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At 8:35am on February 17, 2008, L.J. Sellers said…
Okay, so I'm not the only one struggling to work full time, write a new novel, promote my published novel, and network . . .not to mention being the frame from which my large, dysfunctional family hangs.
By the way, The Sex Club is interesting, especially if you like to mix sex, politics, and religion.
Now If I can put all those words in proper order maybe I could complete a novel, lol. I write mainly for myself and to have some sanity in my life. After all of that I then put in 10 hours a day at the day job.
Aldo
At 6:39am on February 17, 2008, L.J. Sellers said…
At the moment, I'm editing behavior management books, so my voice is irrelevant. I just try to make them readable. I also edit fiction, and it's definitely more difficult, but also more enjoyable. If the story is compelling, I have to read through it first, then go back and edit the words on the page. I've been editing forever, and I've learned to stay detached from someone else's work. Edits are only suggestions, anyway.
At 6:14am on February 17, 2008, L.J. Sellers said…
Some novels that don't get picked up by major publishers are better than some well known authors' latest books. It seems that once an author has a readership, publishers will print anything they've written, even if the book isn't good enough that it would have attracted their attention from an unknown. Which, of course, may work to my advantage someday too. (I dare to dream. . .)
I'm not surprised. I'm not only a writer but a reader, too, I'm reading all sorts of first rate fiction that has never attracted the attention of a major agent or "major" publishing house. There is an extra degree of polish that is present when a major house puts an author through its channels, but there is LOTS of great, innovative reading beneath their radar. I pick up a book and read--a few paragraphs in the front, a page or so in the middle, and a page near the end to find out if it's something I want to read. I'm also a member of several book groups and have been forced to try to read some weightly stuff off the "best seller" list lately and gave up on one thick, HIGHLY recommended epistle after reading--or actually hearing, since all I could get was the audio book--"He was a fleshy man" in an affected English accent. When I stopped laughing, I turned the book off and never listened to the rest of it.
That's quite the story about the 31/2 year slush pile wait - Wow!
Saw you live in Oregon. My debut novel, Switch, is set in Portland, so once I get a U.S. publisher (it is being launched in the UK) I'll be able to pop down for a visit ;-)
It probably is on the decline - nowadays a book is a big investment in cash here - Trade Paperbacks are around AUD$32 / standard paperbacks AUD$18 and Hardbacks - well you're talking AUD$45+
Makes supporting a habit like mine rather complicated :)
Having said that, there's the same decline in readers here as I suspect there is everywhere with most younger people preferring more immediate forms of entertainment which is very very sad.
At 12:37pm on February 16, 2008, L.J. Sellers said…
I had such a strange experience recently, I have to share it with other writers. On October 21, 2004, I sent a query letter and the first three chapters of a mystery novel called The Sex Club to a NY agent. Then on January 30, 2008, I got a call from an assistant in the agency saying, "We read the first three chapters of The Sex Club and loved it. We'd like to see the entire manuscript."
I was, at first, confused, then flabbergasted. It's been three and a half years! The book is published and getting great reader response.
So, writers take heart. Just because your manuscript sits in a slush pile for three and half years doesn't mean that no one will ever read it. The real lesson, of course, is: Don't wait for an agent to get back to you. Keep moving forward!
Greeting, LJ. Stand up and writing! That takes all kinds of courage! Welcome to the neighborhood.
At 11:36am on February 16, 2008, L.J. Sellers said…
Greetings!
In this world of publishing and networking, the only thing more amazing to me than the sheer number of authors is the kindness and generosity they show.
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By the way, The Sex Club is interesting, especially if you like to mix sex, politics, and religion.
Aldo
Saw you live in Oregon. My debut novel, Switch, is set in Portland, so once I get a U.S. publisher (it is being launched in the UK) I'll be able to pop down for a visit ;-)
Makes supporting a habit like mine rather complicated :)
Having said that, there's the same decline in readers here as I suspect there is everywhere with most younger people preferring more immediate forms of entertainment which is very very sad.
I was, at first, confused, then flabbergasted. It's been three and a half years! The book is published and getting great reader response.
So, writers take heart. Just because your manuscript sits in a slush pile for three and half years doesn't mean that no one will ever read it. The real lesson, of course, is: Don't wait for an agent to get back to you. Keep moving forward!
In this world of publishing and networking, the only thing more amazing to me than the sheer number of authors is the kindness and generosity they show.
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