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I've submitted my flute quartet to a publisher that's considering it for their 2007 catalog, and while I'm waiting for their decision (late January or early February), maybe all of you would regale me with your publication adventures and/or misadventures. :)
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SF Bay Area
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Re: Publication
Tue, May 16, 2006 - 3:23 PMI guess none of you wanted to regale me; but that's fine.
I just got word that, pending my reformatting the score and parts (they're currently way too long), my piece will be published in the 2007 catalog. :) -
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Re: Publication
Tue, May 16, 2006 - 8:03 PMI don't think I'll get anyone to publish anything for me, ever. If I already can't get people to look at the scores, much less try to play them, well... you see my point.
It has been suggested that maybe the resistance is due to the fact that my music sucks.
To this, I might say:
1) Plenty of sh**y music gets published every day, and some of it gets very well-marketed, too.
2) If people won't even LOOK at the scores, how can they possibly know that they will sound bad?
Polly, I wish you the very best and I'll be happy to refer people to your work. Not because I necessarily assume it's better than my own, but simply because you're neither neither dead nor in Europe. -
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Re: Publication
Wed, May 17, 2006 - 7:58 AMIve got no wisdom to bring to this discussion Im afraid, but I echo the enquiry!
Im hoping to record an album of my piano music later this year, and would also like to explore getting sheet music out there to get it played as well as listened to.
iev done a fair bit of research into online audio promotion and distribution, but havent yet begun to explore the sheet music side of things and so, like Polly, would welcome any hints, tips or downfalls.
I love the idea of being an independent artist, but I dont thnk just selling the music to people who happen to visit my website, or who are speficially searching for it, is really going to get it across.
i want in some way to tap into and explore the market for this type of piano music (melodic, meditative, pianistic and around grade standard in terms of difficulty).
cheers
Rich
Xx
ps to hear demos of some of my music please visit www.myspace.com/richbatsford -
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Re: Publication
Wed, May 17, 2006 - 1:13 PMEventually, I'm hoping I can get a new computer system and get hooked up with the Sibelius thing that allows people to buy scores online. To my thinking, the larger number of scores you have in there, all else being equal... well, you probably see my point.
Given how many string quartet scores I have, I tend to think that if there's ANY interest in even one of my string quartet scores, there will be a lot of interest. It's the 'any' part that seems to be the problem so far. I've considered not focusing so much on string quartet, but it tends to be my default medium. If I started getting asked to write anything in particular rather than not asked, I would probably write what I was being asked to write rather than beating the same dead horse every night on my laptop. Writing bassoon pieces was worthwhile when I was cohabitating with a bassoonist, but now I have no one special to write for. When I was in college I was able to get some string quartet stuff to happen occasionally, but it always seemed to involve at least 100% turnover in personnel between when the rehearsals started and the actual performance. I don't know why string players are an even bigger pain in the ass than most other musicians.
BTW: Anybody want me to write something?
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Re: Publication
Wed, May 17, 2006 - 7:58 AMcongratulations on your publication Polly
;-)
Rich
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Re: Publication
Wed, May 17, 2006 - 9:02 AMThanks Rich!
The flute quartet honestly was the first piece I ever wrote for people other than myself to play. All the material on my CDs is pretty much intended for me and the group to play in our shows, so I never wrote any of it down, except as parts for the other players.
I can see how a composer might want to do the entrepreneurial thing and self-publish. I've done the same thing with my CDs. But knowing how much work goes into promoting the sheet music, before you can ever fill any orders, made me want to find an outside publisher to handle all that so I can hustle performing gigs and compose in peace. :) -
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Re: Publication
Wed, May 17, 2006 - 9:19 AMHi Polly
cool - so what was the process there. Did you identify one particular music publisher who you thought was appropriate and then send the music to them?
Rich
Xx -
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Re: Publication
Wed, May 17, 2006 - 9:33 AM>cool - so what was the process there. Did you identify one particular music publisher who >you thought was appropriate and then send the music to them?
Since it was a flute quartet, I looked for a publisher that was well known to the flute community and had a long history and solid track record. The one that's going to publish my piece specializes in woodwind and chamber music. I got submission guidelines from them and sent them score, parts, and a recording. All I had was a rehearsal recording but I sent that anyway. Then I asked people who had played the piece to write recommendation letters. It seems to have worked! -
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Re: Publication
Thu, May 18, 2006 - 4:58 AMHi Polly
nice one - what did you use to write out the score that you sent them?
Rich
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Re: Publication
Thu, May 18, 2006 - 6:12 AMSibelius 3. I may have to upgrade to do the reformatting that they are asking for, and add the flute fingerings; I'm still checking this out. -
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Re: Publication
Thu, May 18, 2006 - 6:42 PMLet me know how it goes. If it's as good as they want me to think, I may want to accelerate my plan to acquire.
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Re: Publication
Fri, May 19, 2006 - 2:39 AMthanks Polly - im in the process of scoring a piece myself - for piano, strings, percussion etc. a new experience - a friend of mine is giving me some help with the string arrangements, and I think he also is a Sibelius user.
thanks for this discussion, its definitely helped fill in some of the blanks
Rich
Xx
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