Love While it Lasted

Well pffftttt. Bubble potentially re-inflatable but temporarily burst. I had my mojo working there for a while thinking I’d get this thing off to my top choice publisher and hear in 8-10 weeks. That’s what it says on their webpage submission guidelines. Send 20 pages and a cover letter.

Yesterday I bought a 2008 copy of Writers Market. Conflict.

For my chosen publisher, it says “send query first.” Nothing about unsolicited manuscripts.

Which is right? All-day meeting today, so I can’t send this thing off today as planned. And that’s a good thing: don’t want this much work to end up in the dead-manuscript pile at the PO.

Meanwhile, I’ll be thinking about how to turn this material I already have (images and text) into a presentation for future audiences, an alternative choice to Slow Road Home and the visual essay, Our Place in the World.

The Mac opens up new options for blending images and music/narration (vs Powerpoint before.) Wonder if iMovie does stills and transitions. Haven’t checked it out yet. If I have to purchase for this multimedia project, what? Ideas?

Writers Market. Depressing. Overwhelming. Typical: “Publishes 24 books a year, receives 3500 submissions. Six months to reply, then one year to publish. Author gets 7% royalty.”

Versus Self-publication (again): House devotes 100% attention to your book, publishes one book a year, no turn around time to reply. Publishes three weeks after book and cover files are submitted. Author makes minimum 2o% through Amazon or 70% direct sales.

More perhaps soon about the Amazon experience through Lightningsource. Mixed feelings here.

Share this with your friends!
fred
fred

Fred First holds masters degrees in Vertebrate Zoology and physical therapy, and has been a biology teacher and physical therapist by profession. He moved to southwest Virginia in 1975 and to Floyd County in 1997. He maintains a daily photo-blog, broadcasts essays on the Roanoke NPR station, and contributes regular columns for the Floyd Press and Roanoke's Star Sentinel. His two non-fiction books, Slow Road Home and his recent What We Hold in Our Hands, celebrate the riches that we possess in our families and communities, our natural bounty, social capital and Appalachian cultures old and new. He has served on the Jacksonville Center Board of Directors and is newly active in the Sustain Floyd organization. He lives in northeastern Floyd County on the headwaters of the Roanoke River.

Articles: 3007

2 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Was wondering how it went yesterday; sorry to hear all this.

    Still, Fred, it’s a good and important book. Send the dang query letter, why not? Altho… sounds like you might make out as well or better, given your sizable network, with self-publishing. Just don’t give it up…