Author Update 10/23/2021 (Anniversary Edition) · 9:13pm Oct 23rd, 2021
It’s funny. I wrote a novel that I shopped to over 20 agents, (most of which I have rejection letters from) wrote a few short stories I’ve tried to sell to various publications, (with unanimous rejections as well) and the first time I’ve ever gotten paid for creative writing was when I won the award for the best TrixiexMaud fic in the recent contest. Life is weird.
This is the anniversary of the first fic I ever published on this site. Last month it was up for comment club, and a bunch of people told me that it was one of the best stories they’ve ever read. It’s nice to hear that I managed to be decent right out the gate, and it means a lot to me that it moved so many people.
My uploading schedule has always been sporadic, and I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon. I like that I don’t have an obligation for posting and can write stuff whenever I feel like it. Keeping a lowkey approach to fanfiction is the way I want to stay.
I never would have guessed that I’d stick with the MLP fic community for a whole year, but no one can ever guess the future. What a strange and wonderful time it’s been. I’d like to thank everyone who ever read any of my stories. It’s a wild thought to me that at any moment in my life a person could be reading something I wrote. Wild in a good way, mind you. It’s flattering, though I can’t ever convince myself it’s a worthwhile use of the limited time we all have in this world.
It surprised me how easy it was to make friends through the fandom. I’ve had a great time with most of the people I’ve interacted with so far. It’s been a lot of fun.
I will post more MLP fic in the future. Thanks for reading. Please have a good day.
Oof. Did any of them actually pick it up? Because I'm almost done with mine, and if you can't get a bite then I'm not super optimistic about my own chances.
Happy anniversary, and congrats on your contest win.
I'm glad you've had a good time as a writer here. Your stories are always interesting, and I'm always happy when I see you've posted something new.
Happy anniversary! We are happy to have you
Apple BloomDecafAlways a pleasure to read your works :)
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The best I got was a rejection letter that said they loved the story, but didn't think they could sell it. My understanding of the publishing industry is that in person pitches have better chances of getting picked up than manuscripts sent over the internet, but for some reason we may never understand, no one had in person pitches in 2020. I got burned out going through all this work pitching in a way I knew to be less than optimal. Like every job, success has a lot to do with networking and knowing the right people.
It's disheartening, sure, but I'm not planning on giving up. There's a reason everyone makes jokes about writers being failure all the time. It's a frustrating, harrowing experience, but I'm still working at it. Like I said, you can never guess the future. A lot of it is still inscrutable to me, and it sucks.
If you're looking to break into the industry, I suggest you look up traditional publishing and self publishing, and decide which path would work best for you. Personally, I know that I do not have the business skills to succeed at self publishing, but that doesn't mean it's the worse option for everyone, by any means.
But hey, I'm just a fanfic writer, so it's not like I have any authority to give advice on this subject. All I can say with certainty is that you should research it and try your best.
Thanks for your comment!
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Huh, I never considered that just getting dressed up and walking into a publishing house could be an option. With luck, both our stories will see the light of day. Thanks!