Ralan is King of the Writing Markets. He's been helping writers sell their work for many years. Check out the listings at Ralan's.
Carl Hose: Ralan's has been around for a long time. I've used the web site to find markets for my work again and again. It's a lifesaver. Who is Ralan?
Ralan: He's just this guy, you know? I'm a husband, father of three, grandpa of one, writer, and a market guru. I've done just about any job you can name, from lawn mower to TV producer. I live in a tiny village by the sea on the bridge of Denmark's nose. I have a lot of friends I've never met and a few enemies I'd rather have not.
Carl: It's hard enough to establish your own writing career and keep the work flowing. What drives you to help other writers in their careers?
Ralan: Working on the web site helps fill in the time when you're blocked. When I started submitting my first novel in 1993, I had a hard time finding markets. There was nothing on the Internet or in magazines or books over here. Writer's Digest was the only one I'd heard of, but overseas subscriptions were very expensive. I did get a copy of their 1993 Writer's Markets (which I still have), but as I started trying to market short stories in 1994 I found that it was terribly out of date, especially for speculative fiction. I bit the bullet and subscribed to WD the magazine. Again, even coming out once a month (and the fact that I got my copy about a month after the release date) I found the markets were not current. Many had folded, gone on hiatus, or just closed to submissions. Others had altered their guidelines and my piece was rejected because it no longer fit. I started hearing about a magazine called Scavenger's Newsletter, which was put out for 19 years by Janet Fox, but again many of the markets in it, once they got to me, were out of date. SN ceased publishing with its 227th issue in January 2003. By that time I was one of Janet's many sources for information. The immediacy of the web had taken the lead, at least in marketing.
Anyway, back to the mid 90s and my search for an up-to-date market source. There were none, so I started my own. In the beginning, it was just for me, but as things grew I decided it could of benefit to other writers in my situation. I was teaching at the time, programming in HTML being one of my subjects, so I programmed a web site and went live in November 1996 as Ralan's Home on the Web. I wanted to keep it simple, plain HTML coding, short, precise, and up -to-date. My visualized audience went all the way from lonely goatherds (who wrote on the side) in the Swiss Alps, to villagers in Africa who might only get a few minutes a week on a solar-powered community computer.
But, obviously I'd hit on something new for everyone. The vast majority of my new users were from the U.S., where at that time they had no trouble getting print market sources, but they were frustrated, as I was, by those being out-of date by the time they got them. Also, my web site was, and is, free. After a few years, WD went digital on the web and other market sources have come and some of them gone. I changed the official name to Ralan's SpecFic & Humor Webstravaganza (although most people, including me, just say Ralan.com) and it's still here and growing. More than 10,000 unique visitors access Ralan.com each month. Just think if they all just gave me a dollar a month (I do take donations), I could go to more Cons.
Carl: You are obviously very in tune with the markets. What do you feel is the current trend in writing? Where will the viable markets lie in 2009?
Ralan: A prophet I'm not. That said, I believe 2009 is going to be a tough year for just about everyone, no less writers, beginning and mid-list. The big names will not be as affected and they will have their markets, although I suspect we'll see some to considerable consolidating, especially in the book marketplace. The small press, always running on the margin will be hit harder, which will make it more difficult for the rest of us.
For magazines and e-zines (the short fiction markets) I already see a trend toward less pay, or less total content (therefore less pay) in all levels of publications. I think that will grow. We will probably see some of our icons not make it through. (NOTE: I answered this before the closing of Realms of Fantasy.) In 2008 I saw the total number of listings on my Paying Markets, and Semi- & Pro Markets shrink for the first time since I started.
Another trend is an increase in people who are writing, and the amount they write. A lot of people who lose their day jobs will be writing more, or taking it up for the first time. In the face of a hopeless job market, they'll turn to the word market, hoping to make some money. Coupled with the loss of places to get published, the competition is going to get even tougher. Of course, we can always hope that some of these people with more time on their hands will actually start to read again, which could help the situation.
Remember that the current financial crisis comes on top of a long-time, growing crisis of readers. It seems there are less of them every day. The Internet, while being a boon for writers in many ways also provides a wealth of other things to do than read. People only have so much free time. In years past they picked up a book or watched TV. Now they can also surf the net, play games, listen to podcasts, chat with friends or strangers, study maps and pictures of far away places (even galaxies!): dozens of activities are beckoning.
Could this be the year the sale of electronic text catches up to printed text? I doubt that, unless a reader comes out that's as small and light as a paperback, with easy on the eye print and at a reasonable price.
Carl: When did you start writing and what was your first publishing credit?
Ralan: I started writing speculative fiction in my teens, but was never published and eventually stopped. I restarted in the early 90s by writing my first novel, which came in at 150,000 words. It's been rewritten many times, edited by a professional editor, and cut down to around 110,000 words now. I am looking for an agent now.
My first sale/publication of any kind was a humorous essay. It was published in Byline in 1996. I have the acceptance letter and a copy of the check in a frame on the wall in front of me.
Carl: Where do you stand on writers writing for free?
Ralan: If it will further your career, add to your name, or help people who need it, I'm all for it. Free samples, or even whole novels, can lead to sales. I read the first novel (or novels) of several of some of my favorite serials as free eBooks, buying the latter novels because I was pilot program to help people with Dyslexia. I agreed to do the reading for no pay, because it's a good program.
Carl: Do you have any thoughts on self publishing?
Ralan: Although it has led to good sales and an eventual major book deal for a few novels, I tend to think it isn't for most novels. If a writer is considering it they should be very sure that a.) the finished novel is professionally edited (this means the author will have to pay for that); b.) there is a potential market for it; c.) the author knows, completely, what he/she's getting into; and d.) the author is ready and able to do some serious selling of the book.
Carl: What is a typical writing session for you like? Do you have a routine, a best time to write, a preferred method? What is your writing software of choice?
Ralan: Anytime I have time for it. That's been less in the last year or so. Ralan.com uses much of my time, and there have been a lot of personal happenings. I hope to get back to writing at least 250 new words every day (24/7/365), which is a 90,000-word novel a year actually.
For a first draft I like to use a basic program. I don't want it doing edits or spelling checks for me while I'm writing, or throwing up warnings that I've got a dangling participle ... or anything. I used to use Word Perfect 5 for DOS, but that doesn't run on newer PC systems. Now I use a plain old notebook-type program. When the draft is done I export it to Open Office for the editing phase.
Carl: Any advice to new writers, especially where submitting work is concerned?
Ralan: I always say: "Read, read, read and write, write, write." I'm sure I got that from someone, but can't remember who now. As far as submitting your work I strongly recommend that writers read the guidelines very carefully and follow them to the letter. Get to know the markets you submit to, read at least one issue. Be selective about what markets you sent your work to, make sure it suits that market. I call this "Submitting Smart," and it's my motto. Other than that, I recommend the trickle down method. Start at the highest paying market that fits your piece and work your way down. As soon as a work is rejected, get it right back out there to the next market on your list. If an editor makes any comments or suggestions, consider them carefully and if you think it's right, make a correction or do a rewrite. Never give up; never surrender (I do know who I got that from)! In submitting, the race always goes to the turtle, not the rabbit. Be patient and persistant. It'll happen if you work hard and give it time.
Carl: Who are a few of your favorite authors?
Ralan: First and foremost, Robert Heinlein. I also especially like Piers Anthony, Brian Aldiss, Harry Harrison, Douglas Adams, Issac Asimov, Susanna Clarke, Stephen R. Donaldson, Larry Nevin, Frederik Pohl, Andre Norton, Terry Pratchett, Michael Moorecock, Ursula K. Le Guin, J.K. Rowling, Christopher Stasheff, Roger Zelazny, John Scalzi, and many others too numerous to list.
Carl: Do you watch many movies? If so, what movies are you watching now?
Ralan: I watch some movies. I like fantasy and science fiction, if they're well done. I also enjoy a good comedy. The last movies I watched were "Groundhog Day" (I see that every year on THE day: 2 February) and "Love, Actually." It's a long sledge ride to the biograf (as movie theaters are called here), so we (my wife and I) don't go much. We have a good library of DVDs, and since we live in the boonies and don't get out much we pay for a satellite TV-service that includes several movie channels, all the documentary channels (my favorites), and a bunch of entertainment and sports channels that mostly go ignored ... except for baseball, when it's in season.
Carl: Ralan's is a very helpful site for many writers, myself included. How many hours do you put in a week keeping the site up to date?
Ralan: Around 40 hours.
Carl: I appreciate the work you do. How can we, the writing community, show our appreciation? Is there any way we can make the work you do for all of us easier?
Ralan: Well, there's that dollar a month thing. 8^)
Other than that, the only thing the community can do to help is keep the market tips coming in. If you hear about something, or experience something, let me know. Oh, here's one thing: if you do send me a market tip, please state what page (or pages) the market is on. With all those listings and some of them having changed pages, or being on two pages at the same time, it sometimes takes me a while to locate the listing.
I've made my work as easy as I can by using a myriad of templates. I'm still waiting for a web site update that will allow new listers to add their own market listing (with my approval, of course), and writers with tips to place them on the listing itself (also after I confirm them). That will cut down on my "hands on" time considerably, plus it will add a needed search feature.
Carl: I appreciate your taking the time to talk with me. Is there anything going on in your life right now you'd like to talk about or any upcoming work you'd like to promote?
Ralan: I have a book out ... a little one, but it has lots of wonderful illustrations by my friend and talented artist, Jesse Bunch. It's called Tales of Weupp: Little People Must Surrender. It's a fantasy adventure for all ages. Read it to your children or grandchildren, you'll all have a great time!
Here's the blurb: "On Earth, her home world (or is it?) Myla Trogsen suffers from a rare genetic defect (or is it?) and lives a lonely, isolated life. But on the magical world of Weupp she fits right in (or does she?) . . . and there's a prince to rescue."
You can find out more, read an excerpt, and order a personally signed copy direct from me, shipped anywhere in the world at a special price (lower than the publisher's and with genuine Danish stamps on it) at www.weupp.com.
This first book is also the first of many adventures for Myla on the magical planet Weupp (pronounced We-up). But to make the rest appear, the publisher needs to sell more copies of this one. So, help Myla out and buy a copy (it wouldn't hurt me any either). After reading this book, Piers Anthony said, "It's fun, and it's good to see a heroine who is not a busty sword wielding Amazon."
