on writing

L.I.T.E.R.A.L. stands for “Literary Team for Exposure and Righteous Alliances” (Very nice, like writerly Avengers!) and it’s ran by my good friends over at Bronze Age Media, publishers of The Thrifty Mom’s Guide to Style. And since I can’t resist a writing meme, I’m joining in their first question:

Has your book/story/epic been published? If yes, how was the experience, and where can we buy your book? If no (or not yet), why the delay? Is there anything you know you should be doing to make it happen?

Yep. My paperback chick lit novels were published from 2006-2010 by Psicom Publishing (and you can get them at National Bookstore, Fully Booked, Powerbooks and Booksale). Some of my early short stories came out in Philippine magazines. And then of course there’s the non-fiction ebook, which you can get at Amazon or Smashwords. So this is more of a comparison between doing it the old fashioned way and today’s freer publishing world.

In 2002, as a young writer trying to build a portfolio it was vital to get published in print. I bought publications where I wanted to come out (e.g. The Philippines Free Press, The Philippine Graphic, Manila Times, The Philippine Daily Inquirer) to find out their mailing addresses. Back then, just 10 years ago, not all of them had email. The best bet would be to mail them a hard copy of your short story in double-spaced short bond paper stuffed in a Manila envelope and hope for the best. I also dropped by The Graphic to leave a story one lunchbreak; I’d also heard from the grapevine that the Inquirer was more responsive to stories that were faxed or mailed.

Then you waited.