Interesting thought

[valarltd]

I've had a few interesting questions lobbed at me lately.

The first was "Given your talent, why aren't you bigger than you are?"

Now the flippant answer is "Weight Watchers." But that's actually a rough paraphrase of the question.

And I have been giving it thought.
I'm really not sure.

I don't self-promote enough although it feels like I do it relentlessly. My books are all PoD which means bookstores don't order them.

And I haven't had the nerve to sub to New York or any pub that DOES get into bookstores. We almost entered Alive on the Inside in Leisure's contest last year, but went for the fast publication from Amber Quill.

I really don't know how to step it up. I'm not sure I have the skills. I worry that I'll have to write stories that don't move me just to get a foot in the door. And I can always tell when I've written something for the paycheck or out of obligation.


Part the second:
I am having a crisis of non-faith. Okay, that's not a question, but it's true. Maybe I just need more meditation time.

So, that's my thinky thoughts.

I'll throw this wide open:
Ask me anything. Everything answered. Truth guaranteed. Congruence with fact, not so much.

Comments

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Why not sub to a bigger publisher? You've got nothing to LOSE. if they say no, then you are only in the same position. I wish more m/m writers would sub because then at least the bigger publishers would not be able to keep saying "there's no call for it."

If you aren't already, then start to follow the blogs that give good advice (Have a look at my RSS feed on my info page and then follow some of the other links on those pages) - they give out really really good advice - what the market is doing, dos and don'ts - queries, submissions, formatting - all stuff that can really help you get an edge. I wish you all the luck!

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

Why don't I sub?

At this moment, I have nothing ready. I have a bucket-load of stuff podding along.

But I have decided that the first thing I hit 80K on is going to Leisure. You never know. I might luck out and get Brian Keene's author copies instead of my own. 8) (This is not unheard of at Leisure, a friend who writes graphic horror just got his latest author copies...which turned out to be historical romance, instead of THE KILLING KIND)

And I read everything from Karen Knows Best and Dear Author to The MAcaronies and Smart Bitches. I just need to FINISH something.

[thunderpigeon.livejournal.com]

Have you tried submitting work to an agent? One of the great things about that is that, unlike major publishers, most agents don't mind simultaneous submissions so long as you're up front about it and willing to give them an exclusive-read period if they ask for it. Of course, that slows down the process in the short term, and they take a cut of your earnings, but then they take care of all the angsty stuff for you, like getting your work out there and worrying about who should be looking at it in what order. And, of course, if it works the way it's supposed to, then the earnings from which they take a cut are a lot more than what you would be earning without an agent.

I finally stopped pitching Antlered Bird to agents because they kept telling me it needed to be 15k-25k longer, and at the time it seemed easier to write a new novel than to find a place where I could add that many words. (And then, of course, when I was well into writing The Skin We Wear, DP picked up Antlered Bird, and I had to shift my attention to promotion etc). It's possible, with your publication history, you might be able to get an agent interested in you based on an unfinished manuscript and a previously published book. Though at this point I'm well into the realm of conjecture, since I personally don't have an agent or a series of book-length publications to fall back on.