It was not so much the post that moved (have I ever mentioned that my heart can turn to ice when I face too much emotion) , anyways while I was reading her post my heart did turn to stone to protect me from bawling and shaking in fear.
By the time I left her blog, she had 124 comments even agents were retweeting her link and I found one strong line of reasoning in all the comments she received; not all of our stories will thrill everybody.
This morning I was watching a Nelly video and I could see his new album was going to do well, if only he could put his flopped single with Fergie on this new album it would be perfect, because I liked the song.
In a way we writers are like these singers (or entertainers), not all the books we write are going to get published or become #1 singles but each book we write does something for us, it adds to our value and knowledge, it helps us discover ourselves as writers.
Obviously since I am still a newbie writer (with a whole bunch of talent IMHO) I still tell myself all of my works have to be loved by acquisitions and marketing, I don't know what I would do if a book I spent so much time and flagging energy into did not get published.
What I do know is that whichever one of my books get published will not be my end all, the goal is to keep on writing and not be a one-trick pony, the goal is to be several stories ahead of the curve so that if one gets rejected(because the market is not right for it) I have others waiting in line while I get over my sulk or self induced hiatus.
I hope this makes sense, i did not feel qualified or experienced enough to comment on her blog but since this is chez moi I can at least tell you what ideas are running about in my head, don't get hung up on one story there are loads more waiting to be told.
P.S this post is really for me, but I hope someone else can identify with it.
Thanx for turning out for Talli yesterday she got up to #24 on Amazon UK, and tomorrow we have Editor/Author in the interrogation room, she will come prepared to answer questions from all of us, so don't miss out on this huge opportunity.
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| fancy going to work dressed like this? |
Thank you for the link to her story.
ReplyDeleteI liked your positive twist on things.
The business can be full of unexpected successes too. My first sale was supposed to be a rejection letter. Knowing ahead of time that the business if full of rejections, I wrote an erotic short story as a joke and sent it to a magazine thinking that it would be funny to have a rejection letter from said magazine but instead of the letter I was expecting I got a call from the editor saying to feel free to send her anything else I had written and A SALE. It was the first thing I had ever sent out!
There are other success stories and encouragements out there. We just have to keep trying our hardest, not give up, and not quit our day jobs JUST YET until we have proven to others YES we are in fact that good!
Joanna - I am a newbie too. I LOVE your blog BTW! I am laughing my butt off at the picture! I am imagining all sorts of funny uniforms it would be cool to make a staff wear when I get my own staff. Thanks for the kick in the creative butt.
ReplyDeleteI never saw that post, now you really have me curious. Will go there now!
ReplyDeleteI will check out the post too. But first I want to tell you my story.
ReplyDeleteI have had numerous agents and editors request my ms. All...and I do mean all, sent back a rejection that basically said, "We love it, but it won't work for us." One editor sent back a note saying they were no longer doing fantasy after keeping my ms. for six months.
So here is the long and short of it. I have read so much discouraging news about the publishing industry in the last three years that I actually gave up. I knew I had a good book, I have had over fifty people read it and want to know when they could buy it. Not one person said they didn't like it. For awhile, I had several people at my job fighting over who got the next chapter. So I am confident that I have an ms. that people will enjoy.
What to do? I'm not rich. In fact, I often don't know where the money will come from to feed my family. But e-publishing is free. Except certain aspects, like an editor and a book cover. I found people in both cases who were willing to work with me. So, I do not support the idea of publishing junk. Do your best, have numerous eyes on it, and in the end, if the publishers don't like it, e-pub it.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
Thanks for pointing me towards that blog post. Wooh, that was emotional. I can't imagine. BUt writers are a hard hearted sort (gotta be to get through it all)
ReplyDeleteNatalie's post made me all choked up, mostly because I could relate to so much of it. I thought it was so sincerely written.
ReplyDelete@ Kimber hi and welcome to my random blog, you are one of the lucky few eh? but you are right I will do everything possible to deny the truth if that ever becomes my reality
ReplyDelete@Creepy and Liz i am such an emotional weirdo that if something makes me cry i can go on crying for a days - but that was really emotional and strong i really wish her all the best and wish i could buy a pub house and publish her book for her.
Thanks for pointing out the post. Writing is definitely a rigorous journey with a lot of opportunities to trip and fall. What's important is to get up and keep walking...and writing. There's an old Japanese proverb I have taped to the wall over my computer. It says, "Fall down seven times, stand up eight". Words to live by.
ReplyDeleteI always get detractors with my stories whenever I send them out for critiquing! Fair enough if all the reviewers say the same thing (as in it's crap go away!) but I get some liking my writing, some not and it's the not who really gets me down and nothing will ever scrape me off even the nice comments! LOL! How silly sensitive is that?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to the article - it's rather long and so I will read it when I'm not at work!
Take care
x
Thanks for pointing out that post; it was a very heartbreaking read. A few years ago, I read somewhere that historical romance author, Christina Dodd, was writing for like 10 years before she sold her first book. In my blogging time, I have found a couple of barely published authors who were willing to share their rejection counts with me. One author said that she had 10 books rejected and like 2 or 3 that asked for revisions and then rejected her. I try to live by that. If it took one author 10 years to sell and another one 10 books that were instant rejections, then what makes me think that I’ll sell my first, second, or even third book? I turn to that as my inspiration so whenever I get a rejection, I don’t look down on it as something horrible but instead I see it as a necessary stepping stone towards success.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to her post. I hadn't seen that. That was crazy.
ReplyDeleteI think you give some pretty good advice here ... keep writing.
I feel so bad for Natalie. She's very talented and it must be so frustrating. But I do think you're right, the industry is so subjective even a book that would be amazing for many people might not get published because it wouldn't sell to ENOUGH people. That is kind of sad.
ReplyDeleteI know this is what everyone says, I know it's what no one wants to hear, but the only way IS to keep going. Good luck and may your journey to publication be a swift and easy one.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing that link!
ReplyDeleteI somehow doubt I could pull off the doorman look....
Jo, your sentiments are laudable, since all writers have gone through rejections and difficulties and many artists were not appreciated in their life times so we need to write for ourselves firsta nd foremost :O)
ReplyDeleteGreat post I'll check the link next.
ReplyDeleteI have a few projects that I wrote which I'm not sure will ever be published and I know that some things I've written are better received than others. Just the way it is.
I hadn't read Natalie's post, but now I have. Whew! What a rollercoaster ride, and now she's on the low dip of that ride. I'm glad she's stubborn and hope she doesn't quit. The market, however, is tougher than ever. I figure if it will happen, it will happen. If it doesn't, I turned one of my novels into a print-on-demand book through Amazon's CreateSpace, and now I can say I've published one book with my name on it. People have read and enjoyed it, and it takes the edge off the agent and publisher hunt. ;o)
ReplyDeleteI'll have to go check out her post. I hadn't heard of it before!
ReplyDeleteHi Joanna - I still feel like a "newbie" too, with that publishing dream on the horizon (sometimes close, sometimes far). Thanks for sharing your worries and aspirations with us. I'm sure a LOT of us can identify with this. I know I can! But, we'll make it. Of course we will! :) (and I'd totally wear that hat to work!)
ReplyDeleteHi Joanna. I think you banked some great advice from that blog post. It would be so lovely to think everyone will like everything but of course it just won't happen like that. It's that old adage 'you can please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time'. I'll be very happy with the 'some'. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for pointing me to that post. I shall go there now since you have aroused my curiosity.
ReplyDeleteThanks, too, for thinking my comment on Carol's blog funny. Every now and then, I hit the nail on the head. What is that saying? Give an idiot a hammer and everything begins to look like a nail to him? LOL.
You have a lovely blog, Roland
Joanna, thanks for linking that. I think it was important for all of us to read. We need to be realistic and know that it's not always all roses and fireworks and love, love, love. And that it's OKAY if it isn't.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link, that was such a wake-up call that all's not necessarily rosy after you get an agent. Your comment "each book we write does something for us, it adds to our value and knowledge, it helps us discover ourselves as writers." is so true - in the end I'm writing because I love it, and will continue to do so (I hope) no matter what happens.
ReplyDeleteRach
We are all right there with you Joanna.... Just keep on writing,
ReplyDeleteMichael
Hi Joanna,
ReplyDeleteI love this post, your confidence and your spunk. =)
This is my first visit to your blog. Nicetomeetcha. :)
First, you don't have to be qualified to comment on my blog! Comment as much as you want. Isn't it pretty clear I don't actually know what I'm doing? ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you have hope. I'm glad you have dreams and you believe every publisher will love your book. You NEED that. I need that (and had it). That hope is what gets you through the tough times. Yeah, it gets battered and beaten sometimes, but it's incredibly resilient.
Keep on writing and believing.
I read Natalie's post when it first came up and I have to say it was incredibly brave to put her heart out there to share with all of us.
ReplyDeleteOn my personal journey, I want to be published, but right now I'm taking the writing thing as a personal favor to myself. Allowing myself to write and learn the craft is my "me" time as a mom/wife/caretaker/employee/etc. I have to keep reminding myself that while being published would be a dream come true, the act of writing itself is also a dream come true.