THE NEXT CHAPTER – Next Step
You never know where you're going till you get there.
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Just returned from a bright and bracing sojourn in Chicago, one of my first actions was to carefully read, sign, scan, and return an actual publishing contract from Holand Press for my novel A WOMAN OF AGENCY (working title). Preparing now for the revisions and editing to follow, I’ve already re-mapped the structure to better focus the beginning on the precipitating event, excise two somewhat peripheral points of view and better interleave my narrative structure to improve the flow and make each character’s imperatives stand out.
How did I find the independent hybrid press that accepted my manuscript? That’s the first part of the take of my next step.
First Steps
It is often said that a working definition of insanity is to continue doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. As outlined in my previous posting, this perspective could also be applied to the submission process.
By paying attention during webinars and seminars, reading posts and essays in Substack and (selective) social media, you can at least modify your process. In approximately four years of pitching this current novel, I have continued to revise the manuscript under guidance of readers, editors and general technical advice (ten drafts and counting). In doing so, I cannot advise strongly enough not to pitch too early; Draft 3 was much better than Drafts 1 or 2, but I now see how far short that fell of my plan for Draft 11.
Then, too, there is the query letter. There have been several dozen iterations of that little piece, including sessions with the late, great Query Shark, Janet Reid, working toward the cleanest mix of project header, jacket blurb synopsis and bio stated in a way that might stand out. I have also customized countless versions of the query letter where an agent’s or editor’s MSWL (Manuscript Wish List) resonated.
Moving forward, we discover the need for a full one-page, single-spaced synopsis of the work (including ending and spoilers), recent comparable titles for the work or key aspects of it, its intended audience, and pithy elevator pitch. I’ve had multiple versions of these as well, having read more work and received more feedback.
Having all that crafted, refined and organized, at the end of the day, I still do not have an agent.
Finding the Step
My focus over the last several conferences has increasingly turned to independent publishers. First, as a practical matter, many do not demand that submitting authors have an agent, for which alone we should sing their praises. Second, these tend to be passion projects on the part of their founders and editors, focusing perhaps on a certain genre or audience or manner of writing. Third, with lower margins and shorter lists, they tend to be more approachable than the massive mainstream publishing corporations.
Just meeting indy press editors at conferences, or submitting via posts here and there, remains a bit of a longshot. I always research before pitching at a conference, and am selective about which presses might match my work, but there is no way of knowing what is in their pipeline, how tastes might have shifted, or which editors are taking a sabbatical.
I was pondering this while looking through Historical Novels Review, which I get every other month from the Historical Novel Society, and The Third Degree bi-monthly from Mystery Writers of America. I had joined each of these organizations a few years back when I was getting serious about the business of writing, and found in each good fellowship, constructive craft talk, readings, readers, and the kinds of resources and support one hopes to find in a group of like-minded people. When I was in a room for a meeting or a reading or a book launch, I felt like a writer. That ain’t hay.
Looking at these group resources, I realized something else: HNR and TTD each listed the publisher of each reviewed or announced book. A light went on: if this press published this book, it might be a good place to try my manuscript. I combed each edition for independent publishers, eliminating the imprints of Big Five and self-publish shops first, then checking the submission guidelines to see if I’d fit. I noticed that there were way more indy houses publishing historical novels in the U.K. than in the U.S.
From my shortlist, I sent off a handful of submissions. Richard Foreman of Sharpe Books replied within a month that, while my work was not quite right for his current list, he could recommend a colleague who had just started an epublisher called Holand Books that was oriented toward debut authors, a straight royalty deal, no upfront costs.[1] I researched this press, found it offered a serious website and an interesting platform for its authors, so I submitted. Holand replied, sending a template contract. I reviewed it, and notified my prior submissions of the offer with a window to counter or withdraw. I signed yesterday.
And so the journey begins. More to come.
Another Step
I usually attend talks by Jane K. Cleland when at the Writer’s Digest Conference or at a Mystery Writer’s convocation. She is a teacher of writing craft, a writer of volumes of fiction and guidance, and a wellspring of information. At the end of a session, she was discussing the Black Orchid Novella Award and how we really should apply. I did. Some months later, I was notified that my story received an Honorable Mention.
Hey, it’s not publication, but it is a recognition that fits nicely in an author’s bio, specifically into a story submission to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. And, some months later, I was notified that my story has been accepted.
Somehow, after all these years and all these rejections, I had a feeling that this year would be different. Maybe it was my pushing the ten-year perdition between first serious draft and first publication (attributed to Dennis Lehane), or maybe just some light needed in a dark year. But here and now, I need to do the work required of an author to be imminently published.
I wish you the same!
Keep well and keep on,
Andy
[1] No upfront costs on publishing. However, the press stands firm on splitting the cost of a contract editor to polish the work for publication.
Andy, another great piece. These came at the right time for me as I emerge from a hiatus in fiction writing and do a genre switch. Thank you for your generosity in sharing these thoughts.