have a personal experience and interesting story that I would like to tell in the form of a book; ... A: Amber: Short of doing it yourself, the only way to have a book written as you describe it is to ... | |
| My next step | 2/15/2009 |
| Q: First off thank you for taking time out to help answer my question. i really appriciate it. Now, i ... A: David: Thanks for asking your question! Quite honestly, it's difficult for me to answer you with ... | |
| Screenwriting Software | 1/11/2009 |
| Q: Do you know a good screen writing software(s)? Thanks in advance! A: Sondra: The industry standard for screenwriting software seems somewhat split between two packages: ... | |
| rights | 5/16/2008 |
| Q: What does it mean when publishers say they buy first world rights? A: Jim: Thanks for writing! First World Rights and First International Rights are an interchangeable ... | |
| Writing | 3/15/2008 |
| Q: I am 19 years old and have loved creative writing since I was little. I really am thinking I want ... A: Probably the best resource out there for writing and marketing a children's book is the CHILDREN'S ... | |
| Typesetting Software | 1/30/2008 |
| Q: What is the best and easiest typesetting software to learn to set up a book for BookStore ... A: Angela: Unfortunately, "best and easiest" are mutually exclusive when it comes to laying out a ... | |
| Pseudonym and Marketing | 1/9/2008 |
| Q: I am considering using a pseudonym for personal security reasons. When an author uses a pseudonym, ... A: Patricia: The two issues are really non-related. A publicist (or most editors, for that matter) ... | |
| sad story publishers? | 11/13/2007 |
| Q: um.. I am in the process of writing a novel and I am still writing it and it is partially sad and i ... A: Tom: Unfortunately, 'sad' is not really a genre, per se, so you'll need to better define your ... | |
| song titles in book | 10/28/2007 |
| Q: I have searched through books and the internet for an answer on this but cannot find a clear answer ... A: Jim: Songs--their titles AND lyrics--are copyrighted and you must obtain permission to use them. ... | |
| Getting long story published | 10/19/2007 |
| Q: I'm about 10,000 words into a story, and I expect it to grow to around 12,000 (the length of a ... A: R: I apologize for not getting back to you sooner, but I was on vacation. Because you offered ... | |
| foreign contract | 8/25/2007 |
| Q: i wrote a book about caring for someone with Alzheimer - something i did for my poor old mum for 4 ... A: Marion: I apologize for taking so long to respond. I've been on a movie set with little time ... | |
| Getting a publishing contract for an Unfinished book | 8/22/2007 |
| Q: Will agents get you a publishing contract for an unfinished fiction book with a good proposal from ... A: Getting a contract from a proposal without the finished book does happen--but it's rare for there to ... | |
| 2 authors, 50/50 split? | 8/11/2007 |
| Q: .My friend and I are writing a book together. (I am a publisher author already)...Anyway, if we get ... A: Angie: Sorry for the delay, I've been on a movie set almost since your question was submitted and ... | |
| short stories published? | 7/19/2007 |
| Q: Hey, I'm only 16 so I'm not very experienced. My area I guess you could say is in short story ... A: Emily: The first thing you need to do is buy a copy of the current Writer's Market. You can get it ... | |
| advice on writing and getting published | 7/18/2007 |
| Q: i am writing a long story involving wizards/dragons/knights/assassins/etc, and the story is so big ... A: Richard: My best recommendation for you is that you purchase a copy of the current Writer's Market ... | |
| how do i get published? | 7/17/2007 |
| Q: The title pretty much speaks for itself. I would like to start writing for magazines and newspapers. ... A: Guy: I've answered this question before on AllExperts, so I'll save some time and simply provide ... | |
| Someone wants to publish my poem. | 6/21/2007 |
| Q: I sent my poem off to a competion not thinking anything would happen and have received a letter ... A: Benjamin: Unfortunately, you have fallen victim to an all too common scam which puts a new spin on ... | |
| comic pub | 6/6/2007 |
| Q: I have a science fiction comic I'd like to get into the mainstream one day. How should I go about ... A: Aryn: I've answered variations on this question before, but I recently came across a comprehensive ... | |
| Is lulu.com a good publisher? | 6/5/2007 |
| Q: This may not be a question you can answer, but do you know if the website lulu.com is a good ... A: Lee: Self-publishing is rarely the right solution, be it Lulu.com or any other, similar service. ... | |
| wondering | 5/25/2007 |
| Q: I have a magazine comming out in 3 weeks called Exposure Magazine i was wondering if i print ... A: Tom: Sorry it took me so long to respond, I've been unavailable. In response to your question, ... | |
| genre | 4/27/2007 |
| Q: While I'm waiting for my manuscript to be accepted by a publisher that's actually interested (phew) ... A: Kim: First, I HOPE you're not simultaneously submitting your manuscript to publishers that don't ... | |
| Two Questions | 4/23/2007 |
| Q: Mr. Miller... What an interesting resource this Web site is (so I'm trying it). Two questions (if I ... A: Marilyn: If you've published so much work of distinction, it's odd that you'd need to visit ... | |
| Sample Chapters, Web vs. Agent Query | 4/22/2007 |
| Q: Richard, Hello there. Thanks in advance for your assist here. I'm querying agents, and everyone ... A: Kitt: 1. If the site isn't agent-specific, I'd go with the agency's specifications and not those ... | |
| Getting Published | 4/18/2007 |
| Q: I've written several short stories and poetry. I would like to get published, but I don't have any ... A: Heather: No reputable publisher will charge you to publish your work. It works the other way ... | |
| Manuscript Submission | 4/17/2007 |
| Q: Please define the term "book length manuscript". What exactly is a book length manuscript? What does ... A: James: A novel-length manuscript and a book-length manuscript are, to some extent, two different ... | |
| Font? | 4/15/2007 |
| Q: Starr, I normally use Arial 12-point font for submissions. Before that I used Times New Roman, but ... A: Jack: With the popularity of computers, the request from publishers for a font that is "easy to ... | |
| poetry | 3/27/2007 |
| Q: how do i promote a self published poetry book A: Paul: The market for PAYING poetry is practically non-existent. Everyone,it seems, fancies ... | |
| How do you know? | 3/26/2007 |
| Q: First off, thank you for providing this wonderful service. But, to the point, I love to write. I ... A: Kelley: If you’re writing stories that end up being in excess of 150 pages, you might as well sit ... | |
| Getting son's book published.. | 3/21/2007 |
| Q: I was just wondering how I would go about having my 12 year old son's book reviewed and possibly ... A: Jolene: No one is going to steal your son's idea, so I'd put that kind of thinking out of your ... | |
| non-fiction writing | 2/16/2007 |
| Q: I'm a novice writer, developing a non-fiction book outline. I've not yet been published except in ... A: Ronda: Yes, you would need to contact the publisher to obtain permission to quote from that book ... | |
| Unfinished work | 1/10/2007 |
| Q: Can I copyright a unfinished book then go back and copyright the finished version? Is this a good ... A: Michael: If you are a U.S. resident, then your novel is already automatically protected by U.S. ... | |
| Getting freelance work | 12/27/2006 |
| Q: I do some freelance work locally, but I want to branch out and get freelance work published all over ... A: Sorry for the delay in responding, I'm working on a film and my time has been severely limited. ... | |
| reprint rights | 12/20/2006 |
| Q: I'm fairly new at publishing and perhaps you can help. A journal wants to publish one of my pictures ... A: Jim: As a writer, I'm not really up on photography rights and don't know for certain how they ... | |
| Agents and publishing houses | 12/7/2006 |
| Q: I got a NY agent and she submitted my first novel to 7 publishing houses three months ago. I have ... A: Tom: If your agent is experienced and has a track record, she clearly sees potential in your work ... | |
| publishing my articles | 11/22/2006 |
| Q: I have a natural talent for writing. I am married with 6 children and have lots of knowledge and ... A: Toni: Sorry for the delay, I was wrapping a movie and out of town. I would pick up a copy of the ... | |
| Page numbers? | 11/2/2006 |
| Q: Starr, My question is simple. I'm about ready to start sending query letters to agents. I'm ... A: Robert: For a novel of ANY length, your page numbering scheme is mostly appropriate. However, the ... | |
| sharing your short story | 10/15/2006 |
| Q: i couldn't find the exact catagory to ask under but rather than getting it published is there a free ... A: Sam: My apologies for taking so long to anser this! I'm usually quite fast, but I've been working ... | |
| Pen Names | 10/12/2006 |
| Q: How important is a pleasant or catchy name for a fiction author? Most books I see have author's with ... A: Ron: I don't think a catchy name is particularly important, although it can't hurt. Certainly, ... | |
| getting published | 9/22/2006 |
| Q: How would one go about getting short stories published? A: Mary: First, I'll give you some generic advice then I'll add the specific answer to your question, ... | |
| Where to start.... | 8/25/2006 |
| Q: I am currently working on a story that will probably either be a very long "short story" or possibly ... A: The market for "long short stories", or novellas as they are called, is limited, especially in the ... | |
| a couple more questions... | 8/8/2006 |
| Q: What is the best and most efficient way to write a novel? I mean, is it better typed or written; how ... A: Again, see my previous answer to you regarding the book THE WEEKEND NOVELIST. An excellent resource ... | |
| just starting | 8/8/2006 |
| Q: I am just about to start writing a novel. I have been writing unpublished pieces for a while, but ... A: The best way to learn to write a novel is by studying the structure and style of novelelists you ... | |
| sci-fi writing for a videogame | 7/4/2006 |
| Q: I have been asked by a Canadian video games company to submit a short story to their creative ... A: As I'm sure you know, authors such as Tom Clancy (THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, etc.), Tim LaHaye and ... | |
| Writing/Getting Published--where to start? | 6/8/2006 |
| Q: I have been writing humourous pieces and have only shared it with those in my close knit circle. ... A: A good way to break into many non-fiction markets is by conducting and writing interviews with ... | |
Getting Published or E-published
Answers by Expert:
Richard Dean Starr
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Experience in the area
Fiction in anthologies from Moonstone Books, Dark Horse Books, as well as stories in CEMETERY DANCE magazine and others. Non-fiction in STARLOG magazine, SCIENCE FICTION CHRONICLE, the TRIBUNE-GEORGIAN newspaper and more. I have published in excess of 200 articles, columns, and stories.
Organizations belong to
Former member, the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) and the Georgia Press Association.
Publications
I have written and published over 200 stories and articles including: "Unfinished Business" in HELLBOY: ODDER JOBS, edited by Christopher Golden (Darkhorse Books, 2004); "The Shadow That Shapes the Light" in KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER CHRONICLES (Moonstone Books, 2005); "Fear Itself", in the special Stephen King Halloween edition of CEMETERY DANCE magazine, (2005); also forthoming stories in: KOLCHAK: THE NIGHSTALKER CASE FILES (Moonstone Books, 2006); "Lessons Learned" in THE PHANTOM: ANTHOLOGY I (Moonstone Books, 2007), etc. Additional work published in a variety of magazines and newspapers, including STARLOG, SCIENCE FICTION CHRONICLE, the TRIBUNE-GEORGIAN, and many more
Experience
I can answer most questions about writing and publishing professional fiction and non-fiction in novel, book, and magazine formats.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.