Why can't a Latino get published?

by Rudy Ch. Garcia

As a one-time, special service to La Bloga's published or unpublished aspiring writers, we're offering you this muy de vez en cuando for you to have a professional answer that question of yours you think would help your writing career.

Former Simon & Shuster editor Marcela Landres [see the rest of her bio below] has agreed to answer questions from La Bloga readers about anything having to do with getting their stories, books or novels published.

Maybe your query letters never get answered. Maybe your favorite short story never seems to get anything more than form-rejections. Maybe you're wondering about what's hot in your genre. Whatever you want to ask, esta es la chanza.

Why? Because I'm sure Marcela is usually inundated with MSS, queries, E-mails and probably Twittered hasta quien-sabe-donde, so you might not have ever sent her your question. Plus, helping authors get published is her profession and she does charge for some services. Or maybe you've just never risked asking your question por verbüenza or because it seemed like too much trouble.

We're going to make it easy para ti:

1. Limit your question to no more than 100 words. 100--that's it. [This doesn't include your E-mail address, in case she wants to contact you. We will not post it on La Bloga, but will make it available to her.]

2. No attachments. Period. Punto. Nada.

3. Yes, you can include a writing sample in your question, but the 100-word limit still applies. We'd suggest using your word limit wisely.

4. Yes, you can ask her to check out your blog or website, but we don't guarantee anything. The main purpose of these questions will be to help our audience navigate the mysteries of publishing/writing, not so much publicize your site.

5. You can use initials or a pseudonym for our posting of the questions, or your full name, if you prefer. That's up to you.

6. No, we can't forward longer questions or MSS or queries to her. You can go to her website if you prefer to do that and check her guidelines.

7. We will post the questions and her answers here as soon as she can respond, given her other commitments.

8. Editing of your questions by La Bloga will be minimal. Please spell-check yourself. [Questions outside of the intent of this posting will not be used, but you would be informed of that by La Bloga.]

9. Marcela may not answer every question, especially if it is outside of her field of interest or expertise. [See below and go to her website for more info.]

10. Send your question to rpuntochpuntogarciaATcyboxpuntocom

11. Deadline: Nov. 30, 2011. If we get inundated with questions, and if Marcela is able, we might post earlier than the 30th or turn this into two days of postings.

Come to think of it, maybe some La Bloga contributors have a question . . .

And, quien sabe--if this type of article is of real interest to La Bloga readers, we might look at finding other editors, agents or publishers willing to do the same.

Buena suerte! de RudyG

Marcela Landres's areas of interest: "Fiction and nonfiction including but not limited to: novels (literary, mainstream, commercial, adult, young adult, chick lit, street lit, women's, romance, historical, mystery, thriller, suspense), short story collections, memoirs, self-help, inspiration, pop culture, and New Age. My clients range from bestselling and/or award-winning authors such as Dora Levy Mossanen (Courtesan)and Sergio Troncoso (The Last Tortilla and Other Stories) to self-published authors such as Terry B. (At Midnight) and Marcia Smart (Decorating by Instinct). While I work with writers of all backgrounds, as one of the few Latina editors in the book business I have extensive experience in Latino and multicultural publishing. I do not edit poetry, children’s books (specifically, anything for the middle grade or younger reader), works in Spanish, science fiction, and fantasy."

About Marcela Landres [from her website]:
"Marcela Landres is the author of the e-book How Editors Think: The Real Reason They Rejected You, and is the Publisher of Latinidad®, an award-winning e-zine which was chosen as one of the 101 Best Web Sites for Writers by Writer's Digest Magazine. She helps writers get published by editing their work and by advising them on how to manage their writing careers, including how to find the right agent. She works with writers of all backgrounds in fiction and nonfiction, and specializes in helping Latinos get published.

"At Simon & Schuster, Marcela oversaw the award-winning Spanish language imprint Libros en Español. She serves on the board of Kweli, a literary journal for writers of color, as well as the Brooklyn Literary Council which helps organize the Brooklyn Book Festival. In addition, she is a member of the Women's Media Group, Editorial Freelancers Association, and Las Comadres. She speaks frequently for organizations such as the New York Round Table Writers’ Conference, Columbia University, and National Hispana Leadership Institute. A graduate of Barnard College, she has been a Peer Panelist for the National Association of Latino Arts & Culture Fund for the Arts, on the Literature Panel for the New York State Council on the Arts, and was a judge for the Beyond Margins Award for PEN and the Latino Book Awards. She is often quoted as a publishing expert by The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, and Writer’s Digest.

"Raised in the projects of Long Island City, Queens, as the daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants, Marcela is one of the few Latina editors in book publishing. She can be reached through her website."