Okay, some great reviews. The book's been out for a year--now what?

[B.R.Stateham]

So here I am sitting in front of the computer and writing this little ditty and thinking, "What's next?"

I've got a book out called Murderous Passions. But you (or many of you) already know that. It's not Literature and it's not trash--actually a few people have read it and liked it. And some sterling (and I do mean that sincerely) reviews have been posted on Amazon, in here, and on Barnes&Noble.

But the book is in the backwaters of nowhere as far as being seen by a large audience. It's that way because it was published by a publisher who everyone lambasts (rightly or wrongly) as being a pirahna in the publishing world. It was published thru this publisher because I could not get an agent to work on it. Not that I didn't try. Not that a few agents nominally worked on it and then promptly forgot about it.

So here I am sitting here and wondering what to do next. Book two is done. Bigger, richer in detail, more in-depth with characterization. But still no agent. Still no big-name publisher. Part of me says "Quit bitch'in, and began the process again. Find an agent. Work all the contacts again."

But another part of me says, "Jesus--not again. All that effort. All that time just to collect another steamer trunk full of rejection slips."

The optimist in me tells me to pick myelf up, dust the crap and shit off, and do what needs to be done to get published. The pessimist in me says to stop feeding on pain. Be happy that at least somone is publishing your book and at least a few people are reading it.

Wonder which one is the stronger; the optimist or the pessimist?