Monday, March 21, 2011

e-Publishing Success

Wayne Scheer is a member of Internet Writer Workshop who I've come to admire. I first congratulated Wayne in 2005, when Cynic Magazine, http://www.cynicmag.com/ accepted "Something Snapped" for their Feb. 2005 issue. Although the story was pro bono, the editor respond quickly (10 days), Wayne said, "... and seem to share my own, slightly warped, sense of humor."

Wayne shared more 2005 success: "Off the Road," in The Pedestal Magazine; 3rd place in Humor Press, http://humorpress.com/; and 1st and 2nd place wins in Novel Advice, http://www.noveladvice.com./

During the five years I've known Wayne virtually, the frequency of his publications, and the variety fascinated me. He is the most prolific and persistent published writer I know. I began keeping track of his publications, especially of the publications that paid.

When I asked if I could tout his persistence on my Web site Wayne said, "No objections, but I'm hardly writing my way to money. I'm happy to sell a story for $5 or $10."

When I replied, "Satisfaction is a wonderful reward, and should be honored more than we worship $$$!" Wayne said, "I agree. Obviously, I don't write for the money."

A typical writer, he prefers writing to record keeping. "I have records of most of the stuff I've published on scattered sheets of paper."

Although the following lists only the publications I've noted, you'll see that his persistence is admirable.
2006:
e-Zines:
1. The Better Drink, http://thebetterdrink.com/, (pays $50 for fiction, $40 and $35 for various first-person accounts and $100 for a feature nonfiction article on wine or inspiring people)
2. Skive Ebook, http://www.skivemagazine.com/ (split $2 per purchased copy proceeds.)
3. A Flasher's Dozen, (a print journal; paid $15 for stories under 1000 words.)

Academic journals:
4.The Binnacle,University of Maine's Literary Magazine, http://www.umm.maine.edu/binnacle/.
5.The Aroostook Review, University of Maine, http://aroostookreview.umfk.maine.edu/.
6 Southwestern Michigan Review (print)

Online Journals:
7. Dana Literary Society, http://www.danaliterary.org/.
8. Eclectica, http://www.eclectica.org/.
9. Skive Magazine (which is selling their PDF version and sharing the royalties with its authors.)
10. Cezanne's Carrot, http://www.cezannescarrot.org/.

2007:
11. Moving Day (don't know publication.)
12. A Long Story Short, http://www.alongstoryshort.net/SAYINGGOODBYETOUNCLELESTER.html. (Wayne learned about this one when he received fan mail!)

2008:
13. Dead Mule, http://www.deadmule.com/.
14. Muzzle Flash)
15. Big Pulp (1 cent a word)
16. The Painted Door, Winter Issue.
17. Feel the Word, http://www.feeltheword.net/magazine/2008/01/31/growing-up-wayne-scheer/.
18. Pen Pricks, http://www.grimgraffiti.com/pen_pricks_microfiction.html, (55 words)
19. Mojo's Almanac(k), http://www.poormojo.org/cgi-bin/gennie.pl?Fiction.
20. Shakespeare's Monkey Review, http://shakespearesmonkeys.com/.
21. Literary Cottage, http://www.literarycottage.com/.
22, Flash Me Magazine, http://www.wingedhalo.com/flashme.html published a few of his stories, and then asked permission to include him in a book on flash fiction.
23. Notre Dame Magazine, http://magazine.nd.edu/ held his story a year and then paid handsomely to publish it in a Spring Issue.
24. Toasted Cheese Literary Journal, http://www.toasted-cheese.com/.
25. Bent Pin Quarterly, (gone now.)
26. The Painted Door, "The Outing of Polonius "Pete" Popoutsky."
27. Flashquake, http://www.flashquake.org/.
28. March Family issue of Shakespeare's Monkey Review, a print journal.
29. Nothing But Red, (to be anthologized in paperback and 3-Book versions. Profits to benefit Equality Now, an International organization dedicated to fighting violence against women.)
30. Cynic Magazine\April issue, http://cynicmagazine.com/.

Once, when I asked Wayne for his secret to publishing he explained, "I keep work circulating all the time."
2009:
31. Pear Noir, http://pearnoir.com/thumbscrews.htm, Revealing Moments.
32. Camroc Press Review, The Morning After.
33. Fiction at Work, http://fictionatwork.com/dss1.aspx, Meat Hooks and Rice Paper, and Office Routine.
34. Poor Mojo's Almanac(k), http://www.poormojo.org/, A Change of Heart,
35. Long Story Short, http://www.alongstoryshort.net/drinkswithfriends.html, Drinks with Friends
36. Everyday Fiction, http://www.everydayfiction.com/, Stripped of Innocence, which Wayne says is, a departure from my usual "realistic" fare."

Five months elapsed before I caught up with Wayne again and learned his publication record remained consistently high.
37. Chicago Pulp Stories, http://www.pulpstories.org/, ( a print magazine), Starting Over.
38. Awkward Press (for their latest anthology), Zen and the Art of House Painting. With the possibility it might become a short film.
39. Golden Visions Magazine, http://www.goldenvisionsmagazine.biz/, (pays) Cloning Clark.
40. Fiction at Work, http://fictionatwork.com/Issue70.aspx, A Fool Proof Plan.
42. Everyday Fiction, http://www.everydayfiction.com/renewal-by-wayne-scheer/#comments, Renewal. Of this story Wayne confided, "One of my favorite old stories. ... I don't know how many times I've revised this story, but I'd still like to take it back and rewrite the opening sentence. Ugggghhh!"
43. Ken*Again, http://kenagain.freeservers.com/PROSE.HTML#scheer, An Orderly Life.
44. Poor Mojo's Almanac, http://www.poormojo.org/cgi-bin/gennie.pl?Rant, Nature Lessons.
45. Apollo's Lyre, Magic, a nonfiction essay.
46. Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette, http://pittsburghflashfictiongazette.com/2010/06/24/new-flash-fiction-by-wayne-scheer//, The Photograph.
47. Sentinel Literary Quarterly, http://www.sentinelpoetry.org.uk/slq/3.4.july2010/fiction/wayne-scheer.html, Stepping Out.
48. Romance Flash, Past Lives.
49. Journal of Microliterature, http://www.microliterature.org/, Chandra's Room, a flash fiction.
50. Everyday Fiction, http://everydayfiction.com/, When in Rome.
51. Long Story Short, A Secret, a flash fiction.
52. Skive Magazine, a print monthly out of Australia, heir November Americana issue, At the Hop.
53. Long Story Short, http://www.alongstoryshort.net/, Father and Son for their Father's Day issue in June (2011).
54. Everyday Fiction, http://everydayfiction.com/, Not the Jealous Type, for a future issue.
55. Cynic Magazine, http://cynicmag.com/, accepted two stories., One Man's Priority, scheduled for publication November 16, and No Secrets, January 16, 2011.

Wayne's publishing successes in 2011 continues to be so numerous I simply haven't kept abreast. You'll find some of them at the following:
"You the Man, Brad," in Long Story Short. March issue; http://www.alongstoryshort.net/; No Secrets,"at Cynic Magazine, http://cynicmag.com/feature.aspx?articleid=3693; When One Thing Leads to Another, Shine Journal, http://www.theshinejournal.com/mrwaynescheer.htm; The Complexity of Love and Haunted by Jack Kerouac's Ghost will appear in a future issue of The Camel Saloon, http://thecamelsaloon.blogspot.com/.

As you see, Wayne is not only a prolific writer, he is varied as well. Revealing Moments, a collection of flash stories by Wayne Scheer, can be downloaded at http://www.pearnoir.com/thumbscrews.htm. House Painting, became a film adapted from a short story by Wayne Scheer, and can be viewed at http://vimeo.com/18491827.

Since I began e-corresponding with Wayne Scheer, every e-book publishing success story is an encouraging example.

Read about Karen McQuestion's at A Newbie's Guide to Publishing, An Interview With Karen McQuestion, http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2010/04/interview-with-karen-mcquestion.html.

You'll find a comprehensive self-publishing article called The Rise of Self-Publishing, by Virginia Heffernan, a NYT's columnist who writes, The Medium. in her April 26th article, which also contains links to April Hamilton's Indie Author Guide, as well as to Indie Reader, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/magazine/02FOB-medium-t.html.

Be persistent and persevere and you, too, can become a success.


Analyze Your Writing Voice

Do you ever wonder if you write like a professional author? Analyze a sample of your writing at I Write Like, http://iwl.me/.

The analyzer says I write like Lewis Carroll. Do I? I dunno. Maybe. I'm not familiar with Carroll. Will an agent or editor you approach care if you write like an already published author? Some will and some won't, so don't worry about it. Develop your voice and your writing style and e-Publish yourself!