I have four books published (I’m not counting my self-published collection of short stories, since I did that more or less on a lark to see how hard self-publishing was in the electronic world. It turns out it is not that difficult at all) by three different publishers. My first one was from a tiny little outfit called Writers’ Exchange, which will always remain my first love. After all, they were the first ones to take a chance on me with A Muse of Fire. Forgive the ABBA reference. I moved from them to JournalStone, who took over the publishing of Vale of Stars. I had a good relationship with them, too, but just as I had moved on (and, forgive me, Writers’ Exchange, moved up) from my first publisher, so too did I move on and up from JournalStone.
Enter EDGE Publishing.
Still technically a small press, EDGE was (again, forgive me, JournalStone) a big step towards the Big Time. Spider Robinson, a relatively well-known figure in the science-fiction world, was affiliated with them. EDGE is a Canadian outfit, but have made inroads into America as well. They had a bit of a publicity department, and I worked with a wonderful publicist called Janice along the way. I enjoyed my experience with Beltrunner so much that I stayed with them for my next book, Silent Manifest (which had been titled Caretaker for much of its life).
Sadly, the second time around, the experience was far less enjoyable. There were delays on their end (I understand some of the reasons for some of them, and received some gracious apologies) and a far less aggressive approach to marketing. I’ve always felt that perhaps the people in acquisitions had bought something the marketing folks weren’t happy with and therefore treated the manuscript with--if not contempt, a somewhat dismissive approach. I can’t prove that, and perhaps I am being unfair, but the whole experience soured me on them.
In truth, I should have done what I did before--kept trying to move up in the publishing world. In some ways, I did that: several months ago, I conducted a massive blitz of agents, spending weeks researching and crafting query letters to dozens of agencies as I tried to shop my Moth trilogy. In every case, I was turned down. Without an agent, breaking into the Big Time is almost impossible (very, very few Big Time publishers will read an unsolicited manuscript, so it takes an agent to reach into those markets) but in order to get an agent, it seems like you already need to have made a name for yourself.
In short, the problem sure seems to be that in order to be really successful, one needs an agent. In order to get an agent, one needs to be really successful.
I’m sure agents would chafe at this assessment of the situation, but from where I sit, that’s very much the impression one gets.
So where to go from here?
I have a trilogy and a single-shot YA novel sitting on my metaphorical shelf, all written and ready to go.
I have a publisher in EDGE whom I suspect would take the manuscripts. I know that sounds hubristic, and after I have spoken ill of them it may appear unseemly to say such a thing, but there it is.
I’ve tried to look for agents for the trilogy but come up with nothing.
What to do?
Do I go back to EDGE, and hope that the third time around things go back to how they were with Beltrunner?
Do I keep forging upward, despite my lack of success, and keep writing, hoping I will hit the paydirt?
Do I stay with EDGE but make some demands, seeing as I’d be a third-time author for them? In other words, try and turn EDGE into something closer to the Big Time?
It’s a pickle. The business of writing is not something I’ve ever been fond of. Maybe that’s sour grapes, but I’d always had this romantic notion that a writer just writes and someone else takes care of all the little details like publishing and whatnot. That’s probably true for those writers at the absolute peak of their game, like a Stephen King, but for the rest of us mortals, making the sausage means dirtying up some aprons.
Be seeing you!
Enter EDGE Publishing.
Still technically a small press, EDGE was (again, forgive me, JournalStone) a big step towards the Big Time. Spider Robinson, a relatively well-known figure in the science-fiction world, was affiliated with them. EDGE is a Canadian outfit, but have made inroads into America as well. They had a bit of a publicity department, and I worked with a wonderful publicist called Janice along the way. I enjoyed my experience with Beltrunner so much that I stayed with them for my next book, Silent Manifest (which had been titled Caretaker for much of its life).
Sadly, the second time around, the experience was far less enjoyable. There were delays on their end (I understand some of the reasons for some of them, and received some gracious apologies) and a far less aggressive approach to marketing. I’ve always felt that perhaps the people in acquisitions had bought something the marketing folks weren’t happy with and therefore treated the manuscript with--if not contempt, a somewhat dismissive approach. I can’t prove that, and perhaps I am being unfair, but the whole experience soured me on them.
In truth, I should have done what I did before--kept trying to move up in the publishing world. In some ways, I did that: several months ago, I conducted a massive blitz of agents, spending weeks researching and crafting query letters to dozens of agencies as I tried to shop my Moth trilogy. In every case, I was turned down. Without an agent, breaking into the Big Time is almost impossible (very, very few Big Time publishers will read an unsolicited manuscript, so it takes an agent to reach into those markets) but in order to get an agent, it seems like you already need to have made a name for yourself.
In short, the problem sure seems to be that in order to be really successful, one needs an agent. In order to get an agent, one needs to be really successful.
I’m sure agents would chafe at this assessment of the situation, but from where I sit, that’s very much the impression one gets.
So where to go from here?
I have a trilogy and a single-shot YA novel sitting on my metaphorical shelf, all written and ready to go.
I have a publisher in EDGE whom I suspect would take the manuscripts. I know that sounds hubristic, and after I have spoken ill of them it may appear unseemly to say such a thing, but there it is.
I’ve tried to look for agents for the trilogy but come up with nothing.
What to do?
Do I go back to EDGE, and hope that the third time around things go back to how they were with Beltrunner?
Do I keep forging upward, despite my lack of success, and keep writing, hoping I will hit the paydirt?
Do I stay with EDGE but make some demands, seeing as I’d be a third-time author for them? In other words, try and turn EDGE into something closer to the Big Time?
It’s a pickle. The business of writing is not something I’ve ever been fond of. Maybe that’s sour grapes, but I’d always had this romantic notion that a writer just writes and someone else takes care of all the little details like publishing and whatnot. That’s probably true for those writers at the absolute peak of their game, like a Stephen King, but for the rest of us mortals, making the sausage means dirtying up some aprons.
Be seeing you!
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