How can I become an author in America

[Viraja]

Although I am living in USA for over 26 yrs now, my writing venture is very recent.... I felt a 'calling' to write and I can claim I am a relatively good writer who can write interesting stories with a twist in the end.... like how traditionally good stories are made.

Besides stories I can write poetry, a number of essays (on Hinduism) and my English is ok.

However, raised in India, I am somewhat alien to the culture and practices of other races in America.

Given that I pen down good stories, I would like to launch a writing career but know not where to begin.

I have commenced writing short stories for competitions that are going on.

Also, how can I introduce myself to the popular culture of America?

 

[Twilight Hue]

Although I am living in USA for over 26 yrs now, my writing venture is very recent.... I felt a 'calling' to write and I can claim I am a relatively good writer who can write interesting stories with a twist in the end.... like how traditionally good stories are made.

Besides stories I can write poetry, a number of essays (on Hinduism) and my English is ok.

However, raised in India, I am somewhat alien to the culture and practices of other races in America.

Given that I pen down good stories, I would like to launch a writing career but know not where to begin.

I have commenced writing short stories for competitions that are going on.

Also, how can I introduce myself to the popular culture of America?

You can go two routes, subsidy publishing or find a publisher.

For subsidy you actually pay for the printing and all the mechanics that are required to get your book out through various websites and bookstores and that could go into the thousands. The risk of success or failure is completely in your hands but you will get a book published.

The second is much harder which would be to find a publisher that is willing to make the financial risk in getting your book published and marketed usually that requires a contract and negotiations for royalties etc.

The latter is much much harder.

Personally I would save up a few grand while writing my book and get my foot in the door that way. if successful I'm sure it won't be as hard to find a publisher or just continue going on with the self-publishing route.

there's also a lot of apps that are designed for storytellers which I have one myself that can greatly assist you in your desire to see a published work of your own.

Best of luck and good fortune.

 

[Vinayaka]

Although I am living in USA for over 26 yrs now, my writing venture is very recent.... I felt a 'calling' to write and I can claim I am a relatively good writer who can write interesting stories with a twist in the end.... like how traditionally good stories are made.

Besides stories I can write poetry, a number of essays (on Hinduism) and my English is ok.

However, raised in India, I am somewhat alien to the culture and practices of other races in America.

Given that I pen down good stories, I would like to launch a writing career but know not where to begin.

I have commenced writing short stories for competitions that are going on.

Also, how can I introduce myself to the popular culture of America?

It's really tough to go the traditional way, which is to find a publisher, or an agent. They don't go around looking, as there are already enough authors on the market, and those guys have this habit: they keep writing new books. So you're really on your own. If you can get a publisher to even look, you're way ahead. A friend in the industry might help as well. There is patronage, and 'insider' stuff going on. That's why we see stuff that really isn't any good.

About 20 years ago, I self-published 3 books. Self-publishing is quite possible. It's more difficult than vanity publishing, but still not all that hard. Vanity publishing is when you pay somebody to do the leg work for you, like getting an ISBN, helping with the copyright page and all that. It's a scam and it preys on all those poor folks who think they can write, but can't. They will tell you your writing is wonderful, get the book printed, and then run. They do no editing, no marketing, etc. It's okay for folks who want to do 100 books for their family, sharing family stories, and all that, but not for what you want.

Honestly, I found marketing, myself and the books the hardest. Writing was the easy part. Marketing takes a certain kind of aggressive ego I don't have. You want TV, and all that. And you have to really think about just who your market is.

I still write some, and my writing has improved substantially, and I have some 500 000 words sitting on my computer. If I was to do it today, I'd go with ebooks. It's cheaper, and you still get your writing out there. Then you can tell friends, tell people on here, etc. If you do decide to get it in print form, go with a small run, like 200 or so.

Best wishes, anyway. It's a therapeutic and creative activity, and if you think of it as that, you can't lose. Just don't get into unrealistic dreams of becoming famous.

 

[February-Saturday]

You can publish without much of a review process directly to Amazon using Kindle Direct Publishing. It doesn't cost you anything, and they print the books as requested.

If you are becoming an author, I recommend at least looking into some of the free college lectures on literature that are out there on YouTube or public academic sites. Most best-selling authors have American degrees in literature and/or marketing. A lot of them also have experience doing freelance writing for advertising companies, or writing opinion pieces, which can help them build up a portfolio before they go to a publisher that will get their books into the bookstore.

I'm a published author, but I'm pretty small-time. It's a hobby and I definitely don't earn enough to pay the bills, but that's mostly because I write in very niche genres, don't have any literature degrees, don't do any marketing, and don't have a huge library. This is pretty common for American authors, most of us are writing in our free time.

 

[Samael_Khan]

Although I am living in USA for over 26 yrs now, my writing venture is very recent.... I felt a 'calling' to write and I can claim I am a relatively good writer who can write interesting stories with a twist in the end.... like how traditionally good stories are made.

Besides stories I can write poetry, a number of essays (on Hinduism) and my English is ok.

However, raised in India, I am somewhat alien to the culture and practices of other races in America.

Given that I pen down good stories, I would like to launch a writing career but know not where to begin.

I have commenced writing short stories for competitions that are going on.

Also, how can I introduce myself to the popular culture of America?

Become a member of this online site:

Wattpad - Where stories live

You will get exposure.

 

[ChristineM]

I don't have experience to call on but my brother in law publishes for free on amazon.

Maybe @David1967 or @Sunstone can offer advice

 

[Viraja]

@Vinayaka ji, ha ha, I don't aspire to be famous through my writing in America, honestly there is a lot of talent here, and besides I don't think I can quite pen down novels. My capacity is limited to predominantly short stories/fiction. Like you said, it has a therapeutic value.

In India, the market is different, the readership is mostly for family-oriented stories. My stories are way much more information rich, sometimes about a day in the Parliament, sometimes about Sci-fi, that way, I think I can draw in educated audience, but my writing career cannot launch in Indian magazines, at least until now. The reasons are far beyond my capacity to understand.

Thank you for the kind reply!

@Nowhere Man , @February-Saturday , @Israel Khan , @ChristineM - I appreciate your kind reply. Very helpful to me. I will read and re-read the tips.

 

[Samael_Khan]

@Vinayaka ji, ha ha, I don't aspire to be famous through my writing in America, honestly there is a lot of talent here, and besides I don't think I can quite pen down novels. My capacity is limited to predominantly short stories/fiction. Like you said, it has a therapeutic value.

In India, the market is different, the readership is mostly for family-oriented stories. My stories are way much more information rich, sometimes about a day in the Parliament, sometimes about Sci-fi, that way, I think I can draw in educated audience, but my writing career cannot launch in Indian magazines, at least until now. The reasons are far beyond my capacity to understand.

Thank you for the kind reply!

@Nowhere Man , @February-Saturday , @Israel Khan , @ChristineM - I appreciate your kind reply. Very helpful to me. I will read and re-read the tips.

I am in the same boat as you I am also trying to write short stories and sometimes I even write poetry. I just started so I still haven't figured things out yet.

You should definitely speak to @Sunstone . He has encouraged me quite a bit.

 

[Viraja]

I am in the same boat as you I am also trying to write short stories and sometimes I even write poetry. I just started so I still haven't figured things out yet.

You should definitely speak to @Sunstone . He has encouraged me quite a bit.

I will talk to Sunstone. I wish you good luck. If you need someone to critique your work, published or yet to come, you can feel free to pass it on to me. I like to read. Also, I am trying hard to get a feel of how American writers think, their use or choice of English words, etc. I wish you great luck.

 

[Samael_Khan]

I will talk to Sunstone. I wish you good luck. If you need someone to critique your work, published or yet to come, you can feel free to pass it on to me. I like to read. Also, I am trying hard to get a feel of how American writers think, their use or choice of English words, etc. I wish you great luck.

Thanks! I will definitely take advantage of your critiquing services but I must warn you that I focus on some pretty dark stuff.

You can send your work on to me to critique as well.

I am South African, so I speak and write the Queens English, but I can help you with their use of words, especially regarding spelling and saying "aluminum" rather than "aluminium".

I wish you luck too

 

[Brickjectivity]

Although I am living in USA for over 26 yrs now, my writing venture is very recent.... I felt a 'calling' to write and I can claim I am a relatively good writer who can write interesting stories with a twist in the end.... like how traditionally good stories are made.

Besides stories I can write poetry, a number of essays (on Hinduism) and my English is ok.

However, raised in India, I am somewhat alien to the culture and practices of other races in America.

Given that I pen down good stories, I would like to launch a writing career but know not where to begin.

I have commenced writing short stories for competitions that are going on.

Also, how can I introduce myself to the popular culture of America?

There are some other new avenues to get into writing: video games and films. Perhaps you can get involved with storyboards for video games and films?

Perhaps you can shadow write for known authors and those writing bibliographies or autobiographies.

Perhaps you can write instructional manuals for appliances.

Perhaps you can proofread.

Perhaps you can hire yourself out as an editor.

 

[sun rise]

One more point - be careful. A friend of mine writes books of poetry and fantasy romances. She was ripped off by a publisher who appeared on the surface to be a very good one.

 

[PureX]

Keep in mind that you are already an author. And no one can take that away from you. Now, you're just looking for a way to get your writing to people who will read it. And there are a lot of ways of doing that, ... running the gamut from paying, yourself, to have your writing bound into whatever format you think it should be in, and then giving it away, to finding a publisher to do that for you, and then promote and sell the results for a cut of the profits.

 

[Nakosis]

Although I am living in USA for over 26 yrs now, my writing venture is very recent.... I felt a 'calling' to write and I can claim I am a relatively good writer who can write interesting stories with a twist in the end.... like how traditionally good stories are made.

Besides stories I can write poetry, a number of essays (on Hinduism) and my English is ok.

However, raised in India, I am somewhat alien to the culture and practices of other races in America.

Given that I pen down good stories, I would like to launch a writing career but know not where to begin.

I have commenced writing short stories for competitions that are going on.

Also, how can I introduce myself to the popular culture of America?

You might consider doing a Masterclass. Learn from other successful writers.
https://www.masterclass.com/classes...9qLWEZlTIgc_mW4TORKITPbNcIbnqwJ4aAos-EALw_wcB

 

[Viraja]

There are some other new avenues to get into writing: video games and films. Perhaps you can get involved with storyboards for video games and films?

Perhaps you can shadow write for known authors and those writing bibliographies or autobiographies.

Perhaps you can write instructional manuals for appliances.

Perhaps you can proofread.

Perhaps you can hire yourself out as an editor.

Great thoughts, but I need some exposure and establishment at the outset to commence in the said directions. Right now, I am kinda 'un-established'. Although I consider my skill set good enough as a writer, some approval is needed for others to agree with that and give me a chance and that is possible,only with some published work.

 

[Viraja]

You might consider doing a Masterclass. Learn from other successful writers.
https://www.masterclass.com/classes...9qLWEZlTIgc_mW4TORKITPbNcIbnqwJ4aAos-EALw_wcB

An excellent suggestion. I will certainly look in to this. Thank you very much.

 

[Quagmire]

I will talk to Sunstone. I wish you good luck. If you need someone to critique your work, published or yet to come, you can feel free to pass it on to me. I like to read. Also, I am trying hard to get a feel of how American writers think, their use or choice of English words, etc. I wish you great luck.

You know, Viraja, they say "write what you know".

As an American, I think I would be much more interested in reading something written in a style and from perspectives that I'm not familiar with.

One of the main reasons for reading fiction is to broaden ones horizons, and grow in our ability to understand things that are alien to us.

What I'm saying is: maybe you shouldn't try to be an "American" writer. It's quite possible that the stylistic differences that you're already bringing to the table could work out to be a boon for you rather than something you need to overcome.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Great thoughts, but I need some exposure and establishment at the outset to commence in the said directions. Right now, I am kinda 'un-established'. Although I consider my skill set good enough as a writer, some approval is needed for others to agree with that and give me a chance and that is possible,only with some published work.

I am unfortunately not connected to publishers. I think, however, that you should consider writing a video game. Its true that its not easy to make profit in video games, because there are so many. It offers, however, a new way of publishing. Take a look for example at steampowered.com. Its a worldwide distributor of games, but some of those games are actually books. Most of them I wouldn't bother with; but they are a means of publication. You get to publish and retain your copyrights.