Ripples

So we’re on track.

I’ve begun sending the manuscript out to agents, and so far the return time seems to be around 4-6 weeks, which seems pretty reasonable to me. Finding agents is tough, and I’m prepared for rejection letters, but there is a big part of me that, I think objectively, is going to be very surprised if I can’t find someone to represent me quickly. I don’t claim to be Hemingway, but honestly, this is a pretty good book.

After the last round of major editing, I went back through and did some fine tuning, and I really don’t think there’s much else I can add/polish/shine on this thing. I do suspect that I’m going to want to change something every time I read through it, but I want to know that when it’s published and people are buying it, that I don’t flip through it and find something I secretly wish I’d change. Honestly though, it’s about as clean as it gets, and I’m pretty proud of what I’ve done with it. Of course, writing a book, and publishing a book are two very different things, and it’s a long road to go from here. But I’m hopeful.

Writing has never been a catharsis for me. A lot of writers talk about “sitting down at the keyboard and bleeding”, as Hemingway said, just really pouring your soul out onto the page. But that’s never been the case with me. It’s work! It’s hard work, usually. It’s fun to create, but I really have to think about it most of the time, it doesn’t just flow, and it isn’t a “release”. It’s production. It’s creating and assembling, not a spiritual explosion. Maybe that means I’m a bad writer? Hmmm.

Anyways, I’ve given myself until December to secure an agent, and after that I’m going to go with the Amazon self-publishing route. I mean, maybe I should just do that anyways? It can’t hurt, right? And it’d be exciting to know that in just a couple of days, my book could be circulating the interwebs, being downloaded and read. Cause that’s the dream, isn’t it? And I just read that physical book sales were down 12% from last year, and that in 2012, e-book sales surpassed physical sales for the first time. I suppose it was inevitable, but… that’s still pretty big.

Barnes and Noble is the last retail book seller standing, and even they’re closing down shops around the country. If they go, then… where will we buy physical books? Local book stores? I suppose that’s always possible, but seems more likely people might just buy them and have them shipped from Amazon. That’s what I usually do anyways. Call me hypocritical, but I’d still like for you to find my book in B&N and pick it up off the shelf.

There may not be a shelf to pick it up from before too long.