出版与作家生涯2022superamit.substack.com编辑精选
我写作并卖出短篇小说的经历
My experience writing and selling a short story
导读
这是一篇作者自述:一个短篇小说从写作、修改到被 Tor 录用并拿到稿费的全过程,包括具体收入数字。它值得写作者读,因为它把「发表」拆成了可操作的步骤和真实的报酬预期,让人看清顶尖科幻刊物与小刊物之间的巨大落差。
可以直接用的写作要点
- 01
把「上 Tor」这类顶级刊物当作运气加实力的偶然成果,而不是可规划的收入来源,否则容易在预期管理上崩盘。
- 02
起步阶段稿酬可能低到几十美元(买断半年独家再加入选选集),写作收入要靠长期积累和多渠道并行。
- 03
收到修改意见时先分清哪些是叙事问题、哪些是编辑对「敏感内容」的不适,别把后者当成自己写坏了。
- 04
如果身体或环境条件限制常规写作方式,换工具(语音识别)或走自出版路线,同样能建立职业路径。
HN 评论精选
身体条件受限时,换写作工具和走自出版路径也能撑起职业写作。
我弟弟靠写科幻为生,自学、自出版,卖了一百多万本。很多人不知道他患有严重的肌腱炎,职业选择被压得很窄——他开始写作正是因为可以用语音识别软件来写,现在疼痛可控了才改用键盘。他在发展中国家、在逆境中走出自己的路,我为他非常骄傲。
eloff查看英文原文
My brother writes Sci Fi for a living. He's self taught and self published. He does well, he's sold over a million books. What many people don't know is he suffered from severe tendonitis that really narrowed his career options. He started writing because he could write using voice recognition software. Now he writes with a keyboard, as the pain is more manageable. I'm extremely proud of him for how well he's been able to carve out his own path in life, in the developing world, against adversity. https://www.amazon.com/Jasper-T.-Scott/e/B00B7A2CT4%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
顶级刊物的录用是稀缺成就,不该被当作可复制的常态。
这篇文章很好地展示了推想小说写作真实的运作方式。Amit 在 Tor 上发表,应当被视为他职业生涯中的一项重大成就,而不是普通人可以合理期待或规划达成的事。恭喜他。
PuppyTailWags查看英文原文
This is an excellent view on how writing speculative fiction actually works. Amit's publication to Tor should be lauded as a serious achievement in his career and not something that an average person could reasonably expect to achieve/plan for. Congratulations to him. Please consider reading the work itself here: https://www.tor.com/2022/06/01/india-world-amit-gupta/
刊物层级之间稿酬差距悬殊,起步作者的常见收入极低。
值得一提的是,Tor 给作者的稿酬属于绝对顶级水平。我曾在较小的刊物上发表过一个短篇,总共只拿到 50 美元——前六个月独家 25 美元,之后收入选集再给 25 美元。对刚起步的作者来说,这才是更常见的情况。当然,能上 Tor 本身就是大得多的成就,恭喜作者!
ivraatiems查看英文原文
It's worth noting that Tor's pay for authors is in the absolute top tier. I've had a short story published in a smaller publication, and they paid me $50 total - $25 for the first six months exclusivity, then $25 again for inclusion in an anthology. That is more typical for a starting out author. OTOH, getting published in Tor at all is a much much bigger achievement - congratulations to the author!
修改意见里可能夹带隐形的「可写/不可写」规范,写作者要有所警觉。
有没有人觉得奇怪:修改过程把那些被认为「道德上不纯」的内容(关于驱逐移民的评论、与 MAGA 的相似性)标记为故事的失败或问题?这里藏着一个很深的潜台词——自我审查、小说中什么可以写什么不可以写,以及类型圈内部如何把彼此规训到「可接受的信息」上。
ordinaryradical查看英文原文
Did anyone find it curious that the revision process highlights perceived moral impurities (immigrant deportation commentary, MAGA similarity) as story failures / problems? There’s a profound sub-narrative here on self-censorship, what is or isn’t acceptable within the bounds of fiction, and how genre in-groups police themselves toward Acceptable Messages.
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