On the road to publication

Hey, guess what? On Tuesday I was mentioned in an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about the current state of the publishing industry. Check it out! The reporter, Novella Carpenter, found me through a comment I made on Nathan Bransford’s blog about my intention to self-publish.

Nathan is an agent with the Curtis Brown Literary Agency, and if it’s a twinkle in your eye to see your novel, memoir, or non-fiction masterpiece in print—whether you want to go the traditional publishing route or you opt to self-publish—Nathan’s site is required reading. You’ll learn a ton, and if you’re new to writing, his site, and all its links to other resources for writers, is a great place to start educating yourself about the road to publication. Nathan knows his shit, except for the fact that he rejected my query for my manuscript, Bastard Husband: A Love Story, over a year ago. Oh, Nathan, how could you???

There’s quite a fork in that road to publication these days, which is what Tuesday’s article was about. Because of all the reductions the publishing houses have been undergoing lately, they’re playing it safe, signing established authors and they're less likely to take a chance on new writers. That makes it harder for people like me, and so a lot of us are deciding to self-publish.

I’ve barely dipped my toe in the do-it-yourself waters, but I’m psyched as hell. I’ve been playing the "find an agent” game for almost two years now, with no success. Hmm… might that be because my manuscript isn’t any good? HELL NO! It’s awesome! Here is an excerpt. Want more? Just click the link the right sidebar.

Finding an agent who’s willing to represent you is a monumental achievement in itself, but securing representation is still no guarantee that the agent will, in fact, be able to sell your project to a publisher. Especially these days. So the more I learn about this crazy business, the more I’m convinced self-publishing is the way to go. I’ll keep you posted with a periodic “Road to Publishing” feature, and God willing, in just a few months I’ll have a book ready for your reading enjoyment!

And now for something completely different…

A reader contacted me about the picture in my pathetic Most Embarrassing Moment blog I posted on Saturday:

There is something wrong with your website. I keep clicking on the red “Censored” ribbon, but it won’t go away. You really need your webmaster to fix that.

My apologies and thank you for bringing that to my attention.

And finally, this is my 100th post! When I started this blog back in July, I had no idea how much fun I would be having with it, or how many wonderful friends I would make. Writing can be a lonely endeavor, and the sense of community that can be built through the blogsphere is amazing. I want to thank every single person who's someone found their way to this site and who keep coming back. If you've been shy about leaving a comment, can I take this opportunity to nudge you a bit? Just say hello, so I can give you a personal thank you.

XOXO

Linda