Thinking Small

[Writers Plot]

posted by Doranna Durgin
I have learned to think small, and it is good. "What?" you say? *blink* you say?

Small press, that is. After a career of MMPBs and the occasional hardcover, I've found small press.

It started with Nose for Trouble. NFT was one of those projects that illustrated just how many ways one author can be screwed by many large publishing houses. Initially, submissions were solicited by an editor on a concept pre-approved (take note) by the Publishing Powers That Be; my particular pitch was selected, and then went through several rounds of further approval and requests for more material. Finally all was declared perfection by the several layers now involved, and with great anticipation, it went off to the PPTB--who promptly replied something along the lines of, "Whoever thought this was a good idea? It couldn't have been us. We hate you. Go away."

Oh.

Wow.

Ow.

Well, the Beloved Agent and I still loved the project, so we changed a few key things and began to submit. Without fail, it went to serious consideration at the various mystery houses. And without fail, something like this happened:

Editor: I love it, I love it! But I really need (for example) more of a sample before I take it to the Big Decision Meeting with the Bosses. Can I have maybe half the book? I know that's a lot, but I really really love it!"

Me: Half the book? *private ulp* Gee, sure! But let me check on Certain Elements of the Book, and make sure there's nothing you'd like me to tweak while I'm at it?

Editor: No! No, it's all good, I love it!

Me: *ohboyohboywritewritewritewritesubmitohboyohboy*

Editor: Dear Author: I'm sorry to inform you that this book is not right for our line, due to CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF THE BOOK.

Me: *riptear* Lying bitch. I hate you. Go away.

Various Editors: *Repeat ad infinitum, with varying requests*

So eventually we ended up at Five Star, a small packager/press with an established if specialized distribution system and a good track record of subsidiary sales. And before we submitted, I said to Beloved Agent, "What about Certain Elements? What about the Cozy Mystery 'formula'?"

Because here's the thing. In its own way, the cozy mystery world is as formulated as the various romance lines. (Yes, that's my opinion. So shoot me.) And Nose for Trouble varies from it in several ways; I've never pretended otherwise (see above, Certain Elements of the Book). Nose for Trouble is milk chocolate with Heath bar bits in a pure milk chocolate cozy world. And so, although editors have liked the book, they've not been willing to take a chance on the Heath bar bits.

But back to small press. Because it turns out that small press is an interesting place to go for both writer and reader, if you're looking for a place to indulge in not just milk chocolate, but extra dark chocolate, and maybe even extra dark chocolate with tiny flakes of jalapeño pepper. Not that milk chocolate is bad--no, no, no. Just that it's nice to explore other tastes sometimes. And so Five Star was very happy that Nose For Trouble had a third person *gasp* male *gasp* sleuth, and that a certain small character had short occasional POV *gasp* appearances--and so, during the process of being published by a small press, I also learned more about new reading options.

And because of that exposure, I've begun to look upon small presses as my source of tasty diversions. Not randomly, because sometimes it's extra dark chocolate mixed with chunks of moldy stinky cheese, so I rely heavily on excerpts, reviews and friendferrals. And generally they're more costly books--hardcover or trade paper--and I have to save for a while before I can fit one of those on my shopping list. Even as I write, I have a handful of small press books on my wish list right now...just waiting for the moment...

On the author side, I've sold a couple more books to Five Star--Scent of Danger (the sequel to Nose for Trouble), and Hidden Steel, a Silhouette Bombshell that was mere months from release when the line went down and now doesn't fit in any other line out there right. I have to be practical about such sales--save them for books I'm dying to write (Sully & Dale! Oh yeah!) or have already written for one reason or another; they don't pay for their time, and my writing, if anything, needs to pay for its time. That's the way it is when writing buys the groceries. But every now and then...it's nice to indulge in a little exotic chocolate on the writing end, too.