Hi,

I have just recently completed writing the first of a three part sci fi novel. I really am passionate about the things I write about and to see how much those that have read immerse and loose themselves in what I have written. I currently reside in the philippines and tried looking for a publisher or anyone that would help me achieve this goal, unfortunately there is none here that would support this genre. I really need help in getting this out, being new in this field my specialization is that of a learning specialist for the corporate world. Questions like: Where do I start? Is there anyone that can help me get to make this a realization? This is my dream and I hope you can help me out.

-Metz-


Hi, Metz!

I have to be honest---it's difficult to sell an entire science fiction trilogy as your first published work. Most first books are stand-alone novels. While there are plenty of trilogies on the market right now, they're normally written by established authors with an existing reader base. But, that said, here's some things you can do to increase your chances:

1. Make SURE that the first book can stand alone...that if the other two books never saw print, the reader gets one entire story. It can be that the first book is one battle in a bigger war, but the winning of that battle is enough to satisfy the readers. Think about the first Star Wars trilogy, for example. "Star Wars" is one complete story. The good guys win the day, and the Empire's Death Star is destroyed. You know the war is far from over, but that's okay. Today the good guys won and the reader has hope for the future.

2. Polish, polish, polish. That first book has to be as technically perfect as you can make it. Check each scene to make sure that you've used all five senses---eyes, ears, nose, taste and touch. It's easy, in the thick of battle to forget the nose and taste, for example. But wouldn't blasters fill the air with the scent of ozone, or couldn't he taste his own blood if hit in the mouth? Then, once you have the senses, look for "dialogue tags" and remove as many as you can. "John said gruffly" is a dialogue tag. Try to replace it with action instead. "John's throat vibrated with the force of the words." That allows readers to SEE the scene in their head. Facial expressions and body movements should always accompany speech. I try very hard in our books to have less than five diagloue tags on each page.

3. Search for a U.S. agent to represent the book. By and large, publishers don't care where the author lives. But an agent in the same city can reach editors more quickly to discuss offers and such. You can look for agents on a number of websites, and many of them accept electronic queries, which will be easier for you. Try these to give you a start:

http://www.agentquery.com (this site also has a TERRIFIC page on writing a good query letter)

http://www.sfwa.org/beware/ (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America is a huge organization, of which I'm a member. They've established a "Writer Beware" page to steer you away from the bad publishers and agents who will cheat you out of your money.

http://www.aar-online.com (The Association of Author Representatives is an organization of literary agents who agree to abide by a strict code of ethics in dealing with authors and publishers. You can search their database of members to find agents who represent your genre. Remember, though, that not ALL good, selling agents are members. There's no requirement that an agency join. But many are.)

http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors (This site contains a long list of agents and publishers with commentary on which ones sell, which ones charge money (a bad thing) and which ones are scams. It's a valuable resource as you're looking for an agent or publisher.

4. Join an online writers group. This is not only a good way to meet like-minded people, but also to get help with research and ask questions about the publishing process. One that I like (so well that they made me one of the moderators. LOL!) is AbsoluteWrite, at http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums . There's more than 17,000 members there, from every country on the planet, in every writing genre you can imagine. The Science Fiction/Fantasy forum is really busy. There's lots of people to talk to that can get you started. Another good one that I visit from time to time is WritersNet, at: http://www.writers.net/forum

5. Learn the terminology. I've written a few articles for aspiring authors about how to format a manuscript and understanding publishing terminology. The more you understand as you start the process, the quicker it'll go. You can read them, if you're interested at:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26126

and

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59010

Hope that helps a little, and feel free to ask any follow-up questions.

Cathy

The links are definitely useful. I bookmarked quite a few of them. But I think people here are mostly writing fan fictions and you can't really publish those.

Useful post, but probably not the right place for it.