Sitting and Waiting
Well, it's out of my hands now. It took me three years to craft my novel, The Heart of the Graystone, and now all I can do is wait.
Today, I finally sent out query letters (e and snail) to several publishers clinging to the slim hope they might actually find my ideas fresh, my writing interesting and my lack of a writing resume irrelevant. (Hope, Hope!) To my understanding, and depending on the publisher, it takes anywhere from 1-12 months just to receive a reply to a proposal. (!)
The chance of any new author getting his first book accepted is ~0.1% Not very good odds. But better than hitting the Powerball (which I haven't won either). Given my lack of professional training, my (relative) inexperience, and my barren publishing resume, it is more likely I will fall into the 99.9% group. This is the bald-faced reality and I'm prepared to stare it down (Brownie said, bravely).
If they are interested, they'll request a manuscript, and with that will come another 2-3 years of revisions, editing, double and triple checking, contracts, rights negotiations, etc, etc, etc, before my book sees the inside of Barnes & Noble. If however, that were to happen, the chances of ANY book making a profit is an even 50-50. No better, no worse.
If I were a gambling man, this is not the kind of game I would be eager to play. But even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
Sitting and waiting...........................
Today, I finally sent out query letters (e and snail) to several publishers clinging to the slim hope they might actually find my ideas fresh, my writing interesting and my lack of a writing resume irrelevant. (Hope, Hope!) To my understanding, and depending on the publisher, it takes anywhere from 1-12 months just to receive a reply to a proposal. (!)
The chance of any new author getting his first book accepted is ~0.1% Not very good odds. But better than hitting the Powerball (which I haven't won either). Given my lack of professional training, my (relative) inexperience, and my barren publishing resume, it is more likely I will fall into the 99.9% group. This is the bald-faced reality and I'm prepared to stare it down (Brownie said, bravely).
If they are interested, they'll request a manuscript, and with that will come another 2-3 years of revisions, editing, double and triple checking, contracts, rights negotiations, etc, etc, etc, before my book sees the inside of Barnes & Noble. If however, that were to happen, the chances of ANY book making a profit is an even 50-50. No better, no worse.
If I were a gambling man, this is not the kind of game I would be eager to play. But even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
Sitting and waiting...........................
2 Comments:
Congrats Brownie! I hope you hear back soon...
Go, blind squirrel! Find that nut and crack it open!
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