Can’t sleep. Too many things about the book and the PR campaign and the press and the catalog and the website and the cover and the editing of the book trailer and the SEO guy and the design for print and the design for ebook and the bio, get it right, and what about that and that and that…too many things on my mind…
Here in a French restaurant somewhere in Chicago. We are about to see a comedy show. It’s my second time in Chicago and I have to see comedy. Last time I got tickets to second city but they were sold out. They weren’t so well known then. Well, they are now. And like Second City I hope, no I know, Alikai Press will be infamous. Infamous for empowering writers and readers. My partner and I met with the PR Agency we are using, a beautiful and brilliant team. We also met with the small press distributor we hope to use. We are going for 7 titles this year. Ambitious? Crazy? Probably. But what the heck. It’s like with kids-1or7 same difference. Okay, so maybe with 7 you need a reality show to support them. Well, that’s an idea. Would anyone watch a reality TV show about two women starting their own press because they’re fed up and not going to take it any more? I would. Well, for half a season anyway. So, back to New York in the morning, but I have to say it—my kind of town, Chicago is…
It understands me?!
five in the morning and I can’t sleep so I decided that I would test out this new voice recognition app seems pretty amazing but it’s probably a little dangerous because if you think I’m the tangent Queen when I write, I’m the tangent emperor when I talk
“Rejection is selection.” when I first heard this I thought, “you’re damn right!” It made feel better about all those editors who had turn down my book because “it wasn’t right for their list.” They weren’t rejecting me. They weren’t rejecting my book. We just weren’t the right match. But I’d find the right match. The perfect match. After all, I did once. A editor selected my book. It was perfect for their list. So that fell through, but there would be another editor, another perfect match. Just like there were other boyfriends after Anthony. I was thirteen. He was eighteen. A very young eighteen. So young that my parents didn’t flinch when I said that Anthony was sixteen. In fact, after meeting Anthony a few times, called me into his room and said, “I think your friend is lying about his age.” I stood there staring into my father’s grey eyes, trying not to flinch.
“That’s right,” my father continued, “not a day over thirteen.”
“That’s not true,” I shouted and ran out of my father’s room. I was more upset that my father called the boy I loved a liar, than I was relieved that he didn’t figure out the truth.
I guess something doesn’t have to be true to hurt.
Grandma
There was a time if you published your own book, the only person who would buy it is your grandmother. Today you can actually get a whole bunch of grandmothers to buy your book. And if you work very very hard and you tell enough friends, and they tell enough friends, and they all tweet, you may get a whole bunch grandchildren to buy your book too.
The back story to this story
I figure before I start sharing all that’s happening now with my moving ahead to publish my book under my own imprint, I should share the back story. I think this note posted on facebook will give an idea of what led me to becoming a Rebel by Accident—
Publishing House for sale and my book is back on the market
by Patricia Dunn on Monday, July 18, 2011 at 5:08pm
Well, many of you have been following my publishing journey these past few months, so here’s the latest: signed the contract, Barnes and Nobel rep and the ALA people love it. A book that takes place during the Egyptian Revolution that’s well written with strong characters is something they want. Finalized the title and my wonderful editor/publisher tells me that she’s going to recommend it for a National Book Award. All is wonderful. Then at 12:30 this afternoon my editor/publisher sends me an email informing me that the president of the company is selling the business. The parent company isn’t doing as well as it once did. All production has stopped. No fall list. My book will not be published by this press.
So, my agent and I will start again. I have to say that working with an editor/publisher who believes in me and my work was an amazing experience. One I will cherish forever. I also made a great friend in the process. Yes, I am disappointed and don’t know whether to cry or scream or both, but all is not lost yet.
Maybe there was no homerun this time, but we did manage a triple play. And maybe the next time we will hit it out of the park. No, I’m not a baseball fan, but I have watched enough of it to know that the only way you stay in the game is to work your ass off and never give up. GO METS!
For all of you struggling out there with your writing, maybe I should tell you to give up now and save yourself the heartache, but I won’t. You have to keep writing and holding on to the faith. It will happen. It just may not happen the way you expect. But it will. This I know is true.
