Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Maybe I've missed a list but I'd like to see who in these forums are published authors. I would really like to see if there are any published fiction authors here, but would like to see everyone. Please list your name and/or book or published article.

Unfortunately, I think you are going to find a few would rather remain incognito.

Or anonymous. I had two children's stories published anonymously by a small independent press while living at a commune in my younger days (I was seventeen and twenty at the time). Illustrated by other members, they were quite successful for the commune and remained in print for years as handmade hard and softcover books.

Margo wrote:Unfortunately, I think you are going to find a few would rather remain incognito.

I figured that may be the case but I think that's ridiculous. If I was a published author I would have no problem letting people know that I was. In fact I would want people to know that the advice I give has merit, and that I'm not just some person who claims to know what they're talking about posting advice on how to get an agent, what steps you take to get published, etc.

Well, I think some authors want to remain anonymous for a number of reasons. They may want to speak more freely than they could under their real name. Or they may just want to be a part of the group. Or maybe they are concerned about requests - once someone knew they were a published author, they might want more advice, referrals, etc.

Those are just guesses though. For me - I'm not published in any way, shape or form. I don't know if it helps to identify who is NOT published, but there you are.

I guess I'll be the first to jump into this...

All my previous publications are very small-scale. (Well, my fiction publication is large-scale-ish, but it was a contest.) So, though I've been published five times, I don't have an agent or anything. So I'm certainly not passing myself off as an expert on any of these things.



Short Fiction:
"The Difficulties of Being Evil" in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds V (2002)
(This was their annual short story competition and I was a finalist in 2002. This contest drew in thousands of entries and I was in the top 23.)



My non-fiction articles stemmed out of my previous employment -- I was a youth worker at a church. In the summer of 2009, I partook in a study trip to Israel and the Palestinian Territories to examine peace and conflict issues in the region. Upon returning, I was asked to write three articles for different church publications. (The term "Youth for Peace," listed below, is the name of the project that took me to the Middle East.) The fourth article was for another church event. Only one of these was a paid gig (the first one), but I consider them all professional publications since the second one is an official newsletter and the last two are a church magazine (which unfortunately, I've found through Google, shares its name with a gay porn magazine).

Non-Fiction Articles:
"Finding Peace in Israel and the Palestinian Territories" in Newspirit (September 2009) (an online column)
"Youth for Peace" in Uniting Ministries (September 2009) (eNewsletter)
"Youth for Peace" in Mandate (November 2009) (same title as above, but different article)
"Winnipeg Church, South African Pre-School Share a Bond" in Mandate (February 2010)

Mira wrote:Well, I think some authors want to remain anonymous for a number of reasons. They may want to speak more freely than they could under their real name. Or they may just want to be a part of the group. Or maybe they are concerned about requests - once someone knew they were a published author, they might want more advice, referrals, etc.

Those are just guesses though. For me - I'm not published in any way, shape or form. I don't know if it helps to identify who is NOT published, but there you are.

A swing and a hit on every pitch. Give that lady a huge stuffed unicorn.

IT'S SO FLUFFY!!! (Anyone seen the movie?)

Quill wrote:Or anonymous. I had two children's stories published anonymously by a small independent press while living at a commune in my younger days (I was seventeen and twenty at the time). Illustrated by other members, they were quite successful for the commune and remained in print for years as handmade hard and softcover books.

How incredibly cool. And good grist for the literary mill.

Mike Dickson wrote:In fact I would want people to know that the advice I give has merit...

Assuming that all published authors give good advice. Ignores the fact that there are very few subjects on which authors agree. To illustrate, see Nathan's blog post today on how agents don't agree on good query practice.

If someone is looking for advice and wants to be sure the person knows what they are talking about, the best bet is to think of an author they really like and check the author's official website and/or blog. A huge number of authors post writing tips and some in-depth articles. A forum is more of a 'we're all equal here' place. I know a few authors who let their real names be known and a few who don't. Mira covered several of the reasons for anonymity, though you'd really have to hear the horror stories to understand. Everything from uncomfortable public exchanges to threats and cyberstalking.

Well it was certainly worth a try. I didn't expect Grisham, Steele, or King to show up and say "Here I am" but maybe a little tidbit into who has been published would have been nice.

Margo wrote:

Mike Dickson wrote: Everything from uncomfortable public exchanges to threats and cyberstalking.

I didn't think of that. It's unfortunate that some authors can't be free to share their failures and successes without having that crap happen.

I'm having a terrible time losing posts today.

Anyway, yes, worth a try. I suspect a few will probably come out and say hi. Romance authors, for instance, seem to be (among) the most open and helpful. I'm still trying to figure out why or if my impression is even correct. But I've sure enjoyed the company of the ones I've met.

Yeah, the weirdness is unfortunate. Of course, I've also seen authors dishing out the weirdness.

Margo wrote:

Mira wrote:Well, I think some authors want to remain anonymous for a number of reasons. They may want to speak more freely than they could under their real name. Or they may just want to be a part of the group. Or maybe they are concerned about requests - once someone knew they were a published author, they might want more advice, referrals, etc.

Those are just guesses though. For me - I'm not published in any way, shape or form. I don't know if it helps to identify who is NOT published, but there you are.

A swing and a hit on every pitch. Give that lady a huge stuffed unicorn.

IT'S SO FLUFFY!!! (Anyone seen the movie?)

Wow. A home run! And I get a Unicorn. I want a purple one, please.

I can definitely see the benefit of remaining anonymous if you just want to be part of the conversation. This is just my observation, but when you're a Published Author you're kind of like an actor who is always "On" when you're in public, and every comment you make, or reference you post, or book you comment on sort of goes down in your official record. You have to hang your brand on everything you say. When you don't want to deal with that kind of pressure just so you can discuss and share with other writers, it makes sense to go incognito.

Like leaving the house in your comically big sunglasses and fancy hat.

Sommer Leigh wrote:Like leaving the house in your comically big sunglasses and fancy hat.

I have a knit hat that's shaped like a dog with ears that flop. I fully intend on still wearing such comical things when I'm published. One of the reasons I wish to remain under a pen name with no picture on the back cover flap.

The reason authors don't want to be known is because a lot of them -gasp- don't do it for the praise. They do it for the love of writing. They do it for the want to entertain people. Not because they want to be sparkly and a font of all wisdom. They don't want to be "OMG THAT GUY\GIRL".

If they did, they would be speakers\singers\actors, etc.