Friday, May 24, 2013

Depressing myself

I had another rejection today. It was for novel 2 and my hopes for it had increased the longer they kept it. I should know better.

But what I realised, a little later after opening the email, was that I hadn't expected it to be good news. There was nothing about the email - before opening - that yelled REJECTION but I was ready for it. It occurs to me that I have lost faith in my writing. Maybe not lost faith in my writing but definitely lost any expectation of it being published.

And then I started to really depress myself ... what if, what if I'm not a writer? I've never won any prizes or acclamation, so maybe I'm just fooling myself. I'm not really any good at writing stories. There are some things I know - I think - I can write but maybe fiction just isn't among those things. 

My self-published novel was received very well but maybe that's because it was a) mostly people who know me reading it, and b) too close to the truth to be true fiction.

On the other hand Friday seems to be a popular day for sending out rejections. Maybe agents reach the end of a week, see the pile of manuscripts they haven't read getting bigger and reject them all out of hand, to clear their desks before the weekend. Yes, that's much better reasoning. I can cope with that.

11 comments:

Rose said...

Liz, even if this novel doesn't get published--and I hope it will--you should be very proud of having completed it. I'm still on page 1 of my novel:) Seriously, every time I think of a great premise for a novel, I remember one I've already read with that same idea. I just keep getting discouraged and putting off writing. So I admire you for accomplishing such a daunting task!

Betty said...

Don't ever tell yourself you can't write. You certainly can. I read and liked your first book and I happen to be very particular. And, I have never met you, so I don't have to say I liked it if I didn't. So, there!

Anonymous said...

Hi Liz, Anonymous here.

Why not publish novel #2 to Kindle and Createspace while you wait back on real-life publishers?

I would recommend putting together a simple, but effective launch plan (the one you had for novel #1 started well but fizzled out, a steady flow of content for a prolonged period works best) including:

- Blog posts about novel #2 amongst your current ones

- A downloadable sample chapter as a PDF with a link to buy the full book at the end.

- Several short chapter readings for YouTube - no longer than 5 mins each, with a link to the book in the description. Unlike before, stand up or sit looking right into the camera to connect with the viewer. Be in a light space :)

- Local book readings and promo events (people enjoyed and welcomed you last time, so I'm sure they would again).

- A 5-day free promotion on Kindle - spread the word on your blog, Goodreads, social media, and on free book sites at least a week in advance (get someone to do the latter for you for $5 at fiverrdotcom). Remind people daily.

- A book giveaway via Goodreads - FANTASTIC for exposure - and one on your blog.

With a little preparation and a steady marketing plan from the off, I KNOW you can make novel #2 a success, and even get more sales of novel #1 off the back of it. What do you think? :)

Anonymous said...

... And maybe a publisher is more likely to see the potential in your work if it has sold well as an e-book. :)

I'm sure all of your readers here will support you and spread the word too.

Liz Hinds said...

Thank you Rose and betty!

Who are you, anonymous?!! I'm starting to imagine you as the Lone Ranger! But thank you for the encouragement too!

Anonymous said...

Been there, done that...
Apart from a short story in a SF mag and two bike tests in Bike, my novel might as well be a door stop.
Meri worked hard last year to get get it to Harper Voyager but after months they said NO.
Hey ho.

Furtheron said...

Don't lose faith. Your first book was good my wife lent it to others who loved it. When she told them it was self published they didn't believe her they considered it as good as others. Didn't Harper Lee get 100's of rejections for to kill a mocking bird?

mrsnesbitt said...

Ooooooooooooooooooooh Anonymous!!!!

Damien said...

Hi,
I have just come across your site liz-and-harvey.blogspot.com and would be really interested in chatting to you further about some advertising opportunities and partnerships that would be mutually beneficial for us.
We work with a wide range of publishers in your niche and would like to also begin working with you.
Please get in touch if you would be interested in discussing possible partnerships.
Look forward to hearing from you soon,

Trubes said...

I loved your first book, it was well written and very witty, so don't give up Liz....Mary Wesley wasn't successful, after many attempts, to reach critical acclaim until she was in her seventies.....so you're only a 'girl' yet!

Di..xx

Liz Hinds said...

If you're like me, aileni, the publishers keeping it a long time raises my hopes - even though I know it's not indicative of anything except a lot of submissions on their desks!

Thanks furtheron and Di!