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Path to Publication
By Renee Russell
I wanted to be a best-selling author from a young age, but it wasn't until I was
just past thirty that I actually sat down to write my first novel. I don't think
it was related to leaving my twenties in the dust that spurred me to sit down in
front of the computer, but who knows, it could have been lurking there in my
subconscious that I wasn't going to get any younger.
What a terrifying and exhilarating experience it was!
For two years, I sat at my computer nights and weekends, putting my blood,
sweat, and tears onto paper. As if on world's biggest and longest rollercoaster
ride, I went from the highest high of believing that if I wrote it, it would be
published, to the lowest of lows believing I had a heck of a nerve to think
anyone would want to read a single word I put on paper.
I won't go into the long drawn-out version of what happened after that. Suffice
it to say that I got a form rejection letter from all of the big New York
publishing houses and, dreams dashed, I stuffed the manuscript into a drawer to
gather dust for quite a few years.
I eventually came back to writing. As most writers will tell you, it's something
you just have to do-- even if you've had your dream crushed once or even a dozen
times.
About five years after I received all those rejection letters, I started hearing
about e-publishing.
After an enormous amount of research, I found that e-publishing was a truly
viable arena. Yes, there are some scam artists out there, but there are also a
number of respectable companies out there who conduct business just like the big
New York print publishers. They don't accept everything that gets sent to them,
they don't charge you for publishing your book if your book makes it past their
editors, and they offer royalties on your sales. Many of them have POD (Print on
Demand) options if you choose to go that route.
I have to admit that even with all the research I'd done, I still had some
reservations about approaching an e-publisher. Deep down I guess I had a little
bit of that negative thinking that if I was accepted by an e-publisher I wasn't
really playing with the "real" writers out there. After a lot of soul searching
and some more research, I sent out my mainstream historical Southern gothic
tragedy and waited. I didn't have to wait eight long months this time. I got an
e-mail back from the publisher within a week offering me a contract on my book.
Unfortunately, I hadn't checked my e-mail over the weekend and so I was at my
day job when I discovered I had been offered a contract on my book. Of course I
wanted to run screaming through the building announcing my good fortune to the
whole world. However, that kind of behavior isn't okay at my day job, so I
walked really really fast to my nearest co-worker to share my good news. She was
on the telephone when I stopped in her doorway. Aack!! I was practically doing
backflips as I moved to the next co-worker who luckily wasn't on the phone. I
spent the next hour walking really really fast all over the office telling my
good news to each person individually.
I've been over the moon and am eagerly awaiting the moment when I can hold my
book in my hands and have my first book signing, and send out my first group of
postcards announcing the release of my book and… the list goes on and on and on.
My e-publisher is wonderful. Very supportive and always available to answer any
questions that might come up or even to send me an upbeat e-mail if I'm feeling
a little scared about my book release. I can't imagine that I'd get that kind of
personal treatment from one of the big print houses in New York. At least not
until I achieve my ultimate goal of becoming a New York Times
best-selling author!
Even though I'm from the old school and want to hold a print book in my hands, I
still feel that I'm on the cutting edge of something by going with an
e-publisher. The generation coming along behind me is much more attuned to
gadgets than I am and reading on a computer or a handheld doesn't strike them as
odd. I believe in the not too distant future, e-books will overtake print
publications and I'm very excited to be on the leading edge of that new world.
And besides, if you check closely, you'll find that even the big New York print
houses are now publishing e-books.
Renee Russell writes women's fiction and romance novels. Her first novel,
Kate's Pride, will be a January 2007 release from Wings ePress. Visit Renee
at her website
www.reneerussell.com.
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