Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Why Hasn't Anyone Bought My Book Yet? (or The Waiting Is the Hardest Part)

Tip of the Day: Asking your manpanion every day "Why hasn't anyone bought my book yet?" won't make anyone buy your book.

As Miss Recently Repped, I feel I must give you a glimpse into what my life is like. It is very glamorous, as I'm sure you can imagine, full of chocolate chips straight from the bag and couch-laptop sessions. And what goes through my brain is even MORE thrilling!

Why hasn't anyone bought my book yet? Does it suck? Well, it can't suck that bad because no one has rejected it yet either. But it's not at auction or on its way to B&N in a big cardboard display, so maybe it kind of sucks -- or it could be kind of good, but not good enough. Or maybe the piles of other books to be read are just way above mine in the editor's office, or maybe the editors have a headache or the plague and haven't been able to read for a while or they just got one glass eye or something and need to wait for their depth perception to adjust so they can read from a computer screen again.

Then I'll turn off my left brain for a while and do some revisions on the next manuscript, then check my email and the same old same old flips through my head again.....

How about all you? What does through YOUR brain while you're waiting to hear back from editors?

Deena, Miss Recently Repped

8 comments:

Rhonda Helms said...

((hugs)) oh girl, you're singing my song...that's pretty much what I sounded like when trying to sell book #2. And that's what I sound like with book #1 right now. ROFL

Let's torture our manpanions with our agonizing writer's insanity even more!! LOLOL

Kate Fall said...

Frankly I'm disappointed that asking your manpanion "why hasn't anyone bought my book yet?" doesn't work. That leaves me totally out of options for the future because that was the route I was planning to take.

DeenaML said...

HA! You girls crack me up.

Emily Marshall said...

Deena, I couldn't stop laughing at the glass eye. Way too funny.

I think if I was in your position, I'd be thinking the EXACT same thing, except I'd probably be emailing you these questions instead of wondering them to myself. I'm amazed at your restraint.

And hang in there!!!

Ghost Girl (aka, Mary Ann) said...

If you look very carefully, you'll see smoke coming out of my ears!

While I'm waiting, I'm throwing myself into research for this next book, although every other word free associates with something about my ms in the editor's hands and my brain starts spinning again. Hence the smoke!

Now I have the added responsibility of organizing next year's SCBWI Spring Retreat--was that a spark that just flew out of my nose? Smoke and fire...phwew, it's hot in here...(get out of your head, ghost girl...)

Okay, back to regularly scheduled programming now. Stay busy...that's the key. Forward motion at all times.

Lisa Schroeder said...

Fortunately for me, the waiting has gotten easier with each book. I think with the first one, I was SO worried that not hearing back right away meant it wouldn't sell. Now I know that isn't true. I think we hear about those speedy sales because it's so exciting, but it isn't necessarily the norm.

My agent is sending one of my manuscripts out this week and I'm surprisingly calm about it. It probably helps that I have revisions to distract me too. :)

FINGERS CROSSED you get good news soon!!!

amuse me said...

This all sounds a bit overwhelming since I'm still in the editing stage. At the same time, I get excited just trying something so out there for me! I love each day's subject matter and have already gotten a lot of info from all five of you.

Kristina Springer said...

Ugh-- waiting is so hard! But you just have to try and block it out of your mind. If you make yourself forget it's easier really! Pretend like it's not even happening.

And once one editor reads and gives you feedback--the others will be quicker. Just like getting an agent and letting the other know that you have interest.

Hang in there! :-)