DON'T FORGET! The gals at Killer Fiction are gving away books, gift cards and a Kindle. Tomorrow, January 21st, is the last chance at these cool prizes. To enter, comment on the daily blog posts starting on January 10th.
[P.S. I highly recommend two other blogs mentioned in the comments on yesterday's post: Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith. They've been in the publishing industry for decades, so they definitely know the business. The also happen to be married to each other.]
It'd been the rejection day from hell. When DH asked if I'd thought about self-publishing, peanut butter stuck to the roof of my mouth. The time it took to clear my tongue also gave me a chance to formulate a semi-polite answer.
ME: "Are you fucking nuts? Wheaton was a movie star before he hit puberty. He's got a platform already. I don't."
DH: "You're working on it."
ME: "I don't have an editor. I'm not conceited enough to think I don't need one. Wheaton was smart enough to hire an good editor."
DH: "Start talking to your friends. I'm sure Colleen or Christie or someone can recommend a decent freelancer."
ME: "But I can't draw. I'd need a cover artist, even with an e-book."
DH: "What about M__? You love her work. And she wants to get back into graphic design."
ME: "I'm not sure. I'm still getting a lot of rejections."
DH: "But look at why you're getting the rejections."
ME: "Because I suck?"
DH (after giving me a dirty look): What did the last couple of e-mails say? 'Great writing.' 'Great voice.' But then they turn around and say, 'I don't think I can sell this.'"
ME: "Because I suck." [Yes, I was feeling a tremendous amount of self-pity at the time.]
DH: "Sweetie, face it. You're a niche writer. Focus on that niche. It doesn't mean you won't go mainstream down the line, but you need to focus on your core audience."
ME: "I'll think about it."
And I have been thinking about it. Thinking to the point, I've been playing with formats on a couple of rejected manuscripts and doing research. DH put a bug in M__'s ear about designing my cover. She was incredibly enthusiastic about working with me, so at some point, I need to send her the manuscript so she can brainstorm.
Am I totally giving up on NY? Not yet. I've got two fulls and two partials sitting on four different agents' desks at the moment I write this.
But that doesn't mean I'm not looking at all the alternatives in the meantime.
No comments:
Post a Comment