Rejected

Well it finally happened. The response from the publishing houses was as expected- rejection. The funny part was the excuses given: "the story is familiar," or, "we have a similar story we are already working on." Now correct me if I am wrong, but aren't most stories similar in their root? And if one publisher already has one similar they are working on, they must have thought there was a market for it.... 

Nonetheless, I've been rejected by some of the big boys. Additionally, the agency I was using doesn't take first time authors, so they have decided that since no one took the book out of the 5 houses they tried, they don't foresee anyone else wanting it, so I lost my agency too. 

So, fortunately I have a friend who owns a publishing house. Granted it isn't Knopf, Simon & Shuster, or one of the other big guns, but punished is published. I will see this book in print in the not so distant future. Once it happens I intend to work on #2 in the series (already planned out) and try and sell about 7,000 copies of this first book. I am told that's the magic number. If we can sell 7k a bigger house will notice the title. They may purchase the publishing rights from my publisher- which will be of financial benefit to both of us- and then they will decide to sell it. 

So I give this tale to say: it ain't over. No fat lady singing here! Stephanie Meyers was rejected often. Jk Rowling was denied, and so was the author of "The Help." It's the business, and it is hard to break in. There's only a few who make it big fast, and like everything in my life I have to take the long road. When this book comes out however I expect my entire Facebook family to sell 7! That would mean instant notice!

Too busy!

With school starting up I have band camp, inservice, administrative days, and then actual school. I need to find a book to replace "ender's game" in my proposal, but don't have the time to do that right now. It bugs me to think that the proposal is not being shopped around right now because of this missing link. I just don't have time to fix it!

Ender's game was so perfect for a comparison, and the fact that it was being made into a movie increased the value of that work. I wish I could just leave it in there, but the risk of offending one of the people responsible for perusing proposals is too great. If one person stands in the doorway to the publishing world, I dare not give him the finger! 

Ender's Game

So I see that the movie "Ender's Game" is coming out.  I read this book WAAAY back in my childhood, and recall enjoying it.  I had to brush up on it a bit in my proposal.  I love the similarities in my thoughts and the author's in that we both have young protagonists, both have them going into a military-like training for extra-terrestrial warfare, and both have big burdens for protecting the planet.  My book series will go a bit into Earth's past as well as the future, and in comparison I am going a different way all together.  Getting published still is obviously the biggest hurdle, but I am not above the waiting game.

I see the static that is flying about the gay marriage issue for Orson Scott.  I would be inclined to ask "Why go there?" Does it play a role in the story line of your book? does it change or shape your main character? What relevance does the argument have on the good story you want to tell?

I watch lots of movies and read lots of books, and often I find myself disagreeing with actors, authors, or agencies, but the love of a good plot is just too ripe to become so idealistic I can't enjoy the story.  Ender's game was a good book.  I imagine it will be a good movie.  Why sour the milk with modern-day politics? Let's just enjoy the story for what it is.

Shopping....

So excited to get the "hurry up and wait," email. My agent says the proposal is off to a publishing house to see if there is interest. Fingers crossed.... But this part is supposed to take a while. 

A Tale of Two Headshots

Okay, so I was born with this birthmark on my upper lip.  I first noticed the thing when I was about 4 and I was jumping on my mom's bed and looking in the mirror at our house in Louisville, Kentucky. I remember that I thought I had been drinking Kool-Aid and couldn't get the stain off my lip.  After a while of trying to lick the thing off, I tried to wash it off.  Finally, I asked Mom about the Kool-ade and why it wouldn't get off my lip.  After she got done laughing she explained that it was a birthmark and wouldn't come off.  God put it there she explained.

There it is.  It doesn't bother me.  Teaching class kids ask me all the time, "What's that thing on your lip?" Or sometimes waiting tables a guest will say, "I use ______ (insert the name of a product) to get rid of those." To which I always reply, "that takes off birthmarks?"

Anyhow, one year in my 20's we got our picture taken for the church directory and they edited the thing out.  I thought I looked weird. I figured out it was missing pretty quickly, but it was too late, it was gone. 

Fast forward to now.  I am going to put my headshot in this proposal.... Will they think it was a birthmark? Gorbechev made a lot of fame with his birthmark after all.  Or will they think it is a cold sore that I failed to have edited out? Well, with that consideration my entire thought process changes and I decided to edit the thing out.  Most of them will probably reject me anyhow, so they will never meet me in person to discover it was missing to begin with! SO, after the photoshoot with Scott Shrecker (visit scottshcrecker.com if interested) I had him edit the thing out and here's the headshot I'm sending with my proposal:

Soooooo.  Does this say "buy my book" or what?

Head Shot

Apparently that doesn't refer only to a shot to the head, but also a photograph which I apparently need for this proposal.  It is a shame to have to fork out so much dough on the front end for something that may or may not take off, but I am about to drop a couple bills on some headshots with a fellow church member. 

I do like a lot of the photos on his webpage, and I would encourage you to check him out if you live in Nashville and are looking for a good photographer.

http://www.scottschrecker.com/

He's the best I know of and I suppose if I want the initial reaction to the proposal to be good I should try and include the best quality in stuff. I hope that is a good perspective as I go forward that yields good results because otherwise I am wasting money! (and as a school teacher with two kids in preschool that is a rarely located substance.)

Good News

Okay, Home now from Job #2 at Longhorn and I'm able to give you just a little more information. I finally heard back from my agent, and he has some areas of the proposal that need to be tweaked, but he is prepared to shop it to some publishing houses (YAY!) Makes me a little nervous as I continue to try and get the manuscript up to snuff.  I am excited because I am ready to tell the tale of "Stargazer" and getting book 1 into the hands of publishers is simply the first step on the journey.  I am grateful for the connections which have helped to make even this much possible, and I am anxious and excited to see what happens next.  If this does become a reality and someone publishes this book, PLEASE help me spread the word.  I am told to make it land on the big radars you need to get 7,000 sold.  The profit margin is small too, so it's not just simply sell a book and make money - it's sell a LOT of books. 

I would love to make money, but right not it's more important to tell the story than become the next J.K. Rowling. Everyone keep your fingers crossed and let's do this America! (And Europe, Africa, or any other region which is interested in the protection of our planet.)

Temptation to be impatient.

So a good friend of mine, and former roommate from college days (the details of which shall remain undisclosed to protect both reputation and the letters lambda chi and alpha) came to Nashville to run the country music half marathon last weekend. While it was great to visit with him, our topic quickly turned to his publishing business. While his company is still young and developing my likelihood of getting published is far greater with my friend rather than some anonymous publisher off in New York. On the flip side the volume of publications he has is far less than random house, McGraw hill, or scholastic to name a few- so is it worth getting published to get published, or better to wait patiently on my agent? This is frustrating to say the least. It's been months since I heard back from my agent, and I am starting to wonder if my book proposal has made it's way to the surface of his sea of proposals....

Just keep waiting....

Starting to wonder if my proposal is at the bottom of a HEAP. nothing so far. I'm starting to get antsy. A good college friend of mine owns a publishing company, and is coming to stay with me this weekend- so do I talk about my book or trust my agent will do something?

Still nothing

It's been a week since my last post. I'm still waiting for any sign of life. So far not much. My middle school band program did quite well this morning. As I labor through the stress of this week I find my mind preoccupied by the notion that the story I want told may never make it farther than my laptop. Waiting is a slow process.

Waiting game

While the eyes of much of the world are fixed firmly on the Vatican City, mine are pointed toward Washington, D.C. Not for this sequester business, which is on my mind, but rather because my agent's office is there in dc. I received an email recently that the proposal was in his stack of stuff, but who knows what that entails. I have visions of this leaning tower of dusty manuscripts and three-ringed-binders with tabs and paper clips sandwiched between post-its and dog-eared pages of other people's dreams of publication. Somewhere in that mountain rests my 64-page proposal for what could be the next Stephanie myer-esque blockbuster. No blood-sucking necessary, but hopefully my blockbuster will surface and make its way to a publishing house soon. In the meantime- the waiting game......

It's off!!!

Well, I finally sent my proposal to the agent. All that's left now it the crying I guess. I know the series will be of great interest and entertainment to kids of middle school age, so all that needs to happen now is someone with more clout than I ever had to agree with that point. It's daunting in some ways to send such an amateur and un-trained work off to an agent. So much of me thinks I have no business in the writing business, but I have so many stories I want to tell. This series is just on book 1 of at least 6 to finish telling this story, and I already have two others waiting to be told. It was refreshing to meet with an old friend of mine from college last Friday and tell him that I had written this book. In some ways it was reaffirming as it rolled off my tongue to state "I wrote a book." There wasn't much surprise from him- I guess because I have always loved to tell a story- but I enjoyed the element of saying "I wrote a book."

Now, I need to add to my phrase, "and someone wants to publish it!"

Going to send it

Ok, the teacher I have helping proof my book has not returned the las part of my proposal. More than likely it is perfectly fine, or has just minor typos, but being new to this book-writing thing I am paranoid that a publishing house will see a comma splice and fail to read the proposal. I am scared that the agent I am using may grow weary of my prolonged reply, so I am thinking I will send this proposal as-is and pray I have caught the errors. I am so tired of not making forward progress, and I know the story I am telling people will want to read, so why delay any longer? I am going to rip the band-aid off and send my proposal. Here's to hoping....

Lack of progress

This present lack of progress has me bummed. I am thinking about sending this proposal in without the last chapter vein run through the editor. It has already been through two other people, but my goal was to have the proposal sent by the end of the month- which is just a day away. Thoughts?

Back at the Hotel

Each year the students I teach audition for the All-Middle Tennessee Honor Band.  It is a tremendous honor to make this ensemble, and I am blessed to have 10 students who are placed in the group.  So, this time each year I travel to Murfreesboro and bring a load of students to rehearse, then perform.  For three hours at a time those students rehearse, then take a lunch break, then rehearse, then dinner, then rehearse, then bed.  They do it for three solid days. WHAT DOES THE DIRECTOR DO DURING THIS TIME?

Well, two years ago, I decided that this was the time to pull out my laptop and write. And so I did.  I popped out nearly ten chapters in the two weekends of midstate, and revised half my book this weekend last year. It is one of the most productive times for me. Alone. In the hotel.  Only Maria, the maid- who has a lovely Panamanian accent to her Spanish, interrupts me.  I don't mind the interruption because I have the opportunity to practice my Spanish, and enjoy hearing hers. Then back to the grindstone.

So WHAT TO DO THIS YEAR? I already have the book written.  Last night I revised the half of the proposal I received back from Mrs. White (an English teacher in the school I work.) I'm ready to start shopping this proposal.  I enjoyed hearing the positive comments from Mrs. White - she is sure this type of book will do well.  Loves my writing. Loves the snarky sense of humor for the protagonist. So, I don't know what to do. I am strongly considering getting Book 2 organized so that I could start writing it soon, but Book 1 isn't even published! What to do? Blog.

So, I promised to give some snippets of information about this book. I shall start with a bit of an introduction:

Gabriel Edwards. He's your typical 7th grade boy.  He likes video games, plays in the school band (of course) and is not yet up to date on how important a bath, deodorant, and a comb can be to a person.  He is the third of four children in the Edwards family.  His older brother Gavin is quite possibly the next Peyton Manning.  He has an arm for football, the moves of Michael Jordan on the Basketball court, and the speed of David Odonkor when it comes to soccer. He also happens to be every bit the typical Jock that most 7th grade band-type of kids have learned to loathe, so naturally Gabe is his brother's favorite punching bag.  He also has an older sister named Gwen, who just might hold the record for most simultaneous texts, Tweets, and Pinterest posts in the history of social media. She had no trouble joining the cheerleading squad when their family moved to Kansas, and now she is probably going to be Prom Queen, Homecoming Queen, and Mrs. Kansas all in one weekend.  Since it is not popular to have a 7th grade hygienically-challenged kid hanging around, she too doesn't spend a great deal of time with Gabe.  Then there is Ginny.  While only four-years-old she is already brilliant.  Her teachers all say so. (of course how brilliant are these competitors? They eat paste and can't remember where they are supposed to go to the bathroom!) Nonetheless, she is brilliant, and Gabe never gets enough of hearing about how smart his four-year-old little sister is. Never.

So, as you can see, Gabe will be a lot like those strange-smelling, funny-talking, game-playing twits you see scurrying about in the mall. You can imagine how easily he can find himself in trouble just navigating the social circles, so wait till he tries his luck navigating the cosmos!

I have really enjoyed getting to know Gabe, and I know you will too!