Some More Questions to answer

Hey, thanks for giving me something to expand on in these posts! Here's some more questions I have lined up to answer. Keep 'em coming! And let your friends know about this website so they can have their own questions answered. There is more questions to be answered by this asker, but for now I'm just answering the ones I have room for in today's post.

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   Oh, and sorry for asking so much, but what do you think about video games? Did you ever try to get your book really published? Do you enjoy reading your book?

1. Video games-- they seem to be very controversial in this world. I'm going to be honest with you though. Being a tomboy, video games were just another thing that I loved as a kid. I especially liked playing adventure games for playstation like Crash Bandicoot, Frogger, and Spyro. I started playing them when I was about 8 when I got the system for my birthday, and played 1/2 hour a day for a long time. When I was twelve my parents limited us to one hour per week, and that is what we played for awhile. About a year ago, however, any and all game systems we had were taken away because my parents were worried about all that video game stuff that parents are worried about.
     I still like video games, though now I think I am really better off without them. I will play occasionally at friends' houses, but now I realize that I can get so much more things done (writing, perhaps?) instead of wasting my time in front of a screen.

2. No, actually I never did attempt to get my book really published, and here's why: First of all, to get a book published you need a professional agent to "pitch" the book to a publisher. You cannot do it yourself, unless you want your book thrown into a "slush" pile where the editor will read a few lines and then either throw  your manuscript away or send it back. An agent cost anywhere from 25-75 dollars per hour and most likely will want anywhere from 10-30% of your profits, depending on the agent. Obviously something I could not afford when I published it when I was sixteen.  Which brings me to my second point. You will not make any money with your book published professionally unless it is B-I-G. I know my book only appeals to a small percentage of the population, it has no witchcraft, violence, drugs, or lustful situations in it and that is actually what they want nowdays. Sad, but true for mainstream fiction. They are also against young authors. Because I am a teenager and don't really need to make a living off of it, I'm not a high priority author in the publishing world. I might try to get my teen novel "Blackberry Blossom" pictched but I'm not sure if that's what I want right now. Anyway, did you know that most professional authors started out with self-publishing? That's where I'd like to start too. For now, I'll stick with publishing smaller things in magazines and newspapers.

3. No--I hate reading my own book. All I see is the errors that I could fix, change, rearrange. But my uncle (who is an author) actually told me that there comes a time when the book is done. You  can edit a book forever, but there comes a point when you shouldn't do anything more with it, you'll just mess it up more. :) I also know every part, character, foreshadow, and the ending before I even open the cover. Who wants to read a book when you know all that?

Thanks for the questions, I'll try to get to some more of them tommorrow.

Danielle