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Or, transparency and object lessons for others...
One of my goals in novel writing, since my first novel, is to bring together my two favorite kinds of novels in one, melding the page turner with the lyrical love of language novel. Since some of the reviews for The Z Radiant called it a page turner while others liked its lyricism, I felt like I was somewhat successful.
What I wasn't successful at was writing a book that an agent took up and that then got a big publisher treatment and distribution. I was only sending The Z Radiant out to small presses that took electronic subs when it was accepted, and only because every time I looked at the ms to consider shelving it, I thought, no, I like this novel, I want people to read it.
Some small presses do really well by their authors, others, well...it's still awesome to be paid for your first novel, to see it published, and to see it go out in the world--even if it's mostly to libraries. I mean, hey, libraries, we love them. And getting good books that big publishers overlooked out to libraries and elsewhere was the stated mission of Five Star, so I had nothing to complain about.
I did complain about the cover, because 1) I tried very hard (and politely) to give them input, suggestions, etc., but they went with a very boilerplate thing that was blatantly at odds with the kind of book it covered, and told me it was too late when they finally let me see the cover. (I cried.) More than one reviewer opined that the cover actually killed the book. And really, if I was a reviewer with piles of books to review and I didn't know me or my writing, that cover would have put me off, too.
I don't blame the press; the editor who bought the book was gone by the time cover decisions came around, and I think the editor who inherited it probably didn't read it.
Should I have stopped sending the book out before it got picked up? Been less polite about cover ideas/input? I don't know. It's hard not to feel bitter sometimes, like my novel writing career was spavined before it got going. It probably doesn't help that my second novel is another SF, far future tale set in the same larger universe as The Z Radiant. I will shelve that one if I can't get it agented or get interest from a small press with real cred. I feel good about the alternate earth in the 1600s fantasy I'm working on now, but not so good about my career. Bitterness is pointless, of course, but I sure do wish the publishing industry would treat my work better.
Oh well. Onward, for that is all there is to do.
I have a collection of stories to market as well, The Arcana of Maps, originally put together for Deb Layne at Wheatland Press; she was going to publish it this year, but Wheatland Press is still on hiatus and she's released the collection. Onward.
*
Got the cats a rolling food dispenser, this thing; preliminary results: it's a good idea. They like it, it keeps them active all together as a little pack batting it around and eating one or two pieces of kibble as they shake them loose. I lessened their morning feed to balance it out.
*
I haven't watched it yet, but Heartless: The Story of the Tin Man, up on Tor.com, looks interesting.
The seond half of Meghan McCarron's "We Heart Vampires!!!!" is up at Strange Horizons, here.
Apparently, even the OED can be wrong; the dictionary definition of "siphon" has been wrong for 99 years.
One of my goals in novel writing, since my first novel, is to bring together my two favorite kinds of novels in one, melding the page turner with the lyrical love of language novel. Since some of the reviews for The Z Radiant called it a page turner while others liked its lyricism, I felt like I was somewhat successful.
What I wasn't successful at was writing a book that an agent took up and that then got a big publisher treatment and distribution. I was only sending The Z Radiant out to small presses that took electronic subs when it was accepted, and only because every time I looked at the ms to consider shelving it, I thought, no, I like this novel, I want people to read it.
Some small presses do really well by their authors, others, well...it's still awesome to be paid for your first novel, to see it published, and to see it go out in the world--even if it's mostly to libraries. I mean, hey, libraries, we love them. And getting good books that big publishers overlooked out to libraries and elsewhere was the stated mission of Five Star, so I had nothing to complain about.
I did complain about the cover, because 1) I tried very hard (and politely) to give them input, suggestions, etc., but they went with a very boilerplate thing that was blatantly at odds with the kind of book it covered, and told me it was too late when they finally let me see the cover. (I cried.) More than one reviewer opined that the cover actually killed the book. And really, if I was a reviewer with piles of books to review and I didn't know me or my writing, that cover would have put me off, too.
I don't blame the press; the editor who bought the book was gone by the time cover decisions came around, and I think the editor who inherited it probably didn't read it.
Should I have stopped sending the book out before it got picked up? Been less polite about cover ideas/input? I don't know. It's hard not to feel bitter sometimes, like my novel writing career was spavined before it got going. It probably doesn't help that my second novel is another SF, far future tale set in the same larger universe as The Z Radiant. I will shelve that one if I can't get it agented or get interest from a small press with real cred. I feel good about the alternate earth in the 1600s fantasy I'm working on now, but not so good about my career. Bitterness is pointless, of course, but I sure do wish the publishing industry would treat my work better.
Oh well. Onward, for that is all there is to do.
I have a collection of stories to market as well, The Arcana of Maps, originally put together for Deb Layne at Wheatland Press; she was going to publish it this year, but Wheatland Press is still on hiatus and she's released the collection. Onward.
*
Got the cats a rolling food dispenser, this thing; preliminary results: it's a good idea. They like it, it keeps them active all together as a little pack batting it around and eating one or two pieces of kibble as they shake them loose. I lessened their morning feed to balance it out.
*
I haven't watched it yet, but Heartless: The Story of the Tin Man, up on Tor.com, looks interesting.
The seond half of Meghan McCarron's "We Heart Vampires!!!!" is up at Strange Horizons, here.
Apparently, even the OED can be wrong; the dictionary definition of "siphon" has been wrong for 99 years.
