How To: (Current Topics: Get Published, Get a Record Contract, Make an AGS Game)

[esper]

I was thinking we could start a post for people who know how to do certain things that aren't common knowledge that could be helpful to other people in the community. I want to start with something I know from the long and winding road I had to tread. This is something you can find if you search the internet enough, and all the info I know about it I got from doing just that, but it was a long and bothersome road that could have been detoured if someone had been there to help me get started.

How To Get Published![/u]
Ã,  Someone (name withheld to protect the innocent ) asked me via PM a little while ago what I did to get a published book, and I figured, since this community was full of artists, musicians, and writers, I could share what I told him with everyone.

Getting Started
Ã,  Ã, Obviously, you can't get published unless you have a COMPLETED manuscript. Most publishers and/or agents will only ask you for three chapters to start out with, but if you don't have the entire manuscript ready before sending it to them, they will not be interested. If they say "We like this! Send the whole thing!" and you don't HAVE the whole thing, they will instantly lose interest and probably chuck it. Time waits for no man. Publishers and agent, doubly so.
Ã,  Ã, The next thing you will want to do actually takes place WHILE WRITING THE MANUSCRIPT! You will want to make sure that you do not send publishers or agents a manuscript that is heavily laden with spelling errors, syntax and grammatical mistakes, etc. The best way to do this is not to use spellcheck, since spellcheck is not a reader. Once you have written a chapter or section of the book, READ IT ALOUD to yourself. If you run across something that doesn't sound like something you might say while talking, chances are it isn't something a publisher (or reader, for that matter) is going to want to see in writing. Check all mistakes as you go, and give it to someone who you trust to check as well. This does NOT mean your mom or your closest friends. They will probably, despite repeated pleas to them NOT to be, be very nice to you. Your family is most likely just very proud of you and the fact that you are trying to write. You need to find someone who is objective. Give it to your ninth grade bully and see what he thinks...
Ã,  Ã, Also, you have to remember that, when writing a book for mainstream publication, you are not TELLING a story, you are SELLING a story. I couldn't stress this enough to the guy who PMed me. You could have the best story in the world, but publishers won't care if it isn't MARKETABLE. It has to be something that an agent wil look at and, rather than say "This is a very beautiful story, well written with precise images and flowing prose," say "This story will make me a million dollars!!!"
Ã,  Ã, In order to have a saleable story, you must keep the reader involved. If the reader picks it up and reads two pages in and is not interested, he will put it down and never pick it up again. A publisher and an agent knows this, and will do the same thing. Thus, the story must be filled with HOOKS! You need to do something within the first couple pages that grabs the reader's attention and makes them want to keep going. This might not be, for instance, writing the book form of INDEPENDANCE DAY only moving the scene where the aliens blow up the white house to the first page. Rather, just drop little tidbits that make the reader see that something interesting is brewing, and make them want to find out exactly what that is. Once a publisher sees that, they know that readers will see it too and the book will be considered much more marketable.
Ã,  Ã, Where Do I Go From Here?
Ã,  Ã, Obviously, the next thing you need to do is sell the book.
Ã,  Ã,  Ã,  Most people try to send their work directly to publishers, but most mainstream publishers do not accept UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS. This means, if they did not ASK you for it, then they do not want it. Most will either go to the "slush pile" or be thrown directly into a wastepaper basket.
Ã,  Ã, The best thing to do is either to get an agent or send out query letters. I will cover both, since most agents also do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.
Ã,  Ã, Agents
Ã,  Ã, There is a plus and a negative side to working with agents. First, agents know their market and who they can sell your book to. They will take 15-20% commission from you, but chances are they will also get you better deals from the publisher which will nullify that percentage. Agents, btw, will NEVER ask for reading fees. A good agent makes all their money from selling your book, and the only thing they might ask you for is some money to help make copies and pay for postage, which most will refund you after the book is sold. If an agent asks for a reading fee, he is most likely a SCHUYSTER who is trying to ROB you.
Ã,  Ã, The best way to get an agent is to look at what type of book you are writing, and then go here: http://www.writers.net/agents.php
Ã,  Ã, Click "BY TOPIC" and then select the topic that most closely matches the genre of your manuscript. If you are not in America (as most of you are not) click BY LOCATION, and select your country. However, many agents are willing to work overseas, with a slightly higher commission. All the best agents and publishing houses are in New York.
Ã,  Ã, Make sure they have a website, and visit it. You will most likely see a page that says "SUBMISSIONS" or "SUBMISSION GUIDELINES." Go there and find out how they would like to receive your manuscript.
Ã,  Ã, Submissions
Ã,  Ã, Everyone likes receiving their manuscripts differently, but there are some key factors that are pretty common.
Ã,  Ã, 1) Single sided on 8 1\2 x 11" 20lb bond paper (that is American standard... I'm not sure what that translates into in metric, or what foreign agencies would be looking for).
Ã,  Ã, 2) Double spaced. ALWAYS double spaced, with one inch margins all around. Publishers and agents like to scribble notes.
Ã,  Ã, 3) 10-12 point Courier New font. This is because A) it is neat and easy on the eyes, and B) it helps them with word count. Publishers aren't interested in how many words Microsoft Office says there are, they want to know how much space it will take up in a trade paperback format. You can figure out the word count by making all your font 10 point Courier New and then multiplying 250 words per page.
Ã,  Ã, 4) Title pages should start halfway down the page and include the title of your manuscript, the word count, your name, and all your contact information, centered on the page.
Ã,  Ã, 5) Typesetters have a hard time finding italics. Instead of using them, underline passages that should be italicized.
Ã,  Ã, 6) For a header on every page, right justify a key word from the title, your name, and the page number all in caps.
Ã,  Ã, 7) Never use justified text. ALWAYS (except in the title) use ragged right edge (left justified) text. Remember how we talked about word count? That is based on all letters and spacing being the same size. When you justify the text, it changes all that.

Ã,  Ã, Once you are sure you are ready, and have closely followed all my advice thus far, go ahead... but not until you have done EVERYTHING correctly so far.

Query Letters
Ã,  Ã, The most integral part of the Submission package is the query letter. Sometimes it is ALL you send, until the agent or publisher asks for more. Until then, you have only the Query Letter to get their attention. Make it good.

Ã,  Ã,  Sample query Letter With Added Notes:

Ã,  Ã, Dear _____________
Ã,  Ã,  Ã,  ***it is very important you do not make it seem to be a form letter. Find out who the director of your type of story is at the agency or publishing house you send to, and address it directly to that person***
Ã,  Ã, I am writing to query for my manuscript, DARK HEARTS, a supernatural romantic mystery novel in roughly 80,500 words. ***always put something like this as the first or the first couple of lines***
It is the story of Molly Watts, a young, innocent girl who has never really experienced life. One day, in an airport surrounded completely by a world she has never seen, one man shows her kindness, and she instantly falls for him. Taking her home to protect her from her overprotective brother, he soon realizes he might have similar feelings. However, he keeps strange hours and stranger company, and has a locked room in his house which she is not permitted to see. One day stumbling upon the room unlocked, she finds evidence to link her odd beau to a series of ritual kidnappings and murders. The story concludes as Ian rushes to save her from the REAL murderer, battling time and cultists as he tries to win her back from the jaws of certain sacrifice... at the hands of her own brother.
Ã,  Ã, ***This is going to be something slightly akin to what you might read on the dust cover of a novel, but a little more revealing. Try to resist the urge to say things like "Will he reach her in time?" or "But who is the mysterious man that is really responsible???" It makes the agent/publisher remember you are trying to sell them something, and they don't much care for that***
Ã,  Ã, This novel is coming out in a day when the supernatural, paranormal, and occult is at an all-time interest level with readers old and young alike. With books such as (insert similar books) and movies and television shows such as (insert similar blah blah), DARK HEARTS is a new and welcome take on what is already a booming market. ***here, you get to sell it, by using comparative marketing. If your book "has no equal," they will probably think that is because no one else is interested enough in it. NEVER sell it by saying how good it is or what kind of reviews people who have read it already have given it***
Ã,  Ã, I am the self-published author of two books, Books 1 and 2 of the Days of Old quadrilogy, as well as the author of multiple published poetry and short stories. My articles on the supernatural and the occult appear frequently on www.theespers.org. I feel that I am the perfect author for this book as I have been involved in paranormal investigation for at least 10 years. I hold a Bachelor's of Theology and Comparative Religions from Atlantic Seminary. ***here, you sell yourself***
Ã,  Ã, Thank you for your consideration. I hope to hear from you soon, and also that if my work is accepted it will be the beginning of a long and prosperous journey together. ***ALWAYS thank them for their consideration, or they won't consider you much longer***
Ã,  Ã, Sincerely,
Ã,  Ã,  Ã, YOUR NAME GOES HERE.... Only, don't use my manuscript. get your own, dammit...

The Rest of the Package
Ã,  Ã, SYNOPSIS: Some agents or publishers might ask for a chapter-by-chapter breakdown. Give them one, but try not to make it any longer then two or three pages.
Ã,  Ã, SASE: A Self-Adressed Stamped Envelope. They get a million letters like yours every week, and try to be courteous enough to respond to all of them. It would cost them a FORTUNE to pay postage on all the acceptance/rejection letters they send.
Ã,  Ã, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: Just a short paragraph, write this in third person and try to make it sound like what is on the dustcover of most novels. Because hey, one day it might be.
Ã,  Ã, This might not all be required. Like I said, check the submission guidelines of the publisher.
Ã,  Ã, 
Ã,  Ã, THREE SAMPLE CHAPTERS OR FULL MANUSCRIPT: Don't send this unless they ask for it. It costs alot to you and them, and there is no guarantee they want it. Always make sure they do, and if not, just send the query letter. Alot of people wil lsay NO SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS, which means "Don't send this out to a million agents and editors at once," but that is not a concern. Go ahead, and if you hear back from two (a VERY rare honor) just tell one you are no longer interested. That saves them trouble, so they rarely mind. If they do, find out where they live and set their damn house on fire.

Ã,  Ã, WAIT
Ã,  Ã, The last step. Make sure you send out a bunch of submission packages, and realize it can take anywhere from one week (for e-queries) to eight months or so to get a reply. Most will reply, but be warned: Most will reply in the negative. It is a daunting thing to become an author. Only 17 new authors get published each year in the United States, and only 900 authors in the US actually live on what they make.
Ã,  Ã, Rejections will come, and will come in abundance. Wait it out. If you are truly sure that you have something, run with it. Don't let failure turn you off to the idea of having your manuscript published. Steven King received 60 rejections for Carrie, and wallpapered one wall of his study with all the rejection slips he got. Same goes for Clive Cussler, who wrote SAHARA. Be patient.

Ã,  Ã, For You impatient Bastards out there...
Ã,  Ã, www.publishamerica.com

Ã,  Ã, These guys suck. Everyone hates them. My first two books were published by them. Thank God I was able to break out of their evil vicegrip and get a mainstream publisher for Dark Hearts. However, if you don't care about sales and just want to see your book in print, go with them. They're free, unlike most subsidy publishers. They will publish anything. You will just never sell what they publish unless you do it yourself. Don't be taken in by all the testimonials and stuff on their site... NO bookstore will sign you up for a book signing unless oyu live in a little tiny town where everyone knows each other, or unless oyu are on VERY good terms (ie having sex with) the manager.
__________________________________________________

Well, I hope that was helpful for anyone interested. And please, if anyone else knows how to do anything interesting, such as sign a record deal or get a job with Marvel comics or something, please feel free to add!!! And if anyone DOES decide they want to be an author, feel free to PM me for help. I'm always willing, since I wish someone had been willing to help me out when I first started.

[Kinoko]

I have no interest in this subject whatsoever but I found that a MOST interesting read Thanks very much. I imagine this is gonna be vry helpful to at least a few people.

[Nikolas]

MUSIC[/u]

Well I'll try to do sort of the same thing about music here.

I hope that by this I'll help somebody get his way to the music buisnes.

The first thing to mention is that of course your music (any genre) has to be ready mixed, produced, mastered and be professionally made. This means that only a handful of artists can make records in their own homes and actually do a desent job. The rest is just crup. Especially when you're talking about a band, which would require drums (at least 8 mics:2 snare, 2 kick, 2 hi-hat and 2 overhead), guitars (at least a couple of amps), basses (the same here), vocals etc. etc, you're talking about lots of money, lots of space and lots of time, not to mention the need for an engineer and the need for a producer. These things can't be done at home, not even for a good demo.

So make your rehearsals, the best you can, arrange everything from before and go to a studio to at least get the audio files. Then maybe go to your homes, with your computer and your Cubase/Nuendo/Pro tools/Logic and do the mixing and the mastering.

Anyway when we're not talking about a band but about some dance/hip-hop/other genre, it could probably be done at a home studio, but again the need for a professional mixing is there!

Copyright

There are two different aspects to copyright. The one has to do with protecting your music from being stolen. The second has to do with getting money when someone is using your music (and making them pay for the permission to do so). These two have nothing to do with each other.

To protect your music you have to find a way to prove that your music exists by a certain date. This can be done at an attorney, or a lawyer maybe, or a public library (at least in Greece). When you give your manuscripts and music CDs to an attorney he/she makes proof that your music exists from that time on. Everything then can be proved to court. The myth of sending yourself a sealed envelope with your music in, is wrong. The procedure of opening a sealed envelope in front of a court does not exist! This is bullshit.
A good idea would be to add the (c) 2005 with your music, just to scare...

To get money when somebody uses your music, you will have to do a lot of chasing and pay very good attention to the whole world, which is not very practical. Usually this can be done by a company of Copyrights. In pop music almost always the copyrights bellong to the publisher (music buisness) company and this has nothing to do with you, after all. Anyway if you're not into pop, and you're classical, jazz or making soundtracks with your PC/Mac it's worth looking into your countrys' Copyright company (Unfortunately I don't know any names, other than Greece which is ΑΕΠΙ).

Be legal

In order to do that you have to be original in your music. Which means that you must own the copyrights of your music. Further more you have to own all equipment used in the recording. If this is done in a studio then it's not your problem. But if you use eg. some sample library pirated from a friend, then certainly someone will ask you for your registration codes and will not publish anything unless you own this library. The same goes for any software you use (sequencer, Sound modules, Synths, loops, fx, plug-ins...). Cover your ass. Even without getting any money out of it (like writting music for an adventure game in AGS) can get you in trouble. And the reason is simple. Every company manufacturing these sample libraries, or sequencers or whatever, spend A LOT of money in order to do so, and they can identify their products very easily (even I can do that, with the samples I've worked with...). So they chase down everyone using their products without having paid for them.

Be available

You have to show your face very much. If you have a band you have to play everywhere you can find (once evry week, more...) even if you don't get paid every time. If you're a classical composer you have to go to concerts. If you write soundtracks, you have to be where the movie buisness is. You have to meet people in the same buisness as you (but not doing the same thing as you). People who might need you... Never say no, but always be professional by asking about the project and if they require a demo on a given theme, ask for a demo fee. It sounds kinda crazy but if someone asks you to spend time on your computer writting music, ask him/her for the money that this is worth. Otherwise noone will take you seriously...

Trying to be heard

This can be tricky. Sending a demo to EMI or SONY music or whichever company, will 95% won't work. If someone I didn't know send me a CD with music, I wouldn't care to listen to it. There is no time to waste. Of course keep your hopes high and make your demo as good as possible. A couple of ideas are: Make the demo with 3, or max 4 tracks, no more. Noone will sit to listen to half an hour of music that he/she doesn't know. Make the first track the best one you got and make it a short one (3-4 minutes). The two rules above go for pop-rcok-dance music (pop, short for popular, from now on). But most importanly print you CD sleeve and print your name and contact details on both the sleeve and on the CD. The CD is the one with your music not the Cd case. CD cases, do get lost very easily, but the CDs stick with the guy who might like your music.

But the usual shortcut for you to get some attention on your name is to start playing gigs and try to make your way on a couple of magazines that deal with your kind of music. If you're a classical composer try to find an ensemble to play your composition, if you write soundtracks try to find an independent film director to write music for. Don't head straight to Fox or Decca or whatever else.

When you get the attention of any Music company go at the interview with a lawyer who knows about music buisness. Make sure you get a second opinion on the contract from another lawyer. And don't sign a contract 4 years-4 Albums, cause after that you're dead. Too much attention is never good! Cause unless you're Radiohead and can come up with great stuff all the way, you'll dry yourself out and then noone will care after 4 years...

I could say a lot more, but these things would be too specific and would be too boring for someone to read. So I stop here and hope that someone will find this usefull.

PS. As it happened with esper I got a PM about some stuff in music (specifically software) and I helped. This is part of what I said to him...

[Phemar]

Wow, what a fantastic read. This will really help my band out a lot. Thanks

[jetxl]

One of the many ways to make an AGS game.

How to begin.
It all starts with an idea, and most likely you already have one (or more). Ideas can come from anywhere.

Examle: I was biking to my music school when I saw some carny folk putting up a circus tent on the parking lot. Isn't it wierd that they can make a profit? Gas for the trucks, maintanance to the tents and wagons, importing useless "Made in Taiwan" gifts, food for the animals and peopleÃ, must cost alot. Still, they can make a living. Maybe it's all a front! You could make a game about it. Will it be a murder mistery or a si-fi comedy? Just think about clichés and originality.

Think about ideas that you would like to see in the game. You need to put them on paper, otherwise you WILL forget them. Just grab a blank piece of paper, notebook or post-it notes and write down key words that you want to put into your game, the more the marrier. After you get bored of writing all those key words it's time to put away the pen.

Design document.
Now you have to make a What-Who-Why-summery. This is a guideline about how you want to let the game look like and what makes it special.
What: What is the game about.
Think about the genre of the game (Comedy, Mistery or Horror) Think about the location (Future, Past, Present or Alternative).
Think about the art style.
Think about the meaning behind the game, if there is a meaning (Racism, Injustice, Parody on culture).
Who: Since The main character is important in adventure games, you should know who he is, what he does and why he does it.
Why: Things that motivate you making this game. You try to convince yourself why you have to finish this game A.S.A.P.

EXAMPLE: I was thinking up a zombie game.
What: A closed down city full of zombies. Every zombie will move though the city. If a zombie sees you, he will persue you. Game style and backgrounds will look like Keptosh.

Who: The main character emerges out of a bomb shelter. There was a nulcear war, but the food has run out, so it's time to leave (the main character can bring along some items, but there is a maximum weight allouwance like in Alone in the Dark). Main character (the player can name the character) has to kill/shake off zombies, open new locations and fix one of the broken vehicles (truck, train, boat, helicopter) to escape from the city.

Why: Non-linear, several different solutions and endings. Zombies! Dark and funny. Not much interaction, since the player has to move all the time (less work for me). Short. Using parodies.

The What-Who-Why-summery is about making choices. Funny or serious, guy or girl, long or short game, MS paint or Paint Shop Pro 9, midi or mp3, 320x200 or 800x600, 256 or true color, parser or point 'n click. You should now have an image of your game in your headÃ,  to awnser these questions.

Now you can physically start making your game.
Get your keyword paper and think up puzzles. Think about an obstacle and the solution. You don't need to write down the solution right away. Also, Don't make the puzzle to complex, you can always add items later if testers find the puzzle too easy. YOU DON'T NEED TO USE ALL THE KEYWORDS, sometimes deleting something makes it better.

Draw some thumbnails of the locations. Thumbnails are small scetches like a storyboard. It's up to you if you want to draw the characters and objects in them as well, however don't go into detail too much. Save the detail for the actual background. Don't forget to write down notes about what happens in every background.

Write down the all the text (dialog, interaction, ect) BEFORE you make the game (I'm such a hypocrit). Use a spellchecker and let someone proofread it (someone who knows what adventure games are).

Al Lowe's design documents

Drawing:
Start up you favourite paint program. Every operating system has it's own standart paint program. Proffecional paint programs have layers. GIMP has layers and is freeware.
Grab your thumbnail notes and draw the backgrounds. Everything that moves or disapears is not part of the background, but an object. Backup your drawing or make a new layer to draw those.
There are countless tutorials about drawing backgrounds.

The same thing can be said about animating.
The Big List Of Paint Programs!
Tutorials

Programming:
Finally, you can start up AGS.
You can't do anything untill you have a character and a background, but you don need to finish all the animations and backgrounds. You should have read the manual at least once in your lifetime. It will help you think up solutions to problems even before you start programming.

Keep your code clean and readeble. I myself program very static and only use functions if a numerous of commands will happen on several locations. The code looks mixed, but if there is an error I know where to look, while if you program dynamic you constantly scroll to one part of the script to the other. It's also easier to copy and move static code.

TEST YOUR GAME INTENSIVELY BY CLICKING ON EVERYTHING. Write down bugs and inperfections, so you remember to fix them.

Sound/Music:
Most members don't see themselve as composers, but I found out that even I can make some ambient background tunes.
There are alot of music creation programs, but many are shareware and have the mp3 format disabled, or can only use build in samples. Do some searching.

You can record your own sound effects, but you need a good microphone and sound studio to get good results. It's much easier to use sound filesÃ,  from other games (altough it's not really legal). Use Winamp and select every map on your hard drive to find out how many hidden sound & music you have. There are also sund banks on the internet, but the sample that you want might sound like they recorded it with a telephone.

Sound Club Tracker
Find Sounds
The Big List of Freeware Programs

Pimping:
Make a banner of the game in your signature. Start a thread in the Games in Production board (do read the rules so you don'tt get scolled by Darth Mandarb). This gives your game a bit of fame, wich will motivate you. Don't over do it. People don't like it when you drag about something that isn't even complete. You can also recrute test players for your game in here. Update your thread, never start a new one.

Testing:
Ask some members if they want to test your game. Ask them where they got stuck, if they skipped text and what they think was good.

Hosting:
Always zip your game! Mp3 is already very compressed so if you want to use it, then your game might still be large. If your game is too big for your website, use a filehoster like http://www.americangirlscouts.org/agsuploads/index.php

Remember, the most important part is to have fun, fun, fun!

ps. I posted this reply as a joke, but it got me thinking.

Adventure Architect, an interesting read as well.

Please let me know if I forgot something.
LOVE AND PEACE!

[esper]

Thanks for the addition, jet. That was a brilliant idea.

[Nikolas]

Ok. I'm bringing this thread up again for one good reason.

Anybody who needs to know anything about copyrights, and publishing should go to:

http://creativecommons.org

This is a non profit organisation for safe publishing of all kinds of works, whether this be audio, video, photo, text, just name it.

the FAQ are really great, and will solve anybodys questions.

hope this helps even further...

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Going back to getting a book published, there are a few other things I would recommend (I'm in the midst of getting a book published):

1.  Invest in the most recent edition of Writer's Market and the Guide to Literary Agents.  These two guides greatly increase your chances of securing representation and they also give insider information on what helps you to hook a publisher.  Both guides supply you with an ample list of verified publishers and agents for your particular genre.

2.  As Esper said, typesetters do have trouble with italics.  The caveat here, however, is that if you produced your work in document form (office XP .doc for instance) this is no longer an issue.  The underlining rule (according to Writer's Market and other sources I have dealt with) does not apply to final submissions in an electronic (text file) format.

3.  The Synopsis.  I disagree with Esper's recommendation of 2-3 pages (unless he means a Short Synopsis which a few publishers do request).  The typical synopsis for a novel ranges from 20-25 pages (or more based on the type of work) and is a complete summary of your novel, from beginning to end.  This means that you should write the summary in the order the novel progresses without revealing anything out of order; if John dies in chapter 12, write about it in that point of the synopsis. 

Here are a few additional tips from Writer's Market that I found very interesting (quoted directly from the "2005 Guide to Literary Agents" ): 

a.  The hook.  "To create an arresting hook for your synopsis, start with your story's lead character and the crisis that has befallen himâ€"the crisis that begins the story.  Then explain what your lead must do in order to remedy the crisis; in other words, what is his story goal?"

b.  The back-up.  "Right after your hook paragraph, back up a little to give some further background that makes the situation clearer."

c.  The meat.  "Now move on to the action of your story.  Give us not only the things that happen to make up your plot, but also how your lead character feels about them or is affected by them.  So many synopses are dull because the author has left out the emotional component.  Remember that people read novels primarily to be moved emotionally; they want to live the story through the lead...Words are precious in the synopsis, so pick the best ones you can!  Use strong action words, and keep the action crisp, clean, and clear."

d.  Think miniature.  "In your synopsis, reveal secrets and other surprising information in exactly the same spots where you have done so (or intend to do so) in the novel itself."

There are additional guidelines but I highly recommend you buy the book to find out more if necessary.  Synopses are used more and more by editors and agents as the influx of manuscript submissions increase, so getting a handle on them is definitely a good idea.


That's all I can think of right now, I hope some of this is useful.