...people say you should write the book of your heart, because love carries your story. But maybe a better word is faith. Because faith gets you through those hard times when no one in the world gives a flying flip about your book, and you get those rejections--my favorite is the one that came back on my original query with "NO!" written across it in big red sharpie--where it seems like the whole world is conspiring to shoot you down.
I kinda thought selling would be the ultimate high. Actually it was sort of a gut-clenching fear that something, somewhere, would go wrong. Like that dry-mouth you get when you think, yeah--any second--the other shoe will drop, and everything will vanish, and it'll be one step forward and two back.
Nobody said, "Oh, there'll be edits."
People said, "edits. *shrug*"
I have a bunch of manuscripts under my bed. (well, in my closet...) I think everyone does. Before I sold, I wrote and wrote, regencies and sci-fi, and mysteries and urban fantasy, and straight fantasy--all crap. I also have an erotica in my documents (on hold while I did my edits), and book two--now book four.
But, on top of writing feverishly toward the rough of Connor's book, nobody says things like, "oh, there'll be promo." or, "...maybe you should think about taxable deductions." I had this Joan Wilder vision of me, my laptop, a leetle bottle of vino and a pot of chocolate, celebrating Jen and Keegan's final fade out.
On the plus side--experience and a chance to build my name. On the flip-flop--"there'll be more edits."
I'm only to the second edit stage. There's still the "final" edit and the galley-proofs. I'm feeling the need for some See's.
2 comments:
I hear you. No one tells you that you'll have to know what "swag" is or that Yahoo groups will be hearing from you. No one mentions that there will be pathetic royalty checks for $2.49 for the first book because it takes a while for name recognition to kick down some cash.
And most of all, no one tells you that everyone other writer in the universe goes through the same stuff.
lol--yahoo groups. I know exactly what you mean. I'm kind of dreading my first check. It's gonna be nowhere near my share of the co-op ad. Maybe that's why the IRS took so long to get back to me last year. Writing is the only profession where you make nothing for YEARS, but still put out expenses and time, and then when something happens--people look at you funny because you don't walk into the Hummer dealership and plunk down cash.
...but, it's good to know I'm not alone. :)
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