Aspiring Writer In Iran

[A. S. Behsam]

Hi everyone,
I'm so glad to be here.

I've been writing English novels for some time now, but I live under dictatorship, so:
1)They don't publish English novels 2)They don't publish romantic novels, at least not without chopping it to pieces (censoring it into half) 3)They don't publish fantasy (they consider fantasy against Islam...).

So basically, I have absolutely no - way to publish my stories here. To be honest I might even get in trouble if I try to get published here...

I don't have any money to get out of Iran. I'm in an average family and can never afford to leave Iran. So there is this prison, and I'm stuck in it. I'm becoming depressed.

Is there any way, any way I can get published in some other country while I'm still in here?

 

[Gary Compton]

Well welcome to Chronicles, I'm sure other Chronite members will be along shortly.

I'm sure it is possible to be published, I suppose if you submit your stories in the normal way and if your accepted, your agent/publisher will work out away round your problem.

NEVER give up on your dream, life is always a test so don't fall at the first hurdle.

Believe me if your the next big writer, someone will find away to deal with you.

That's my opinion, so wait and see what the general consensus is. But anyway good luck and keep writing!!

 

[The Judge]

Hello and Welcome to the Chronicles.

The safety of yourself and your family must be paramount, so the question must be -- would you get into trouble if you tried to be published abroad?

If the answer is "yes" then you have seriously to consider whether being published is worth it. That's not to say you shouldn't write and seek to improve your writing -- write as much as you can and lose yourself in the worlds of your own creation. There are thousands upon thousands of us who live in free countries who will never be published despite our hopes, so you are simply joining the rest of us in writing for pleasure and not for material gain and recognition.

If the answer is "no" and your regime has no problem with your being published abroad, nor in your receiving payment from foreign publishers, then really you're in no different a position from many others. The only drawbacks you face are you might not be able to meet your agent or publisher face to face, but that's not a deal-breaker, and you won't be able to do any personal marketing by physically attending shops and signing books, not unless your advance is good enough for you to re-locate. But as Gary says, your agents can get around problems like that if they have to and if the book they are promoting is good enough. That being the case, you will approach getting published in the same way as everyone else has to do -- you write the best possible book you can, you polish and polish it until it shines, you research the agents/publishers for fantasy, you write a cracking synopsis and cover letter, you send everything off and you wait. And meanwhile you carry on writing.

Hope that helps.

 

[A. S. Behsam]

Thank you so much.
Talking to nice people like you gives me hope. To be honest I can't even think of not writing; I'd die.

thank you so much again.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I agree strongly with the Judge, safety first. But if you believe you can publish safely then go for it. You have a number of routes, my first thought would be to download a writers guide, hunt out some agents and send them samples etc as they request. But I'd strongly recommend given what you've described using a pen name, and I normally don't like pen names. But an agent can help you sort out this stuff.

Also you have to consider the consequences if your work gets picked up. Does it say anything that might be considered unacceptable to your government etc? If so, a pen name won't prove much protection. Again, think safety first.

You can also try self-publishing through the Kindle or other ebooks, they have relaxed the rules a little so that I, a kiwi, have published on the kindle without needing a US social security number or bank account. But I don't know from memory if they are set up for pen names. You should check this out before going down that route.

Best of luck.