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Local Authors => Brandon Sanderson => Topic started by: BrandonM on April 04, 2010, 04:44:45 PM

Title: Question for Mr. Sanderson
Post by: BrandonM on April 04, 2010, 04:44:45 PM
Im not sure if this is the right thread to ask this, but here we go:
How do you feel about amateur writers submitting to free markets, so that the writer(s) have experience in the industry? Will the next publisher, say, a paying online magazine like Weird Tales, frown on this? Or, will they say "he/she has experience"?
Title: Re: Question for Mr. Sanderson
Post by: Miyabi on April 05, 2010, 04:17:15 AM

Brandon won't reply here, he doesn't frequent the forums any longer, but you will probably get some really good advise here.
Title: Re: Question for Mr. Sanderson
Post by: Peter Ahlstrom on April 05, 2010, 06:27:16 AM
Free markets are absolutely worthless. Don't even  mention free market publications in your cover letters. It will make it look like you think they are worth something.

The point of publication credits is to show that someone thought your work was good enough to pay for it. So if they didn't pay you for it, there's no point. Of course even if you have a paying credit it only marginally increases the attention that will be paid to your story. Your story has to sell itself.