As all my regular readers now know (because I bang on about it constantly), this blog is here because I am determined to help others to survive the horrors of mental illness and I have an important book that I am trying to get published.
I have now been submitting synopses, query letters, sample chapters and book proposals for months but although I've had loads of compliments and positive feedback, I still haven't got it through the publishing door.
I am not self-publishing!
After surviving the impossible and crafting it into 130,000 words (well over 200,000 if you include the blog too), I really do not see why I should pay for the privilege of sharing it!
Apart from anything, having lost everything to the illness, and since I still have to pay a private doctor to keep me well, there really aren't any funds to do this!
So, the long and the short of it is that I am going to have to try even harder to get my manuscript under the right nose and into the right publishing house!
I will not be discouraged!
Responses from the literary world
There are some common one-liners that these agents and publishers are coming back with such as:
"This isn't right for our list at the current time"
or
"Thank you so much for submitting your powerful writing, but the editorial team are working on a similar project to yours right now"
What they really mean of course is:
"We don't have the balls to take on your book because we have no proof of sales with a first time author and this is a business that needs to make money..."
So, basically I need to prove that my book will sell before it gets published and the only way to do this is to have a ready-made audience through followers and subscribers on social media...
SO! The long and the short of it is, that even though I would MUCH prefer to be able to sit behind my computer writing away, if I am going to get published I am going to have to be more visual...
So, I have decided that spending a bit of money on a video editor and some time on creating videos is probably a good avenue to explore to see if I can drum up some more interest, then I can go back to the last agent who rejected me saying that I needed 'at least 10,000 followers' and say:
"I have 30,000 fricking followers!! Now will you help me?!!'
It's basically all about - how many truck loads of books can we sell? - rather than - will this book help people and potentially save lives?
This does make me sad, BUT I will do anything if it means helping others so am going to keep churning out videos and doing my damnedest to get noticed!!
Calling all loyal readers!
I need you all more than ever!
Please share the YouTube video that the amazing Sam Skeggs and I produced this week on the subject of How to Help the Suicidal Person.
It is vitally important that we all know what to say to the person in crisis as you never know when it will be your turn to save someone and very often there is only one opportunity.
Saying the wrong thing can easily tip them over the edge so it is IMPERATIVE that we are ALL prepared and to know what to say.
Please share, subscribe, like and spread the below video so that others can reach me too!
Thanks for all the support it is so appreciated!
Speak to you soon,
TR
Comments