Day 320 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author/publisher,
Dane F. Baylis

UPDATED SCHEDULE

AT LEAST SO FAR.

 

Dec 3, 2013, 9:00 PM at the Cobalt Cafe, Canoga Park, CA. (Featured Reader for the Hollywood Institute of Poetics coordinated by Jessica Ceballos.)

 

Dec 7, 2013, 4:00 PM at Beyond Baroque, Venice, CA. (ASKEW Poetry Journal #15 release party.)

 

February 8, 2013 (time TBA) at Grenada Books, Santa Barbara, CA. (Dane F. Baylis and Fernando Albert Salinas.)

 

March 9, 2013, 2 pm, All Erotic Reading at Sylvia White Gallery, Ventura, CA.

 

WHY I STILL REACH OUT TO THE JOURNALS

 

It might be something to wonder about, if you've got nothing else to do when you read this. Why does someone who uses the titles Author/Publisher still try so hard to have things accepted by other people's journals and publications? I mean, why not just go the route so many others on-line are going and churn out all my own content?

 

Simplest way to put it is, "For the validation." That little thing that shows the rest of the world that somebody besides you thinks you're doing a good job. Unless you have already caved in to despair, or never had the chutzpa to believe your words were special enough that others might find them worthwhile, then I'd hazard that you'd like that chance for some recognition in the more established mainstream outlets. That chance to have a reviewer, one who makes their living in that trade, say something laudatory about your work.

 

You might be thinking, "Big deal". Well, yes, it is. Since the goal of breaking into the majors, or even the mid-level publishing houses, is dependent on whether they think your writing is worth the risk. The quickest route over that hurdle is having other, respected venues take a chance. This is where the agents and editors go looking for new talent. If you've managed to attract one of these people outside of that arena, I'll bet they're going to want to know where you've already published. Postings to your blog, Google Plus writing communities, or that print on demand book you've been flogging to all your friends and acquaintances are not going to carry the same weight.

 

So why do I keep letting myself in for the long waits, the guesswork of figuring out if what I've written is a fit for a particular publication, or the inevitable growing stack of rejections? Because this isn't all about my need to see my name in print. It's about somebody else wanting to see it in their print. It's about growth as an artist, writer and human being. Tell me again, what's your reason for not reaching out?

 

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Meanwhile...live, love, write.

 

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Tomorrow,

 

Dane F. Baylis

Author/Publisher.