I Have ReThought My Self Publication

After many months of editing to make my book perfect in my own eyes I had finally taken a much needed break and began writing again. During my break I went to a local grocery store and stumbled upon a book called The Full Moon Slayer, that was written by a hometown author. Seeing their book sitting in my local grocery store made me realize that I wanted it to be my book sitting there as well.

With self-publication you never know if your book will ever see a shelf. It becomes available as an eBook and for print on demand. It could never even sell one single copy. I have decided that I want the whole package and I'm not going to settle for less. I am going to find an agent to publish the book that I have worked so hard on, and that deserves to be sitting on that shelf in the hometown author's section.

So I got a new list of agents to query and I have been sending them out again. I am dedicated to this project now, even more than I was before. I am sure that this passion will also grow for the children's book that I have recently written. I know that my books are amazing, now I just have to learn how to prove it to those agents.

For any aspiring author out there seeking advice, all I have to offer is to tell you not to sell yourself short. If your book is good, make it great. If it's great make it amazing. Eventually someone will give you the chance to make your dreams come true, if you are willing to put the work into it.

Thanks everyone for reading and I hope all of the people affected by the tornadoes in Oklahoma and Kansas are safe and well.

The Decision Has Been Made, I'm Self-Publishing

I've made my decision and I'm now in the process of preparing my novel for self publishment. I have chosen to use Create Space as my self publishing company, because they offer entirely free self publishing. Then if I make a little bit of money from my book, for an additional 25$ I can open my book to a much wider range of selling options.

I'm happy with my decision because I no longer have to feel that feeling of disappointment everyday when I check my email. There are no more rejection letters and no more tedious query letters to send out. My life is much more stress free, and it leaves me with time to concentrate on my writing with no distractions.

This option might not be the best choice for everyone out there, and it is something that you have to weigh your options on. I will never know what might have been if I had decided to wait it out. My book might have gotten published traditionally, but then again it might have just sat on my computer forever. So everyone out there be sure to keep your spirits high and keep an eye out for Visions of Prophecy by Brooke Dorn. It will be available soon!

To Self Publish or Not? That is The Question.

Well it's been awhile since I got on my blog, but I'm thinking about taking a big leap. I'm really frustrated with the publishing market and self-publishing my novel seems like it might be the direction that I need to go. I've read tons of pages with people urging new authors to wait it out, but I don't think I want to wait anymore. I think it might be time to abandon ship and see if I sink or swim. Afterall I don't really have much to lose, except to not sell any copies of my book once I release it. As of today I'm seriously leaning towards self-publication.

The Silence of Waiting

I sent off another list of queries to different agencies recently and am now playing the waiting game again. It's strange how empty your inbox looks every morning when you log on anxiously to check for a response and find nothing. It's almost like throwing a rock into a pitch black pit with an unknown depth. You just sit next to the pit for what seems an eternity until you hear the thump that tells you that it has finally reached the bottom.

In the meantime to keep myself busy I have been reading books, editing my novel, changing my query letter, and writing book reviews. Also I have just recently started writing another fiction novel. I don't want to disappoint myself by thinking that my career as an author would be over simply because I can't seem to find a literary agent for the first thing I have ever written. So I will keep sending out feelers and waiting for answers while I make myself happy by writing another novel.

I'll end this by saying thank you for reading and for all aspiring authors out there, don't forget to give yourself a break from all the rejection once and awhile. Do something that will make you happy for awhile and then start trying again. Good luck everyone and good night!

Life is a Vicious Cycle

I recieved more rejection letters today. It seems to hurt just a tiny bit more when they all arrive in a bundle. Just the thought of all those impersonal rejection letters in my inbox makes me dread checking my email somedays. Still I must continue on and persevere. If I want my novel to stand a chance in the world of being published, I must continue to edit and query. Even when my rejection pile reaches three digits I still don't believe that I will be finished. Afterall there are many now best selling authors who have pile upon pile of old rejection letters sitting in their house.

On a happier note I have been able to put some of my creativity to use by writing some book reviews on http://www.readdreamrelax.com. It really is a great place to vent some creativity so if there are any readers or writers out there reading my blog, check the site out sometime. It really gives me a chance to clear my head somedays. Although I guess writing anything in general makes me feel that way sometimes.

As a final note I'm signing out with a passionate holler to every aspiring writer out there. No matter how many times you get rejected, just keep on trying everybody. Afterall it only takes one yes out of thousands of nos to change your life.

Thanks for reading everybody!

Fellow Readers Listen Up!

This post is slightly off topic from my usual but I found a great website that I want to get out there. The site is http://www.readdreamrelax.com This site is full of heartfelt book reviews from every genre. So if you are looking for the next great book to read it is a great site to check out.

It has not reached the recognition of all books but I have one review published there myself right now. So if you want some opinions on your next book choice before you shell out the cash, be sure to check it out!

My Journey Continued

I'm back again to continue my story on my quest for a literary agent.

As of today my novel and I are sitting at a standstill. I have been rejected by every agent that I have sent a query. Some of those agents have not even read a single page of my manuscript. I did recieve one request out of thirty to send five pages of my manuscript to an agent. Then I recieved the staggering blow of being rejected based on those five pages.

I emailed the agent again after my rejection to see if they could inform me what they found lacking in my novel. They did respond, but only to tell me that they did not have enough faith in my novel to push it foward. They thanked me but said that the business was too subjective for my work to be considered further.

I was grateful to know that I had at least gotten an agent to respond to my work, but still feel like I let myself down. I do not know what I need to do to make an agent read my sample chapters and say that's the one. I have immense pride in my novel and know that it deserves publication. If I could just find a way to make just one of those agents see what I see in my novel then there would be no problem. Still I know that they have to shuffle through thousands of queries everyday and are trying their hardest to earn a living every day. I do not blame the agents for my failure so far in the writing business. The novel is mine and if it is lacking a voice, then I must be lacking a voice somewhere in myself. There is nothing left to do in this journey but to keep sending out queries, and head back to the drawing board. I am passionate about my writing and I'm sure that the next time someone reads my novel there will be no aspect in which they will find it lacking.