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Author
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Comment
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chirons
daughter
Registered User
(6/22/04 4:06 pm)
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where are new fairy tales published?
If this has been discussed before, I'm sorry to start a new thread. I did try searching.
I'm enrolled in a college course this summer on children's literature (some analysis, some writing), at The City College of New York, with Dr. Pamela Laskin. Fairy tales are only one part of what is covered, of course -- but we produced a good original crop of traditional and modern fairy tale drafts in the class this week, and some of us are wondering where one starts, these days, to publish them. Anything you all can tell us would be very much appreciated!
i
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Nalo
Registered User
(6/22/04 9:37 pm)
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Re: where are new fairy tales published?
You might try the fantasy magazines and anthologies. A good source
of publishing info for fantastical fiction is www.ralan.com
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Casey
Cothran
(6/23/04 8:19 pm)
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Agents?
I have a similar question! I am a professor at the College of William and Mary. For a while now I have had the students in my Women's Studies "Gender,
Fairy Tales, and Popular Myth" class rewrite some traditional fairy tales, and the results have been amazing. I have collected the best stories and written an introduction to them. Now, I would like to see if I can publish the collection. The writers I've chosen are thrilled at the prospect of being published and have agreed to let me market the anthology.
Can you recommend any literary agents who might be interested in selling such a work? Unfortunately, I am familiar only with academic publishers and not with fiction houses (nor the complexities of choosing literary agents and agencies). The collection I have amassed is a varied one; some stories are humorous, some dark, some reread specific historical moments (there is a "Rapunzel" set in the antebellum South, for example) ... all are creative and unique. Additionally, the collection is special because each fictional rewrite ends with a brief statement of the author's goals (the hopes of a woman writer who is retelling traditional stories about women). Because mine is a Women's Studies class, I had the students end their texts with a
short explanation of their motives: why did they change the text in this particular way? They gave some excellent answers: brief, fascinating, and often quite moving. I suppose this element makes the text both fictional and non-fictional.
Sorry to go on and on. Can anyone recommend an agent who might look at/pick up this sort of unusual collection?
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Casey
Cothran
(6/23/04 8:28 pm)
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Agents
Please feel free to email me off-board. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
cacoth at wm.edu
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Nalo
Registered User
(6/24/04 7:31 am)
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Re: Agents?
You say that you're familiar with academic houses. Mightn't any of them pick up the anthology? They do sometimes publish fiction.
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aka
Greensleeves
(6/24/04 2:33 pm)
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Re: Agents?
How to Get Published:
1. Go to the library or bookstore and find other fantasy and original fairy tale anthologies, especially recent ones. Check the adult sections especially, as your pieces sound more adult than juvenile. Find as many as you can--as recent as you can--and read them all. Note the publishers, note the anthologists. Read the acknowledgements page for clues regarding agents, editors, etc.
2. Go to the writing and publishing section of same bookstore/library
and go through books on publishing (such asWriter's Market,
etc.). You will find listings for the publishers you found in Step
1, and for literary agents--along with the types of books they're
interested in (and NOT interested in). You will also find guidelines
on manuscript formatting and targetting.
3. Go online and do a search for the publishers, editors, agents, etc that you have selected as possible matches for your project. Order their catalogues and read the books of the agents' clients. Learn as much as you can before you submit.
4. Once you've selected a few potential publishers and/or agents, follow their submission guidelines exactly and contact them. Be advised that it is not necessarily easier to secure an agent than to get published without one, but it's a good route to follow if you're not comfortable handling the business/contract aspects of publishing.
Good luck.
Edited to add, the Endicott Studio message board has some excellent
marketing information.Endicott
Studio
Edited by: aka Greensleeves at: 6/24/04 2:37 pm
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Casey
Cothran
(6/24/04 6:31 pm)
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Agents
Acknowledgement pages ... what an excellent idea. Of course! I'm sure to find someone trustworthy/nice, who may be interested, there. And I will look for the Writer's Market text you mentioned Greensleeves. Thank you so much, everyone. What good advice. I'm off to read the files at Endicott Studios, too.
And Nalo ... Sadly, when I mentioned publishing houses I meant The
University of Tennessee Press, or the small branch of Broadview
that reprints lost/out-of-print works from the nineteenth century.
Nothing so illustrious as Oxford or Penguin! Anyway, I am very small
peas in the academic world. No clout, no illustrious reputation
to light my way.
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chirons
daughter
Registered User
(6/24/04 8:30 pm)
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Re: Agents
Once again, I've come here with a question out of the blue and met with thoughtfulness and generosity. Thanks so much! I am bringing your suggestions back to my class.
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