it turned out a good chunk of my rejections gave me detailed feedback as to the whys before soft skull finally picked it up….but i did rewrites, some based on the feedback of rejection letters.

the consensus of three rejections were to lose the first 60 pages…which were very funny, felt like cutting off a limb, but they were absolutely right. those pages weren’t pushing the story forward and gave too much back story on a secondary character.

stuff i can reuse, but damn, every time i look at the final work, it wasn’t ready when i was submitting elsewhere.

and the big houses had a hard time figuring out the marketing aspect of a book about a jehovah’s witness kid…..no bookscan numbers to give them confidence.

btw, great piece susan.

I agree about the friends – there’s something about creative, strong-willed people who have been humbled and humbled and humbled again that appeal to me so much. Here’s to your publishing contract!

I’m the writer still working toward the publishing contract while watching other people get theirs, but I think it works way beyond the writer circle now that the Internet exists. I’ll admit some disgruntled bitterness the past few days while being inundated with media snippets of Sarah Palin on her book tour, interviewing with Oprah and Barbara Walters; how does this woman have a book out? Same with Tila Tequila.

But then I think that the Internet-beyond-the-writer’s-group is also what saves me from that bitterness, too. Because this is how I met guys like Greg and Jonathan, and Richard and Brad, and how can one begrudge writers who deserve it and put in the work? Living breathing examples that it’s tough but not impossible, and Palin and Tequila aren’t the only ones who can do it.

It’s generally more difficult to find success through talent rather than celebrity, but that success is probably more fulfilling.

I saw an article in Michael Cader’s Publisher’s Marketplace today that is a big wake up call to those of us who write literary fiction. I’ll paste the article here so you can check out these numbers:

How the NBA Nominees Have Fared
With the National Book Award winners due to be announced on Wednesday evening, we took a look at what the marketplace has had to say so far about the fiction nominees. Unfortunately, the NBA nominations themselves traditionally do not have a lot of impact on sales.

In both total sales to date as well as sales since the nominations were announced, Colum McCann’s LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN is the clear stand-out. With just under 2,400 copies sold in the last three full weeks as recorded by Nielsen BookScan, he has outsold the rest of the field combined (the other four titles have comprised under 1,900 copies in sales in all.) Running a distance second is the little-known AMERICAN SALVAGE by Bonnie Jo Campbell, published by Wayne State University Press, with a little over 600 copies sold over the past three weeks. (For comparison’s sake, bear in mind that Peter Mathiessen’s Shadow Country, last year’s fiction winner, had sold approximately 6,000 copies in hardcover prior to winning the award.)

Here are the approximate sales to date of the five nominees via outlets tracked by Nielsen BookScan:

LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN, by Colum McCann 17,200 copies
LARK AND TERMITE, by Jayne Anne Phillips 15,250 copies
IN OTHER ROOMS, OTHER WONDERS, by Daniyal Mueenuddin 8,750 copies
FAR NORTH, by Marcel Theroux 1,275 copies
AMERICAN SALVAGE, by Bonnie Jo Campbell 1,100 copies

And, yes, I am jealous of other’s success, but know I’m going to make it. Just keep moving toward the future, the Holy Grail, the End.

Great to see you here.

I’m still celebrating your novel contract–quietly, as it gives me hope for myself. As you know, I’m a fellow traveler walking this long road you’ve described so well. As for Ruby Cup, I can’t wait to read all of it. Your first chapter was astonishing and stunning.

Wonderful post as always.

Jessica

As for envy, the only writers to be jealous of are the 200 or so (in Evison’s estimate) who can make a decent living just writing fiction. But then, many of those 200 are of the Dan Brown variety. Is it better to be a good and respected writer and have a second job, or an insanely wealthy writer who is the laughingstock of the literary community?

Congrats on the book, Susan. Well deserved, and you’ve done so much with your time waiting that it’s sure to be a great success.

G

Sword raised! (And speaking of Neil, was spooky to hear about the accident. I’m glad he’s okay!)

To battle then, eh? Let us raise our swords, you and I, and vanquish those two dastardly creatures.

I am looking forward to reading THE RUBY CUP in September.

Best,
BB

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And Sue! Love seeing LitPark here. A fabulous liftoff and a huge thrill to have you in the mix.

I broke a longterm writer’s block recently. It was so bad I couldn’t even read anything. I wanted to give it up cold turkey, reading and writing that is, but my writer friends got me up and back in the saddle with encouraging words of support and empathy. We all need that kind of support sometimes.

The blogs you share about writing ups and downs are vital for anyone in the game. Folks need to hear that it’s not magic or luck but that it’s a job with certain traits that totally suck. Thanks for sharing, S. I’ve been reading you for years and look forward to many more years to come.

Can’t wait to see how the relationship between LitPark and TNB develops in this next evolution!!!

(and as you well know, I have you & LitPark to blame thank for introducing me to TNB in the first place!)