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After six months of the complete cyber insanity that was the Next Best Celler contest, I took a little hiatus. I didn't update any of my stories on textnovel, I didn't haunt twitter or facebook like I had. I reconnected with my husband, my kids, and my friends in the most traditional of ways. I met them face to face.
As all of you fellow writers know, that got old, fast.
So, to further my writing career, I sat my butt down and made myself an honest to goodness author website (http://www.robinwriting.com). It's quite bare bones at the minute, but heck, so is my writing career.
I also finished my first short story, BACK ROADS, and with the help of the marvelous and clever Saranna DeWylde (who also happens to be one freaking awesome editor), I polished it up and began a search for a home. BACK ROADS isn't a romance. It isn't even paranormal. It is Dark Horror--horror that is driven by the craziness of the human psyche.
I may have made a mistake. It isn't a story from the genre I'm interested in working it, paranormal romance. however, this is my thought: It may be a good way to cut my teeth in the business. I can find my way around, get to know the path. Also, if it gets rejected, I won't be totally crushed.
Yeah. That is a biggie.
So, what do you think of my choice to get into the action using a work that isn't what I usually write? Know this, as well, I am not completely sure if I don't want to write horror. It's kinda sick, but it comes easy to me. This may be the path I was destined to take. That's the glory at being so new at this: I have room to move. I could always combine genres, which is my plan for HUNTER'S MOON--a horror romance.
Wish me luck. I submitted BACK ROADS to a publisher of ebooks and audio broadcasts. Again, I'm just testing the waters, so a small independent publisher was my aim, but not necessarily of print books. Unfortunately, I have to wait for either an acceptance or a decline, which could take as much as 6 months. 6 months that it has to sit on a shelf until someone tells me otherwise. Lesson 1 in publishing: You can't show everyone your goods.
So, like Shannon has told us about the publishing world, things happen slowly, but while I'm waiting, waiting, waiting, I'm gonna get everything out of this experience I can.
Happy Holidays!
4 years ago
10 comments:
Congrats on getting into the game, Robin! Judging by Fae Nights, I'm expecting big things from you.
Rock on with your bad self, Robin!
I'm in the minority that is going to say, “To hell with the author brand.” (Please hold the rotten tomatoes until I'm done, kay ;-)
My first “sale” was the editorial, Navy Wife: Toughest Job in the Navy, to a small San Diego women’s magazine. I was “paid” in contributor copies, I.E., I got a bunch of free newsprint magazines from the other side of the country.
Next up was Worth the Wait a short Contemporary Romance less than 20 K to Freya’s Bower an ebook erotica publisher. The label for that story warns “Heat Level Rating: Tangy for use of the C word.”
My grandmother would be so proud.
Having an editor, the fabulous M.E. Ellis, who worked for both Freya’s Bower and the sister house Wild Child Publishing, was my in for Laundry Hag, a cozy mystery where all the lovin’ happens behind closed doors.
The point?
Write what you love, let others worry about genre. Those publishing credits, no matter how small, will help you build your resume, which when you have a full manuscript spit-shined and ready to go, will then push you to the top of the slush pile and make editors and lit agents look twice. See thought bubble, hey, this one is serious about writing!
Play the game by your rules, babe. You're a hell of a writer and I will read anything you put out there, genre be damned.
Loose your produce now on the sacrilege.
And I totally second on the awesomeness of Saranna DeWylde's editing.
Oh, and would you all be so kind as to stop over at the Laundry List and say hey to RLB Hartmann, my guest blogger 4 today?
Crap! I forgot to post Wed. See, I was too busy editing. *hangs head in shame* Now I have to eat three spoons of Nutella to pay for my poor behavior.
Anyway... YOU GO. Don't limit yourself by genre, or pigeonhole yourself with what other people might think of your work. Cross genre is where it's at. IMO, anyway.
I could just be biased because I'm a horror author too. You might need two pen names to avoid brand confusion, but as an artist, because that's what you are, you paint with your words, you have to write the story that's there.
It's great to see you sticking your toes in the water. It's a kick-ass story and I expect further great things from you.
In addition, I couldn't be a good editor unless you'd given me something great to start with. I was just the midwife, you did all the pushing. *g*
Have you checked out www.ralan.com? There are lots of calls for horror anthos and such. Paying markets, for the love, it's a huge listing.
Gail: If I use the Pen name I've been thinking, we'll be on the shelf next to each other! Thank you for the vote of confidence--it means a lot to me.
Jenn--Tangy for the use of the c word, huh? Actually my grandma would most likely have loved it. She was a big fan of the naughty bits in romance novels. She helped aid me in my insatiable thirst for them when I was a kid. Thank you for applauding my decision not to conform to a genre. I can't conform to eating breakfast in the morning, I can't imagine doing so when it came to something as big and important as what I like to write.
Saranna--I wouldn't worry about skipping over yesterday, and same goes for Gail tomorrow. You all have some important things going on, Dorchester choosing the top 5 tomorrow being the least of them. Take some time off you nutters!
Yep, I'm in the baby pool of publishing. Gods, I hope no one splashes!
Don't worry about the splashers, a little water won't hurt you. I'd worry about those who pee in the pool. :) But you'll be fine. It's okay to be confident. That doesn't mean that you're not open to learning, but you have to believe in yourself like the rest of us believe in you. xoxo
I agree with everything Jennifer Hart said :-)
I did most of my writing in my earlier years in scifi/fantasy. Got into paranormal romance almost accidentally, and my current WIP is an Urban Fantasy. But I also have a mystery and a YA tucked away to work on someday. Lots of folks branch out. I think you are off to a great start. The only thing you should do differently is to GO TO RT so you can celebrate my birthday and start sucking up to --er...meeting...editors, agents and other authros!
Congratulations, Robin. On the website, the writing, resisting the lure of twitterdom....um..how *did* you pull that one off? :)
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