Pub News, Stephen King, and Other Stuff...

Pub News:

This week I read quite a few articles that (as an aspiring author) scared me half to death.  Among this news I learned:

1. The market is inundated with fantasy.  I write fantasy.  Apparently some agents are getting "fantasy fatigue"--i.e. getting tired of reading it.  Nathan Bransford, who tries to stay positive, wrote a blog about it.  You can read it here.

2. I just wrote my first picture book.  I submitted it to one agent.  I got a rejection letter.  She said she really liked it but it didn't "spark" for her and she needed it to "spark" in order to be able to market it "in this very difficult marketplace for children's fiction."  Then I read this article about how picture books aren't selling and picture book authors are doomed.

3. Apparently ebooks are destroying the publishing industry.  I've seen multiple articles about this in the last few weeks.  That's scary.  I always dreamed of eking out a living with my pen and paper.  Articles like this make me feel like that dream is utterly hopeless.

Stephen King

Stephen King wrote this amazing book called On Writing 10 years ago.  I had never heard of it (of course I was only 16 ten years ago).  Simon and Schuster just published a 10 year anniversary edition.  It looks like this:

I bought it earlier this week and I've been reading it in what spare time I have.  It's amazing.  He has some really great advice (and why shouldn't he....HE'S STEPHEN FREAKING KING!).  King also narrates with a frankness and a sense of honesty that I appreciate.  If you're an aspiring writer like me, you should read it.

Other Stuff

I did a Kid Craft post earlier this week.  Lots of people sent me facebook messages about how much they liked it, so I'll be doing that one again. 

I finally figured out Twitter (I think).  It only took like a month (hahahaha).  I'm loving it.  I had no idea Twitter offered such a rich writing community.  If you are following me on twitter then I want to say thank you.  All of the twitter writers I've met thus far are amazing and supportive.  I am so very grateful for that!

Could you let me know what you thought of Stump the Writer?  Do you want me to do it again? Did you like the story?  Did it just suck and you never want to see it again?  This blog is for my readers so LET ME KNOW!  If you hate it then I won't do it again.

I'm thinking it might be time for another contest.  What do you think of a $5 Starbucks giftcard?  Get your next cup of joe on me? 

And finally:  What do you want to see/read that you are not seeing/reading on this blog?

Thanks for the input!

Pulling My Hair Out

See that lady? That's what I feel like doing right about now. When I decided I was going to write a novel I had this image in my head of a book that is so good it sells itself and makes me a household name. Nieve much?

The novel writing--not so hard. I like to write. It's work, but it doesn't feel like work. I am, in fact, nearly finished. I still need to edit, but I am ok with that. Everything else--a little harder than I thought.

First, as an author you are responsible for a huge chunk of your own marketing. To get published you need to have a marketing plan. I have great ideas. Now I need to figure out how to make those ideas happen.

Idea #1: My author friends (who shall remain nameless) said, "You need a website! Start a website and get followers!" I approached this with enthusiasm. I thought, Yay! A website! I can totally do that! Followers? Yeah, I can get some of those. Ha! Easier said than done my friends.

So I started this website not having any idea what I was doing (by the way, I will be cross-posting this entry to that website). That in itself was a real adventure for me. I am tech-challenged, and that's putting it mildly. But I did it. I have also somehow convinced 21 people to follow me. I LOVE ALL OF YOU! No, really--I do. I need followers and you lovely people heard my desperate plea and responded with kindness. I am grateful for that.

Despite those 21 people, there are tons of other people who aren't following. I don't know how to get them to follow. I don't know how to market the website. I don't know how to entice people to click the damn button on the right hand of the screen that says "follow." I don't know how to build an internet presence. Apparently these are all things I need to know. So now I am trying to learn them, all of them, quickly and with great skill. And I feel like pulling my hair out.

I dropped all of my courses--all of them--to do this. Crazy much? Maybe. For me, this is the height of insanity. But I did it. A successful author aquaintance of mine told me over coffee, "Look Jenn, if you want to do this then just do it. Don't talk about doing it, don't plan how to do it, just do it. Jump in head-first and give it all you've got. It will be frustrating. It will drive you nuts. But you're good, damn it. You're good. So just do it." So I did it.

And here I am, with a website and a dream and a nearly complete novel. And I want to pull my hair out. I have officially hit the frustrating part of this journey. I am battening down the hatches, digging my heels in, and doing this thing. Frustration City here I come! But I am not giving up. I will get more followers. This website will be worth the money I invested to get it up and running. This dream will not die. I will overcome difficulty and I will persevere. I do, afterall, have plenty of experience in that department. So dear readers, wish me luck, and for goodness sake's PLEASE follow my website!
 
This post is also posted on my other blog.  Don't worry about that one, it isn't important :)