Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Write What Sells or From Your Heart?

As I finish the final edits of one project, I'm starting to mull over ideas for my next. But I'm faced with a fork in the road, and it's almost an impossible decision. When I began my first project, I wasn't worried about if it would sell, because quite frankly, I never dreamed I'd try to get it published. But now I want to. If not this, then my next. Or my next. Also, the one after that. You get the idea. But here's the thing: I'm not sure what to write. I know YA is hot right now, and I have a pretty good idea for a YA paranormal romance that DOESN'T involve vampires, werewolves, or ghosts. But then there's this OTHER idea I have for a high-concept women's fiction, one that would be so fun to write I wonder why someone hasn't done it yet. But I shy away from this one, because YA is hot like Mexico (thanks, Lady Gaga) and quirky women's fiction is hot like...well, Tennessee, for instance. Sometimes it's hot, sometimes it's more frigid than the Waffle House. So, what to do?

Monday, June 7, 2010

I Don't Feel The Same Anymore

When I first began this publishing journey, I was eager. Confident. Foolish. Ignorant. Now I'm only eager. I've received enough rejections to be humble, I've researched enough publishing innards to be educated about the odds of success. Still, I've got enough manuscripts out on request to be eager. When I first started querying, I received only form rejections, since my query letter sucked worse than a clogged-up Kirby. I looked forward to a rejection, because it was an acknowledgment that I'd sent out something. I probably would have fainted if an agent actually showed interest. Now I'm getting pretty steady requests, pretty potent interest. And I'm not fainting. I'm calculating. I'm hoping for the best, but staying rational, unlike my early days. I send out a request, and then I don't think about it anymore. I'm approaching this business like a business, instead of like a game of chance. I'm researching the market for my next project, reading up in my genre. I feel differently about everything. I never think about if I will get published...I think about when I get published. I think about what I will do to promote my book, who I will send my author copies to, who I will approach in my area for book signings, how can I build my readership for future projects. My-oh-my, how things have changed.