Cal.E.'s Korner

d.: (ring), Oh, hi, Cal.E., How’s it going with you?

C.: Well…Joe Groan

and I thought that we had found the perfect opportunity to make my book into a movie, but it turned out that the man who offered to do that was a hustler

just trying to take our money.

d.: Yes, unfortunately, that’s a frequent occurrence. You must be careful whom you trust.

C.: How will I know who I can and cannot trust?

d.: Well, there are things that legitimize someone, like proof the s/he has taken a course or a series of courses to know how to edit or market a literary work.

C.: Can’t someone just put those letters behind his or other name and make others believe that s/he has taken classes to market or to edit a manuscript?

d.: Yes, that’s why it’s important to ask for references. Another way to go is to send them a page or two and let them show a sample of their work. If it is what you’re looking for, then go ahead and use that person. It’s still a crap shoot, though. The second time was the charm for me. I found an editor who understood what I was trying to say and made it more readable, in some cases. I now use some of her examples before I start writing something.

C.: Well, couldn’t you just use artificial intelligence?

d.: Like most writers, I do not like A. I.

C.:????

d.: Well, you can pay anywhere from about thirty-five dollars a month to several thousand dollars, and still not get the result you want.

C.: But I saw a story on a television news magazine where the person who used it said that the story that was written entirely by A. I. was, at least, acceptable, if not spectacular.

d.: Yes, I read the same story in the newspaper, and that’s the problem. In today’s climate, literary work must be spectacular, or, at least, exceptionally good to get noticed. I have tried to use the free version of A.I. with little success. The program would take some phrases out of context and try to make them say something besides what I’d typed.

C.: Well, if that’s the only problem…

d.: It is not. Another problem is grammar. This program kept insisting that I us; to,’ not too, to mean in excess. I’ve seen some good writers make that mistake. They must have fed the article to an A. I. editorial program and didn’t double-check it. There is too much confusion between at least two of the words that come to mind when using the three forms of to.

C.: Okay, let’s say that I use a good editor, maybe yours, since you have so much confidence in her, and then start trying to find an agent. What if no one wants to represent my book?

d.: Yes, that’s a problem in the climate of writing today. Because so many people are trying to get published, it’s an uphill battle, but keep two things in mind. One is that some books are rejected multiple times before they become best sellers.

C.: Yes, I know that J.K. Rowling’s original ‘Harry Potter’ manuscript was rejected twelve times before it was published.,..

d.: That’s the tip of the iceberg, Cal.E. Jack London’s classic novel, “The Call of the Wild” was rejected 600 times, and the two men who wrote “Chicken Soup for the Soul” were probably rejected thirty-three times I cold go on, but you get my drift.

C.: Okay, you said that there were two things to keep in mind. What’s the second?

d.: Have you ever heard of John Grisham?

C.: Who hasn’t?

d.: Well, John Grisham’s first novel, “A Time to Kill” was rejected by 30 agents and 15 publishers. He got so frustrated that he decided to self-publish his book. Of course, he was a lawyer, so he had enough money to both publish and advertise his book. And the rest, as they say, is history.

C.: Hmm…my third husband, Tucker Tucker Two, ak.a. The (now former) Cat Fighter Formerly Known As The Tuxedo (who really needs a shorter nickname) Now Simply Known As T Because Triple T Was Already Taken

has a lot of money. In fact, he’s a

I need to talk to him.

d.: So, I suppose that’s the end of today’s cat ta(i)le.

Please join us tomorrow for another episode of Cal.E.’s Korner.