Brick Walls

I'm going to paraphrase Randy Pausch, the late author of "The Last Lecture," who wrote that brick walls were not put in our way in order to stop us. They are put in our paths so that we can prove how badly we want something. The brick walls are to stop other people, those who don't want it as much as we do.

The recession has hit the publishing world much like it has hit everything else. Although people have not stopped reading, the ways they are reading has been affected. Smaller publishers have gone under, digital publishing is on the rise and long established authors are losing their publishing contracts. All-in-all, it is not the most favorable time to be getting into the book game as an unknown, particularly if I am writing a book that doesn't have HOME RUN written all over it.

In my last post, I didn't mean to make it seem like I was floundering around in what is wrong with my book. Not that there isn't plenty of room for improvement (there's always places to do better, and I hope to never stop learning), but by and large, I think the issue is timing and the fact that I am not trying to sell an obvious bestseller. In answer to some of the comments about showing the manuscript to published authors, etc., have done and also have more lined up to take a gander.

What strikes me as interesting about the rejections is that one person said to me that I should change the focus from a growth and redemption story to more of a mystery (er, no), another said alcoholism wasn't going to sell in today's market (um, to who? the actively alcoholic publishers who aren't keen on abstaining in an economic downturn?). Another said that this sort of story was absolutely saleable in this sort of market, she just didn't connect to the actual execution of my novel the way she thought she should (no snappy comeback... just *ouch*).

In other words, opinions are like....

Personally, I think this story, which is fiction rather than memoir, has a bigger market than most of the publishing world realizes. How compelling I've made the story is another question, but I think I've done a decent job. But I also believe that until I became part of the recovery community, I had no concept of how immense it is or how hungry I was for more information and relatable characters until I was there. Unless I am tapping into the right people, these agents I have been contacting might not understand that there are many of us out there looking for this sort of story.

Of course, I could be wrong.

To quote from literary agent Barbara Poelle's blog post on the state of the industry (and I have not queried her, in case you're wondering, and therefore is not guilty of any of the beforementioned rejections):

"No, really. Why am I eating my feelings and crying? Well, because last week, a colleague of mine was going out with a brilliant manuscript and was told by an editor, 'The writing is amazing, but amazing writing isn’t enough.'

AMAZING. WRITING. ISN’T. ENOUGH."

My mission is to figure out what sort of pretzel I need to twist myself into to make this process work for me. But one solution is not making this first novel into a friggin mystery. The fact is, this book is the only full-out recovery story I am likely to write. My other books have been suspense novels, and while I'm sure recovery will make cameos in one way or another in my books, this current manuscript is the book of my heart. I have other stories in me. If great writing isn't all that it takes to succeed, I damn well will figure out what else I need to do.

What it all comes down to is timing and whether I am ready to persist. That brick wall is not for me.

Comments

[A. Miles]

Geezum, I hear you keeping your wits about you. It is frustrating to take on an invisible, 8 headed institutional monster.

Have you written to any authors whose recovery stories have been published?
Good Luck and maintain peace in heart.

P.s. YOU are right and they are WRONG. The recovery community is EVERYWHERE.

[Syd]

Maybe publishing is no different than any other aspect of work, it's a club and to be a member you have to know someone. I've found that true in my work. Networking, which you have been doing, is important. But actually having a champion on the inside is essential. It took years for me to build up my reputation after the Ph.D. I write grants and proposals for scientific research. Luckily, I have been successful at it.
It sounds as if you are doing the right things of going to workshops, talking to agents, etc. Are there any authors that you know or could talk to who might want to help champion your book? I don't know how the world of big publishing works so these may be terribly naive suggestions.

[Kristin H.]

The first thing I thought about when reading this post is that your manuscrupt isn't going anywhere, but a lot of rejectors are. They will move from publishing house to publishing house, retire, quit, get fired, go into rehab ;) And they will one day be replaced by the one individual (all it takes is one!) who absolutely sees the promise in your book. Kind of like that house that sits on the market for a while and then one day, after months (maybe years) the right person comes along and falls in love with it.

You know deep down that it is good. Don't stop believing that.

[Cat]

Judith I feel your determination in this post. You will do this!

[Cat]

"You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist."
Isaac Asimov

I thought of you.

[Steve E]

Wow...Cat, Kristin, Syd, and "Geezum" (A Miles!) all have a handle on what you're doing. I do not.

I only know that for me there are two kinds of walls. The wall to which you refer is constructed by outside force or forces. Whether in music (symphony playing) or mopping floors (McDonald's), that was not my issue.

My problem forever, was/were the walls I myself built--so well, so formidable--which kept me from frightful advancement, fearful achievement, and terrifying responsibility, in career, in life, in my heart, in my soul.

Those self-erected walls for me are no longer...they are now in shambles. I fear neither life, nor death, nor yesterday, nor tomorrow. And CERTAINLY not today! That is what "working-and-living" this wonderful program of Alcoholics Anonymous has done for me.

I feel with certaintly the program is working for you, J, and that those outside walls will crumble also...with patient progress, productivity, and prayer.

Love to you, my Blog-Friend.
Steve

[always carol]

Something I read in the last few months got it start as a self published 'book'. Is that desktop publishing? Is it more important to get your story out there or to make a commercial success?

[Patrick]

Persistence and determination are the themes I am reading here, along with the actions necessary to be successful like your workshops. Keep at it!