Frederick Busch, who was my friend and mentor, once told me about a writer he knew. She was one of the best short story writers out there, he said. But no one wanted to publish her.
I didn't know who he was referring to, and I didn't ask. The admission felt painful to me, something the writer had confessed to, and who Fred was talking about felt both irrelevant and none of my business. I don't know if the situation changed for her. I hope so.
Now it's me. I'm, apparently, in the same situation. I've published 3 novels and lots of short stories and won grants and some prizes for my work - and no one wants to publish me. That's not easy for me to say either.
I had an agent for years who dropped me when I handed in my (then) most recent novel, saying "Another small, beautiful book," she said. That sounded like a compliment to me, but it wasn't meant that way. She meant: another book she couldn't sell.
I hunted for other agents, but as one told me - If your previous agent couldn't sell it, I can't either. So I shopped the novel ms myself. And placed it. But that was then.
When I finished my latest novel, I once again looked for an agent. I don't know how many people I queried but I can tell you what they all said: some variation on Wow. And, No.
So I started to shop this ms too. I got questions from editors this time around about my sales figures and social network connections - things I hadn't been asked before. But the reality of publishing has changed. That's what I want to talk about. I'm thinking of DIY for my new novel. I'm not sure what else to do? Anyway, I thought I'd do a step by step, and see how it goes.
