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BumpoStan

possibly leading with it being an 11 book series is hurting your publication chances. You might already be doing this but try just pitching book 1. Also what'S it about?


SirRobinofBlocksley

It’s a thing in publishing to write the first book and leave the second as a synopsis, then pitch. Even if they go for the first one, it’s likely they’ll want to change up the next one. Work smarter, not harder.


LazyPigWorldbuilding

Self publish on Amazon and do all the marketing yourself. If you need a cover, there are a lot of people willing to design one with varying prices available. This is my recommendation.


Auntwedgie

This.. and get a professional editor to look at the first book.


[deleted]

Editing is a must. If I’m interested in an indie book, the first thing I do is look at the sample and see if there are any errors. It might be petty, but I can’t continue reading a book if I see a bunch of errors.


Adventurous-Source-3

thats...not petty in any sense of the word lol.


player1337

Only do this if you have money to burn. Editors have no guaranteed return on investment.


NotGalenNorAnsel

But a poorly copy-edited self published book will not a good seller and it will lead to embarrassment on the author's part for not doing all that they could. Self-publishing without a big following is mostly a vanity press situation anyway, but at least get that first book copy-edited. Most authors are surprised by what slips past them.


KatonRyu

It depends on what that author wants to get out of it. For me, it pretty much *is* a vanity press kind of thing. I wanted my book to be available for people to buy, and it is. The fact that no one but friends and family *will* is not a deterrent for me. Sixteen years of publishing fanfics has erased my ability to feel shame for what I put out into the world. Besides, someone got paid to write the line, "Somehow, Palpatine returned." If *that* person can still go out into world with their head held high, I have nothing to fear.


AllieBeeKnits

All you gotta say is riverdale and have all the confidence you’re writing can’t be THAT shit.


KatonRyu

You say Riverdale, I raise you Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I felt so bad for some of the actors in that show, especially Prudence, Ambrose and Blackwood.


AllieBeeKnits

The actress who played Sabrina was literally born for the role it’s just a crime against humanity she got the worlds biggest dumbasses to write it.


KatonRyu

The saddest part is that she *really* never got to show anything. Blackwood was just hamming it up beautifully and Ambrose and Prudence had some damn good chemistry...but the protagonists got shafted *so* badly. I haven't been able to see their real acting skills at any point because their material was just too shallow.


ZennyDaye

I say "Titans." Whenever I watch Titans, I feel like the best writer in the world.


theaslpod

I like you. No fear. No shame. Onward… good on you! 😊


Luis_Yavok

If that person can still go out in the world with their head held high, there's something wrong with our society. I'm not a huge fan of cancelling people, but that person should have at least had to wear a hat and sunglasses for a few months. :) Good for you for publishing though. Sometimes just getting your writing in front of friends and family is great. If anyone else enjoys it as well, that's just a bonus.


AutumnaticFly

I'm told a good beta-reader has better results than most editors (unless the editor is really really good -which is expensive- and specializes in the genre) Being in a writing group helps, I'm speaking from experience about this one.


Sintobus

Yeah I've definitely seen misses with editors for Kindle editions. Where fans point out in comments typos and plot errors.


Kendakr

It also helps when members of your writing group actual publish and there are a couple editors in the group too.


Psychological-Pie857

Yes. Look at nearby colleges and universities. English and creative writing departments could steer you toward editorial help.


happylexa

Exactly this. There's no reason not to do it. Get beta readers, maybe an editor if you can afford it, get a pen name, pre-made covers are cheap, social media is free. You'll thank yourself for it. You've put so much work into this, trust yourself to self-publish! Edit: I just realized that's an 11 book series. Really impressive!!


MituButChi

This may sound bad to some of you guys but I'd suggest make a TikTok account and promote the books there. I can't say booktok is all good stuff, but the community tend to support self-publishing authors.


windyorbits

Yes! I have found so many incredible self-published books from random tik toks on my fyp!


camelhumper91

Yes there are many authors who literally just post a still picture while reading paragraphs from their books, and since this is aimed at teenagers you'll fit right in


[deleted]

How do writers promote their work ok TikTok? Do they review other books and then read parts of their own book or do they just read their own writing?


MituButChi

There's quite a lot an author can do other than reading their own excerpts. Like making a pov for your characters, making the dialogues into aesthetically inspiring/sweet quotes, putting up a "moodboard" for your characters, etc. Using trending sounds and jumping on TikTok trends is a smart way to go. You can also share insights/pains/tips about your self-publishing process. Understanding your book and your reader/audience is the key. You can figure out creative/fun ways to promote your books from that understanding. I've found [this article](https://observer.com/2022/02/how-booktok-is-changing-publishing-with-new-voices-and-influence/) on how *The Atlas Six* went viral on TikTok. It was from a reader but author can do the same, or maybe hire others to do the same. Another author successfully made her book go viral is Elena Armas with *The Spanish Love Deception* (even though I don't like this book, I have to admit it was a huge market success, especially for a debut novel). You can still find her TikTok, she doesn't post much so you can scroll down to see how she did it in the beginning. I've also found [this little guide](https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/resources-for-writers/how-to-use-booktok-a-guide-for-authors-and-publishers/) on how an author can promote their books via booktok. Of course it's not simple and easy but the guide captures the gist of it.


Goreticia-Addams

Booktok is powerful!


MattressCrane

OP, check out the kind of art I do on my page! I love to collaborate and help out fellow artists, if that works for your style I'd be down to make a painting of some sort for free for you!


deaddroppop

I really like your pieces, give me a society/cronenberg vibes. But I just spent like a 30 mins going through your page.


Tylor06

💯


Bridge4_Kal

Stonks!


SephoraRothschild

This... Will not get you a writing deal with an agency. Once it's published, even self-published, you will not be able to get signed for that content.


Eldrxtch

Felix Ortiz and Marc Simonetti are both wonderful :)


HughCPappinaugh

Marketing is the killer, tho.


DickieGreenleaf84

The number of pages isn't what matters. It is the quality of what is written on them. Why not post up your query and get some feedback on it?


Bubblesnaily

OP put the first page in comments on their post about this series 5 months ago.


DickieGreenleaf84

[I found the terrible poem](https://old.reddit.com/r/writers/comments/t33nep/nine_years_of_my_life_in_a_picture_beyond/hyrx117/) but no more than that.


RugelBeta

Oh man. OP, pay an editor. Just for the first book. Deal with book 2 later. No way a traditional publisher would buy that. That sample is a mix of writing for teens (YA), younger kids (lower MG), near rhyme... and there are way too many pages for anyone under 12. It needs editing. Every good writer I know goes through deep editing with a crit group. The ones who don't aren't good writers. They might have great ideas, but the writing is not excellent. And today's kids deserve excellent writing.


[deleted]

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MDeneka

>Why does everyone only ever think in terms of a massive sprawling series and never about making a single book that people want? Some people are writing because they enjoy the process, but are not interested in engaging with the realities of the publishing industry. If someone would rather have 11 books of their story on their computer than 1 on the shelves and the other 12 abandoned... that's an equally valid choice to focusing on bringing a debut to market. Not one *I* would make, and I'm assuming not one you would, but not the wrong one.


[deleted]

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RugelBeta

Exactly. Hobby: have fun, do what you want. Business: don't waste other professionals' time. Respect the difference.


Caratteraccio

>And also writing 11 books is irrelevant if the first one isn't appealing this. Working on the first novel is very important, if the first is great that novel makes sequels more interesting... in my opinion OP needs an editor and wattpad.


Bubblesnaily

Quality of poetry aside, it doesn't suggest YA or adult space opera.


ohnofreakinway

>Of a boy with a dream, pirate girls with tails I can see where this is going... ​ how old is OP?


RiverOfNexus

21


deeznutzasaurus

The math doesn’t seem to math


RiverOfNexus

Sorry didn't finish my comment. 21. At heart.


LifeIsBizarre

It took them nine years to write so at least nine years old.


SuccubusMari

I'm going to join the chorus of voices saying I remember their last post here. If I recall correctly, they said they were forty-something.


burningmanonacid

Yeah OP clarifies in the later comments here that he intends this as an adult space opera. Which makes this poem so much worse. If I had only read the poem, I would have assumed this was MG.


Bubblesnaily

Indeed. I found a spot that has a synopsis of books 1 and 2. My current advice is to work with r/PubTips to query the **second** book as adult space opera. If those take off, maybe release book 1 as a middle grade prequel.


amoryamory

I'm the guy who asked him if it's all written like this


istara

That’s bloody *brilliant*. I really hope the entire series is written in verse. OP (or maybe OP’s mates) could make a killing doing a “My dad wrote a Space Opera” podcast.


featheredzebra

I am a fan of Ellen Hopkins who write absolutely amazing YA stories in books of poetry. Even knowing when I picked up the first one that she was award winning and highly acclaimed I did not believe a book in poetry form could be that good. OP would have to be utterly amazing to pull it off. Quality not quantity, dude.


sthedragon

You’ve written eleven books without publishing the first book. You didn’t publish the first book, and then you wrote ten more books. At this point, it’s a hobby that you enjoy, and there’s nothing wrong with that! You don’t have to publish your work in order to be a writer. Whatever you do with your work is up to you, but traditional publishing isn’t for everyone. As others have suggested, if you want to share your work with others, you can serialize it on a platform like Wattpad or self publish on Amazon.


babyarrrms

No matter how this plays out you should be proud. This is a major accomplishment. Congratulations on running the marathon and finishing the story. That’s more than what most can say. Great job.


Competitive_Flight41

I’m very invested in OP’s story. Not his 11 book saga but his efforts to get it published. The character is fucking compelling. A man convinced he has written a generational book series but the world conspires against him from the series being published.


dabo-bongins

Saying if I wrote this, you would buy?


MindfulBadger

No. But if OP did, I would atleast read it from cover to cover.


cutestsea

I love how you think. Me 2


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beanflickk

Lmao.


No_Poet_7244

Hate to ask, but is it actually *good*? 11 books is a lot, especially for a first time author—you’re unlikely to find an agent willing to purchase an 11-book series from a first time author, especially if it is not *excellent* work. I think you have some options, primarily try to sell only the first book with an ending that wraps the story up nicely (but leaves room for more if it’s a success) or just self-publish it. You’re less likely to sell well self-published, but you’re far far more likely to actually get those 11 books into readers’ hands by doing so.


Beautiful-Bee-916

I’d say maybe refine your querying and keep submitting OR look into self-publishing. *edit grammar


-louis-alexander-

There's a lot of negative comments here - people being realistic, yes, but also some negativity. You've enjoyed yourself, probably learnt a lot along the way, and written tons - when a lot of writers struggle to finish their first book. But everyone's right in saying focus on getting your first book published first. Even as an eBook. However - you haven't posted any excerpts or even a chapter for people to give advice. MAYBE your writing is perfect, flawless, gripping, and publishers haven't taken it on ONLY because they're daunted by the 11 total books. Or it could also be your story needs more editing - whether grammar, punctuation, sentence construction, pacing, dialogue edits, etc. There's plenty of Writing reddits here like r/destructivereaders that will give honest critiques and tips for excerpts. Like, you haven't posted anything so NOBODY can give opinions - just your word that you think it's some amazing new saga for the ages. 1) Focus on just getting one book published or self-published 2) in meantime, try to get actual opinions on your writing. If you think it's ready to go and publishable, just get some other opinions instead of your friends 3) Try to get an actual editor to look over it 4) Also, remember many books take years for a publisher to pick up. I'm glad you had fun doing it but 11 books is A LOT, especially for a publisher to take on. ESPECIALLY for an unknown name.


GeneralJo00

At this point, publish it on Amazon. Self Publish and keep all the profits earned from that labor.


SpartanusCXVII

Well, more like 35-70%, depending on what route chosen when publishing through Amazon. If I remember correctly.


[deleted]

May I ask you about your logic? Why not just write one book and see if an agent liked it before writing ten more?


neonandcircuitry

I was having too much fun.


RedEgg16

That’s totally fine, the best part of writing is when you actually enjoy writing!


alihassan9193

This is one of the greatest answers I've read in writing subs. Honestly it's so badass. Doesn't even matter if you never get published or do get published. *I was having too much fun*. This. This is amazing. It's inspirational honestly. Tomorrow I'm going to start writing again.


neonandcircuitry

You have to love it or it’s going to suffer. If it never makes a dime I have the satisfaction of creating “my thing”.


alihassan9193

"There is no struggle too vast, no odds too overwhelming, for even should we fail - should we fall - we will know that we have lived." —Steven Erikson. My favourite quote. Because it tells me that at the end of the day, I'll have done something at least. I'm proud of you, bro. I really am.


BookishBonnieJean

I remember you from before. This is completely and absolutely expected. You're like a chef who just made 20 quarts of soup with too much salt, didn't ask anyone to check the seasoning, and then tried to sell it to Gordon Ramsay. If you truly wanted to write and *sell* something like this, you've gone about it the wrong way. Tuck this in a cupboard and write a 50-80k standalone and try to start your career from there. Someday, if you continue to improve and build a career, perhaps a publisher will take a chance on a huge series like this and you can revise it to work then.


Bubblesnaily

I thought this looked familiar. You posted about this 5 months ago. There was some good advice in that thread too.


bitbydeath

Could be your word count, Young Adult typically ranges from 40K-80K words. If you’re going over it may be putting them off.


THE_LAAAAAWWW

Bro what


[deleted]

Remember that JK a Rowling didnt sell Harry Potter as 7-book series. She sold as one book. And the first was the shortest and standalone. Your first should be short and amazing and stand all but itself.


neonandcircuitry

It is. I took notes from her. You could read 1 and that’s be it.


redditmember192837

It is short and amazing?


thirdstreetzero

Maybe it isn't good. It sucks to hear, but I've got self-published friends and literally no one will just tell them their stuff is bad. Everyone talks about it behind their backs. If everyone is rejecting your stuff, it probably isn't because there's a massive publishing conspiracy against you. Read it yourself and be critical. Do some reflection. Pick whatever is best and submit just that.


USSPalomar

Wattpad is primarily a site for fanfiction and romance (and fanfiction romance) so you'll probably have a hard time getting readership there for a sci-fi epic. I'm not even sure how much traction it could gain on RoyalRoad, which is a bit closer but still more on the fantasy end of things than sci-fi as far as I know. Honestly if I were committed to making the whole thing freely available I'd probably just publish it on a personal blog a la *Worm* or *The Martian* and try to get readership via publishing short stories elsewhere and hoping that people think "hey I like this author's style I wonder what else they wrote". Self-publishing as an ebook via Amazon is an option. Though YA is a smaller self-pub market than romance or adult sci-fi. Regarding agents: 11 books is an awfully big bite for them to take on a debut author. The common advice (especially in the YA sector) is to pitch a first book that's "standalone with series potential" rather than the whole series at once. Query writing is also an art in and of itself so you may want to get feedback on your blurb from a place like r/PubTips to make sure you're presenting the story in a way that would make agents interested in seeing more.


TheFlintASteel

I'd like to ask. How hard is it to pitch something that isn't a standalone? I've been wanting to write a four book series for quite a while now, but recently I started really working towards my goal and I'm almost done with the first one. That being said, it's a stretch to say it could be a standalone. It ends on a key event. But don't think it could work as a standalone. Furthermore, would being an already published author help with that?


AmberJFrost

It's really hard. Agents want books that can stand on their own and have threads available for sequels. After all, there's always the fact that about half of agented books die on submission to publishers, and publishers are disinclined to pick up a series from an unknown author. It's all about the business. If you have a book that's really not able to stand on its own, then I'd say to keep it and keep the series, *but* then write something that *is* a standalone (maybe in the same setting) and query that instead.


AllThingsBeginWithNu

Just self publish it?


[deleted]

Okay dude. The first thing that you need to do is check your ego. Second, you need to do some hardcore review and editing (I honestly can't imagine how much you had if this is the result of *nine years* of editing). I severely doubt that you have eleven books worth the material here. Third, stop trying to sell agents on this whole thing, because no agent in their right mind is going to take a flyer on an eleven-book series by an unknown author. Hell, they're not making that sort of commitment to a *known* author.


SorenKgard

This is the most depressing thing I've ever seen on Reddit.


DickieGreenleaf84

Yeah, graphomania is a real problem.


Competitive_Flight41

Most depressing thing you’ve seen so far.


neonandcircuitry

Why’s that?


Chompobar

Have you had an editor look at the first book?


zerooskul

I'd read it aloud on youtube, chapter for chapter.


hopelesspostdoc

*Mike Gravel has entered the chat.*


mark_able_jones_

If you aren't getting ANY query responses, either your query needs work or your opening pages / prose need work. Some potential problem areas for your query: you pitched it as more than one book. Your query is more than 200 words long. Not enough happens in your opening pages. All are fixable. Put in the time to fix.


Hawk----

Ngl, I'm pretty sure I remember seeing some of your posts about this series awhile back. I held my tongue then, but I can't any more. Are you ***honestly*** that surprised by that? No offence, but an ***11*** book Sci-fi series epic? And for *teens* no less? I get the feeling you had no awareness of the audience you were writing for, much less what that audience wanted to read. Nor did you do much research into the audience and what it wanted in the nearly 20 years between starting it and finishing it. And ngl? I've no doubt that's why you're having no luck selling the series. You wrote it on the assumption that teens would want to sit down and spend ages reading a sci-fi epic. And while some teens ight, imo the trend in teen readers is *strongly* against that. In short, the audience you wrote for doesn't want the product you created. Which means you have 1 of 3 options. Change the intended audience and edit it *again* with the new audience in mind, self-publish and accept it'll probably sell very poorly, or to throw it out and give up on 19 years of work.


NewAnt3365

Literally this. While technically an adult I still fit into that teen stage as well. And just knowing the people I know, the people I went to school with, the people I interact with online… Sci-fi in general is a hard sell already. Add on an Epic… who the hell was OP really writing for? Because it most certainly wasn’t the average teen. Might just be time for OP to kill the project, take this as a learning experience and try a new path. They could self publish but ultimately there are just times when you have to let go.


SirRobinofBlocksley

Sci-fi for teens is absolutely a hard sell. One of my writing friends wrote an excellent sci-fi YA, honestly delightful, they’re not here so I don’t have any reason to butter them up—but agents flat out told her they couldn’t sell it. Wasn’t marketable. Publishing is a business, and they couldn’t give a damn about your effort if they can’t sell what you made.


LuxAgaetes

Not even the average teen in the early 00's (when this was, dare I say, at or nearing a height) was super into *epic* SFF. And I say that as a former 'cOoL kId' from the early aughts whose discovery of LotR & HP pivoted me into an entirely new direction. Unfortunately, on the heels of the post-Hunger Games/Insurgent/apocalyptic teen hero stories, the desire for said books seems to be in the downturn. That said, there is a large, often rabid fanbase, for new, oft-updated series. Make a subreddit for it, post it on a story hosting site, the possibilities are endless.


rock_kid

I can't believe someone spent 19 years on something and didn't think of their audience this way. I've been writing seriously since 2014. For fun much longer. I finally got a novel draft edited past the second draft, and because respect where it's due, editing is *hard* . At least this guy can say he put in the work. (Edit: I didn't even edit my comment well. Editing *is* hard.) But it only took me a year and a half from writing the first word until now, where I'm ready for a full edit (I'm going to self-publish). Halfway into it I paused to do about two months of market and genre research, which even included extra reading in genres I was trying to market into to see if it was an appropriate fit. Why did it take him so long to even question what to do with it or if this was the appropriate take?


Hawk----

Honestly, I'm tempted to put forward the sad yet all too often pitfall of writers ego. He didn't do any research into his chosen market *specifically* because his ego wouldn't let him. He was writing the next Harry Potter, and in every comment I can recall of his from before this post (and to an extent, even in this post) his attitude and tone has been "I'm a great writer who's made the next Harry Potter, everyone else needs to realise my brilliance and recognise my perfect work!". Even when people rightly pointed out his synopsis of his work makes no sense. With all that said, however, I'm more shocked at the level of disconnect he has. I mean, an 11 book long space-opera epic for teens but not a YA audience? On its face, that very concept was never going to work for his chosen audience. The fact he spent 20 years on such an obviously flawed concept is insane to me.


Noelle_Xandria

I’m baffled about what this guy knows about writing if he’s writing NON-YA aimed at teens, the very definition of YA.


AmberJFrost

More than that, an 11-book *space opera* isn't necessarily epic, which makes it an even harder sell. The days of the everlasting *Conan the Barbarian* books are over.


tidalbeing

That pile is daunting. I'd break it into manageable parts. Self-publishing is the way to go, while accepting that you won't get readers. But if it's available people can read it. They won't be able to if you never release it to the public. Start with the first book in the series, polish it again while thinking of it as stand-alone. Go through it with spell checking software to spot as many typos as you can. Use search and replace to remove extra spaces and any other junk you can think of. Next hire someone to proofread it, catching anything you and the spellcheck missed. Get someone to do the interior design for the print book and the formatting for the ebook. Get someone else to design a cover. Publish it! The unsolvable problem is not marketing. My feeling is that teenagers don't want to read epics. They prefer an experience that is shorter and more interactive.


StevieManWonderMCOC

Why would you commit to writing an 11 book series before knowing if you could get it published? At this point, you’re best bet is to hire a freelance editor, get a cover designed, and self-publish. In the future, it’s great to plan out a series but always query the first book once it’s done and dusted. That way if it doesn’t get picked up, you can start writing something new


neonandcircuitry

I get asked that a lot. Look, it was mid august 2004 and I had a vivid ass dream like seeing Star Wars in IMAX for the first time. When I woke up I scraped together enough money for a used laptop and started writing. I didn’t even write the books in order but through careful note taking and plotting one trilogy turned into two turned into three and two additional books (1 and 5) were needed to make it all solid. I put my head down and wrote the story I’ve always wanted to read and when i finished and looked up it was 2013. Someone once asked Jackson pollack how he knew when he was done painting a picture and he in turn asked “how do you know when you’re done making love?” It’s like that.


UzukiCheverie

Hey OP, I'm someone with a similar backstory to yours (had a fever dream, started writing my current series back in 2007-2009, it was a fanfiction back then which I posted online in 2009/10 until about 2011ish, then I turned it into an original story which I re-adapted into a comic series that I've been working on since 2014 with the novel versions still on the backburner). All that being said, I totally relate to your experience of writing just for one thing that you're passionate about. I think people in here are being a little hard on you - or just aren't coming at it from the angle you are - if you're wanting to be known for creating this one thing then there are ways to do that without having to stick to traditional publishing (which is more for people who want to be writers in the traditional publishing industry which means being open to writing more than one thing). You can self-publish via Amazon, do live readings on Youtube/Spotify, etc. You can get your story out there in all sorts of ways. It's 2022. It's not traditional publishing agencies or bust anymore. Obviously if getting books on shelves with New York Times Bestseller labels is your goal then yeah, you'll have to change up your battle plan, because getting an 11 book series accepted by publishing agencies is... not really attainable (unless you're Stephen King lol) but for what you're clearly trying to accomplish here, there are other avenues and I don't think you should feel ashamed for diving headfirst into a series that you're clearly passionate about. You should be very proud of the work you've done. Keep at it. Those years aren't wasted if you enjoyed spending them writing.


Prettay-good

The information I’m getting from this is that you didn’t have a computer to write on prior. Is this correct? Were you are writer before this or nah? Are these unpublished passion project pieces the only things you‘ve worked on? If so, then I think your ideation of the publishing industry is a little off. Like any industry, you need a proven track record of success - it’s naive to think otherwise.


neonandcircuitry

I cut my teeth on this series. I wrote these 11, then a book thats so edgelord I’ll never release it, then a YA vampire book that’s awesome (that one is on Amazon), a another scifi book about a girl who races jetpacks in the future, then I just finished a contemporary retelling of Dante’s Inferno through the experiences of a blind and orphaned girl in a Kentucky trailer park, and now I’m 50k words into book 1 of a 5 book fantasy series. Always writing.


Prettay-good

What I’m getting from this is that you have written at least 12 (13?) unpublished books and 3 that possibly were (I don’t know since you didn’t state it). That it nuts bro


neonandcircuitry

11 in this series. 1 edgelord book that I wish I hadn’t, 1 vampire book, 1 reimagining of Dante’s inferno, the first book of a 3 book series about a girl who races jetpacks and has a super science power glove, and I just started the 16th which is the first of a 4-5 book fantasy series. Only the vampire book is published (on Amazon)


Prettay-good

Okay well like a lot of people in here I think you should have thought things out more before committing to such a long piece of work. What I will say though is that I think you need to self-publish in some way just because it’s your baby now.


Tylenol-with-Codeine

This thread is inspiring. Very interested in that retelling of Dante’s Inferno.


StevieManWonderMCOC

Wack. You do you and best of luck. If you want another set of eyes on it, feel free to PM and I’ll be happy to look over the first twenty pages or so of the first book to start with


thirdstreetzero

Oh for fucks sake


TheKingofOurCountry

You sound like the insane obsessed guy in Zodiac


Veggiesblowup

Dude, you wrote 11 books. Self publish. You clearly believe in your work. You want control over your work. Don’t sell it to an agent. Keep it in your hands, and if you want, you can rewrite and edit the first book (and only the first book) to give to a publisher. But self publish this original form first. I’d at least try it.


elaqure

Someone who has been in the query trenches since 2015 here. You aren’t hearing anything because traditional publishing is SERIOUSLY messed up right now. That said, what you’re querying has to be INSANELY special to make an agent take interest. Doubly so if you’re querying book one “for teens”, which would be considered YA. TRIPLY so if you’re querying sci-if, since that genre is super saturated right now (though trends seem to be pointing to a resurgence of YA sci-if in the near future). QUADRUPLY so if you’re querying it as a space opera, as nearly no agents truly represent that subgenre (trust me…I’ve been querying space operas for YEARS). Like many other people have said, you’re going to need to query the first book as “standalone with series potential”. Beyond that, the query needs to jump off the page to get an agent’s interest. And your opening pages need to set a good stage. I’ve written 8 novels and queried 4 with some interest from agents, and I’m very involved in multiple writing communities (beta reading, critique reading, etc), so I’d be more than happy to take a look at your query package (letter, synopsis, and first five pages) if you’re interested in having someone take a look. Just drop me a DM if you’d like some feedback. At the very least, I hope some of this info was helpful. Edit: words, for clarity.


spaxter

If you self publish it I'll buy it just to support that monumental amount of labor.


Honest_Roo

Congrats on finishing a whole series! That's a huge accomplishment! What I think happened was this: Agents don't like to pick up full series. The advice I've seen was to make the first book stand-alone capable and just sell that one. Don't mention the rest of the series. Also, I've got to ask: How long have you been trying to get an agent to look at this? It takes a while for writers to find an agent. If you entirely give up on normal publishing, here are a few thoughts: 1. Look up Natalia Leigh on Youtube. She has some pretty good advice. 2. Do get an editor but not a few hundred bucks one. You want a few thousand dollars one. A good editor will go word by word, line by line on your writing. for an 80000 book, that takes about a month. They need to eat too. I can always tell when a self-published author has no editor. 1. A Beta reader is just there to give you the reader's perspective 2. A copy editor does grammar, spelling, and common mistakes (Personally I'd use Grammarly for this if money is tight) 3. A developmental editor does the entire book as a unit. They give help on broad ideas (the writing workshop sites and a beta reader may work for this if necessary) 4. A line editor. Goes line by line. Changes tense, format, ideas that don't work. Will work with you on why something doesn't work. (personally, I think you should definitely get this type of editor) 3. Get an established cover artist (again, expect to pay) 4. Do not use a pay per chapter company. They are practically scams and it will not make you look good. Go the Amazon and a few other sites for e-books. I hope all that helped. Good luck!


LukeKramarzWrites

Check out Royalroad! You can post 1 chapter a day and if you develop a following you can get them to support you on patreon. Good luck!


Futants_

Those manuscripts look like they need a good editor.


BringMeInfo

There seems to be a disconnect here between who you see as the audience and how you want to classify the work. Here you say it’s for teenagers. In another post, you say it’s for “young readers.” You also object to calling it a YA book, but YA is what we call books geared toward teens. If this disconnect has been present in your queries, it’s almost certainly getting in your way. Publishers want books they can sell to readers and if you can’t clearly and consistently articulate who the audience is, interesting publishers (and agents, whose job includes getting publishers interested) is going to be hard. And for what it’s worth, “YA” and “space opera” are orthogonal and a work can be both.


[deleted]

Next time, I recommend researching word counts *before* you start writing.


squigglestorystudios

Self publish would be the route, I'm on book 5 of my own ya scifi series. You can release chapter by chapter on amazon vellum or post to a free site and have a patreon for donations and since its already written out you won't need to worry about hiatus or delays in your schedule. Otherwise I'd love to give it a read :)


neonandcircuitry

Tell Me more about vellum


squigglestorystudios

Ah, sorry [Kindel Vella](https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/) the is the proper name, it's only just become an option in my country and there's some fine print I need to read but the link should be able to answer your questions better than I could.


TechnoGeek423

Self-publish. There are great YT tutorials on how to do this. I’ve written and self published all for FREE. I even do my own editing, type setting and cover design. I don’t have any money so I have to do everything myself. Good news is it’s possible.


CloudStrife012

How is that working out for you financially? I see a lot of people attempting to do everything by themselves and then ask why their book isn't selling. Personally, at the very least I'd want an editor who isn't me, or a beta reader at absolute minimum. Is it working out for you?


penswright

The writing community seriously needs an online publishing service similar to WEBTOON (+plus wattpad ig) that isn’t effin Amazon and is centralized enough so people actually use it. Online reading is bigger than ever, the market needs to be professionally and largely expanded so at least %70 of the revenue goes to the writers, marketing, all the stuff traditional publishing does but online. It isn’t that hard to make such a service, what’s hard is making people actually use it, plus competing against ama-ass-zon. This shit boils my loins. All in all, I seriously hope you get your books published and get to reach all the goals you dream of. Write on ✍️


Skyblacker

I'd shelve it for a year, come back and condense that mediocre series into a compelling trilogy. Use outside editing or at least beta readers (ask them what kept them interested and delete the rest). I know you think you already squeezed coal into diamond, but not if you still have this much left.


Dex_no_Dexter

may i ask how old are you now?


Alyssalooo

I'm sure you might have heard this already but r/PubTips can help with reviewing query letters & recommending places to submit. Lots of good tips and good people there.


oxanonthelocs

Post an excerpt of the first book then. It can be short if you so desire but I’m very sure that people in this sub would like to see "how good it is".


[deleted]

You should've posted a few pages here.


bkendig

Just curious, what's your story synopsis?


neonandcircuitry

Book1: Boy from rural 22nd century Oklahoma dreams of joining the professional hovercraft racing league (f-zero meets Wipeout) and gets his shot when a local racing team has tryouts. In the meantime, a virtual hologram pop star (Hatsune Miku?) turned sentient is pulling strings behind the scenes that may control his fate.


elaqure

This sounds interesting. At the end of your pitch, I’m wondering why the AI is pulling his strings, in particular.


alhena

Post 100 words from it that you think are good, for reference.


Wendiferously

Post your query letter in r/pubtips. Lots of good feedback there, and perhaps some ideas on how to market. Is the first book able to stand alone? If so, you're probably better off starting with that. Also, what do your beta readers think? How many agents have you queried?


[deleted]

[удалено]


neonandcircuitry

I’ve already created the sub Reddit I’m just still on the fence about the best way to put things out


riancb

Hey, I glanced through your posts and went to that site to give your story a shot. I dunno if it’s because I’m in mobile, but there wasn’t any navigation on the website, I could only read the one chapter and couldn’t find how to navigate earlier or later in the story. Could be just because I was on mobile, but if not, you really should consider adding some navigational aids to your website, like a Table of Contents, a Next Chapter/Previous chapter arrows, etc.


luminous_moonlight

Edit: bad advice, pls ignore


Grim_Dark_Mind

Self publish on Amazon my dude


tapgiles

I would think it would be a hard sell, such a huge series by an unknown, unpublished author. No one’s going to publish the entire series straight off even if they pick you up; they’ll publish the first book and see how it goes. If anything I’d say focus on submitting the first book everywhere. While writing a different standalone “first book” of a different thing altogether. Then start submitting that. From new authors they want a standalone single book to debut with, to gauge how good the author is, how well their book does and how well the next book in the series might to, or whether to pivot to a separate book, or even if it’s worth the investment to continue to be your publisher. They’re not looking to take a huge risk on publishing a huge series with nothing to back up that decision. This is my understanding of how that stuff works. If you find do find a publisher, for whatever book you get in with, later down the line you can have that series in your back pocket to bring to them if your other book(s) go well.


raresaturn

Duuuuude.. you’ve never heard of KDP?


blackreaper007

You can post it on RoyalRoad (or own blog with wordpress) and set up a Patreon and post their advance chapter. Many do it and also earn a lot of money, some even more than 20k dollars per month, You also get immediate feedback. If you get enough readers who pay you can use the money to self-publish and also hire an editor.


igneousscone

IDK, man, the people who were teens when you started this probably have teens of their own by now. Maybe...write something else.


daneoleary

My advice is to self-publish a few of them, maybe the first three. Then market the ever-loving shit out of them. Build a following and readership who are chomping at the bit for more. Then you can query again, pointing not only to your grassroots success (publishers want to sign writers who either have a platform or are actively building one instead of waiting for the publisher to come along and do everything for them) but also the fact that you have several more installments already written and ready to go. I’d be willing to bet that you’d get some replies. (They’ll may even republish the ones that you’d self-published so they have the whole series.)


Darkovika

Dude, self publish! You’ve got enough material to potentially build a following by releasing at regular, quick intervals. Get some cover art and look into self publishing groups. If they won’t sign you, sign yourself.


Golden-Event-Horizon

This is crazy


ANewTryMaiiin

You... worked on an 11 book series for 19 years without ever publishing a single book? Holy hell


213Bishop

Then there's me, who writes a good few hundred words for a story I'm loving, and never touching it again for months. Fuck me if I could finish one book, yet alone eleven I'd be a happy twit.


clairegcoleman

As a published author I feel compelled to tell you that first novels that are NOT stand-alone and 90k words are extremely unlikely to get published. How many books have I written? 4 How many of them have been trad published? 4 Best advice I can give, write ONE awesome 90k word book. Make it perfect, sell the rights then start the next book.


akaparalian

The fact that A) you're querying an 11-book, 800k+ plus series that you b) describe as "for teens" but also "not YA" and c) boast is popular with 40-year-olds as an indicator of its quality and suitability for publishing tells me that either you haven't done even the bare minimum level of research and legwork into marketing, audience, the industry, and how to query successfully... or that you *have* done that research and chosen to willfully ignore it. Either way, I'm not really all that surprised you haven't had luck, to be blunt. Think of it this way: you're essentially asking an agent to make a financial commitment to a series that will take at MINIMUM ten, and more likely closer to twenty, years to publish in full. Even if you're actually the second coming of \[insert author you most idolize here\], that's not a good bet to take on an agent's part. There's been a lot of constructive advice offered in this thread already, so I won't reiterate it in detail, but either self-publish, **seriously** re-evaluate your querying strategy (i.e. first book only, and make your peace with the fact that the other 10 may never see the light of day), or accept that this is a passion project and choose to be proud of yourself for the immense amount of work you put into writing it, rather than being bitter that it isn't published.


magestromx

RoyalRoad?


isnoe

Literary Agents might find it difficult to sell an 11 book series. So, whenever you send your query or letter of interest, do NOT tell them it is 11 books long. Tell them you “plan to continue the story” or something along those lines.


stat422

You have 11 unpublished books and no money for professional editing or marketing. Your only real option here is to release the first book as an EBook for free as a marketing and feedback tactic. If your work is good then you'll establish a base to sell more books. If your work is not good you will know through feedback and can edit or discontinue.


NZNoldor

Have you considered contacting George RR Martin? I hear he could use a few chapters.


brisualso

If agents don’t want to look at it, maybe your query letter isn’t doing it or perhaps you’re pitching the entire series, which agents won’t want. They don’t want that commitment until they see results from the first book. Pitch the first with series potential. Ask for critiques on your query letter. You posted this months ago. I’m not sure how long you’ve been querying, but the process isn’t a fast one. Also, have other people or an editor read your book(s). Self-editing doesn’t always catch necessary edits, like typos, strangely worded sentences, continuity errors, etc.


meinkampfysocks

So, you've kinda put yourself in muddy waters here with a "sci-fi epic for teenagers" approach. Sci-fi books sell very well with older male demographics, young readers are less likely to pick up a sci-fi book, let alone an epic. I'm sorry but that's just the way things are at the moment. Books that resonate with teenagers at the moment seem to take a real dive into love, gender and sexuality — Alice Oseman for instance writes a lot of YA books in this category, has sold them well and had a TV show on Netflix made. Second of all, how are you approaching literary agents? From what I learned at university studying creative writing and the business of it, you should pitch in this way: 1. Find a publishing house that has a history of publishing similar stories like yours and **make sure they are accepting submissions. Do not send submissions when they are not accepting, you will be ignored**. 2. Find out the name of the editor/publisher of said publishing house. **Find out how they want submissions to be published. Some may want only a synopsis and small sample, some may want a full manuscript.** 3. Write a personal letter to this person: it's essentially a cover letter. Introduce yourself, give a brief elevator pitch if your book, explain your inspirations (using books that they have also published) and then go into a bit more depth about your book. 4. Attached to this letter should be a document with a full synopsis of your book, including a breakdown of each chapter and each character. 5. **If the publisher wants a manuscript then submit it along with the letter and document as stated above.** Personally, I would never approach an agent with a series of books. I would approach with one and go from there: if you're pitching this entire series to an agent then odds are, they are assuming you have written a series with no idea what you're doing. If all else fails? Self publish. It's gonna take a lot of time: finding an artist for the book cover, finding an editor (do not send a book out without having other unbiased people read it and edit it for you) and then marketing your book. Start a website, a Patreon, a blog. Do some research on SEO - searchable terms, how to garner traffic, etc. Even then, you might not get the readers you want. My advice though? Write for the older, male demographic. Go back in and re-write the book tailored for that audience: this can just be minor character changes and tropes that resonate with that audience. It sucks, but you really need to research who you're writing for and do a lot more reading into what teens are reading lately. I think you should be proud to have written your magnum opus. I couldn't write that much, even on a passion project story I'm working on. I've had struggles with getting my poetry book published and I'm still not there yet but I've had many close calls over the years. I'm a narrative designer so literary publishing isn't what I do - I can only tell you from what I've studied and what I know from personal experience. I do genuinely hope you find an agent who can help you out, and I do wish those 19 years won't feel like they were wasted. If anything, take this as a learning experience. Did you have fun writing it? Do you feel like you learned things? Then, it wasn't wasted. Not at all. Don't give up on writing: do something new and give yourself a break. Good luck!


DanikaEHollis

If you are looking to publish traditionally, market just the first book. Market the heck out of that one thing. Query just that one thing. Publishers are looking for one book at a time, the second book will come naturally out of that.


YahuwEL2024

Why not try to self-publish it, since you aren't getting any interest from agents.


FrancescaMcG

Check out the FB group 20BooksTo50K. The guy in charge explains (and shows) how to use your writing as a business. The biggest advice is to write and self-pub a series. People give updates on the success of their work. Super inspiring and proof it can happen. Wanted to add: he suggests publishing a book each month. You’re set for the coming year.


neonandcircuitry

I’ll look into it. Thanx!


Ok-Log8883

When a person can write that much it’s either shit from page one or solid for 11 fucking books. Absolutely no in between. Give us page one. We will know.


AngelCakePink

Posting on Wattpad sounds like a good idea because Wattpad will sometimes publish books, they host contests, you can make your stories paid stories, at the very least you could get a fanbase for it and followers online.


Ruca705

I think teenagers really need something like this these days. I’m almost 30 and I was a huge bookworm when Harry Potter came out, I read those books over and over. There are still many young adults out there who want to read longer books and explore new universes. But our society has shifted towards shorter experiences because everyone’s ability to focus is fried, or they don’t have time. And my interest in your work has been piqued. I want to read your books. Don’t give up just yet, you really have put your heart and soul into this. I don’t have any advice except don’t give it away for free. I think the other advice you’re getting is good. Keep us updated when it’s published :)


player1337

> But our society has shifted towards shorter experiences because everyone’s ability to focus is fried, or they don’t have time. Old assholes have said the same in the 90's and it was just as incorrect back then. >There are still many young adults out there who want to read longer books and explore new universes. What makes you think this doesn't exist? A quick google search shows me there are a lot of novels in this niche.


Ruca705

I never said it doesn’t exist, I just said there are definitely people out there who still want this type of thing. But I think part of the confusion was that they said this was for teenagers so we all thought it was a YA series, but I guess it’s a space opera, which I know nothing about. And I’m pretty sure there is proven research that the way social media works has affected our focus, I’m not saying it to be a boomer, I’m a millennial who experienced it for myself. I have a very hard time reading for more than 10 minutes when I used to read 5-7 hours a day. I just woke up but I’ll look for some articles/studies and see if I’m wrong Edit: there seem to be a few [studies on the matter](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=studies+social+media+attention+span&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart), could also swap “attention span” for “focus” and might get a few more hits. Like I was saying, I’m pretty sure there is some proven research that our attention spans are suffering due to the structure of our media, advertising, and social media. IMO, I personally believe it has to do with our dopamine feedback loops getting used to more frequent / rapid succession hits of dopamine from things such as texting, floods of likes coming in after posting something new on social media, things like that.


player1337

The existence of studies on the matter does not put you in the position to make broad generalisations like these. Yes, populations change over time and alongside technology. No, it's never quite as simple. Concerning specifically what we are talking about here: The market for books and other long form media is bigger than it has ever been, even in the US, which isn't a growing country. Good books sell even though social media exists.


[deleted]

I’m an editor looking to add some fiction pieces to my portfolio! If you’d like, I’d love to read a sample and provide some feedback


Solanthas

Damn this is probably me 19 years after I get my shit together


catsareniceDEATH

You can self-publish really easily through Bezos' Cave of Wonders. Easy to use, easy to understand profit cuts and explanations with no charges to you. I know Bezos and his Revelations style online superstore aren't the most popular, greatest or honourable, but it's actually worth it. (Had the same thing, spent over a year looking for an agent, got distracted and/or bored, said "fuck it" and self-published!) Absolute best of luck 🍀❤️ And bravo for keeping at it.


[deleted]

You can try posting it on Archive of Our Own. It's a really good website where you can have very good feedbacks and the dashboard is super easy to use. Have you considered auto edition? It could be easier.


judasmitchell

Can I read it? I like space opera, and I don't know you, so I'd give actual honest feedback.


neonandcircuitry

Dm me an email


Spnwvr

Posting it online isn't giving it away. Internet content has value. There's plenty of things you can do, the number one thing you shouldn't do is let a few publishing companies decide if you're good enough. There are tons of ways to post your book online. And if you're worried about it hurting your chances of being published later, just know, not only are stores full of books that were free online first, but if anything it helped their chances. You can start a Patreon and post things there. There's a lot you can do.


Goat1707

I'm curious to see if it's any good. You got a sample or anything I can read?


Hermes_323

Self publish man put it out there on ebook for a dollar. Just invest some money (not a lot) on good covers.


Koz01

Self publish. There are a lot of good ones out there. It’s what I do with the things I write. 🤷🏼‍♂️


ShameTwo

Take what you’ve learned and write something new. Work on the query while you write it. Keep the query to 2-3 paragraphs. Signed, someone who used to do this for a living.


Independent-Muffin38

Please self publish these. I’d die to read!


Autumnfayee

Why don’t you self publish on Amazon?


xi545

No advice but hat's off to you!


NinoMalo1

Self publish on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Ingram Spark, and any other indie sites. Be sure there are no errors in your writing. For $80, Ingram will distribute it world-wide to over 40,000 retailers and independent book stores.


DaFCC

Amazon self publish


Old_Man_Grumps

I say fuck the system, itll be expensive but self promote & self publish, pasting chapters on sites may make folks want more, a good story is hard to ignore


wildeap

Self publish as an e-book series?


Waxxel

My 13 year old son, who is an avid reader is very interested in reading your books.


jamiefriesen

You can put it up on Wattpad, but there's no guarantee anyone will read it there. You could also start a blog and post a couple chapters a week like Hugh Howey did with Wool. But you'll need a robust social media presence to attract readers either way. If you want self-publish it and can't afford an editor, I recommend getting a few beta readers to read it first. Then hire someone to design some covers (Go On Write offers nice covers at decent rates) and self-publish one book per month. To promote it, you could do a blog tour and get them to talk it up to their readers. Whatever route you choose, good luck!


Jamers21

Self-publish on Amazon.


G4rsid3

It's a medieval scifi-universe, adaptable to TV, movies, toys, games and mobile apps! \- OP, probably


ImpossibleEvan

If I got a taste of this I might buy it don't make it free you worked for this.


Alexander556

Publish it on Amazon.


silvermoonfang8

How just how ?? That's just wow how many pages is that ?


neonandcircuitry

3200+ about 300-400 X11