The waiting game can be frustrating, true, but I believe that patience is key here. As it is with anything good.
Lately, as I wait to hear back from prospective agents, I've been researching self-publishing options. Just cause I'm curious about what's out there. No names, but... Some sound pretty shady right off. Others appear legit, but are they really? Others are affiliated with Big Name publishers and claim that, if you publish with them, said Big Name Publisher just might see and like your book...but only if you spend a small fortune, sign away the rights to your story, and offer up your firstborn child to a lifetime of indentured servitude. (Ok, not that last part) Seriously, if I had that kind of cash to burn, I'd take a Hawaiian vacation and put a down payment on a house with the leftover change.
Point is, a newbie author has to be careful. There are sharks swimming in them thar waters, and they're hungry for the blood of gullible author hopefuls. Not only have I been researching self publishers. I've been reading reviews about what people are saying about these self publishers. Some reviews aren't bad. Others are positively scathing. I don't really pay attention to the margins (if Joe Smith was the only one in a sea of reviewers to have a bad experience, I'll make my own call thankyouverymuch). Nor do I listen to reviewers who scatter F-bombs like they were so much confetti. But when the majority speaks, I listen...And I know to proceed with caution.
Like with any big decision, you have to be smart. Do your homework, don't fall for any shiny promises (even the ones that sparkle too), and listen to what people are saying and proceed with caution. Listen to your own gut. If you're not 100% positive, DON'T DO IT! And be patient. I'm not giving up on finding a legit, traditional publisher to pick up on this story. I don't buy the line that one has to either be an established author or a celebrity to get published the old school way. Well, maybe celebrities can do what they want, but established authors... They had to start somewhere. There was a point when authors as well known as J.K. Rowling or Stephen King (for example) were unknown and unestablished. And they managed to get picked up by traditional publishers. And look at them now. If it were true that traditional publishers only publish works from established authors, no one would get published because no one would be established. And there would be a lot of unemployment coming out of those publishing houses.
I plan to be patient here. My goal is not to self publish, but to find a traditional publisher. However long that may take. This young grasshopper of an author can be patient. Yes, becoming a published author IS on my bucket list, but there's no rule saying I need to be published by X date. And I don't want to rush into anything. I plan to stay the course and be patient and smart about this. It'll take longer, but it's the only way for me.
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