I received an email from the nonfiction publisher yesterday. She sent very detailed notes about what they would like to see in my work. She also said, "We remain interested in your work, and see the promise of a great manuscript here." I was very excited. I wanted to run home and write my heart out, but real life got in the way. Stupid mortgage.
I started some actual writing on my nonfiction last night, and I got stuck. I think I was just tired, but my brain would not work. Constructing a sentence was like trying to split an atom. So, I pulled myself away from the screen, grabbed my notebook, and outlined what I was trying to say. I think I figured it out, and if I had time this morning, I could've fixed it. I'm not that lucky, though.
Nathan Bransford had another interesting post yesterday. He talks about goals and dreams and how sometimes, when dreams become expectations, you lose sight of what's really important or undermine the success you've already had. The first thing that came to my mind when I was reading that was, "That's easy for you to say, you've had a book published." But he does have a good point. Not everyone can be a bestseller. That's impossible. You've all walked into a bookstore, you know how many books are in there. Plus, you add in electronic books, there are literally millions of books out there. How do you stand out? How do you become a bestseller? Name recognition is a big thing, but if you're a new author, you have a lot of work to do. And most publishing houses don't want to take a chance on you. That's not to say it doesn't happen. My friend Tamara landed an agent, and I'm sure she'll land a fabulous publishing contract.
It got me to thinking about my own situation. Yeah, I would love to land an agent and see my books in Barnes and Noble or Hastings. Who wouldn't? I love to imagine that my stories become as popular as the Twilight series and get made into movies. But, I don't think that's going to happen. While there is a niche out there for zombie books, there isn't a market. Unless you're doing a mash-up, but I think those are starting to fade. Like my spouse said, just because my book doesn't make it big time, that's no reason to deny people reading it. It's better to have a few people read it and enjoy it than have it sitting in a drawer collecting dust. I have a publisher. Yes, they are small, but they believe in what I'm doing. It just got me to thinking: I have some decisions to make.
