My book has finally come back from my editor. I finished writing the first draft in December, 2012. It is now August, 2018. I’ve been rewriting it for almost six years. And that seems like a freaking long time.
And now what? I have been tormented over what to do next for a long time. I’ve never published a book before. How does one start? Somebody please save me……..
That’s right, I remembered, I am Creating Life Out Here. That means that instead of staying in my paralyzed mind, I needed to start talking to people.
So I did. And I learned that there are many ways to publish a book. Everyone has a different opinion and different advice. I got completely overwhelmed and I froze.
And then I decided I didn’t want this to be hard. I want my book to get published with ease. I want to be “in the flow.” I wanted fun instead of struggle.
I called my friend, Deb. She works in publishing. She told me she is willing to forward my book to her memoir counterpart.
“Just follow the submission guidelines,” she said.
Yesterday I looked at them. Holy Shit, I thought. I have to compare my book to 3 best selling memoirs and tell them why mine is better (I’m paraphrasing). That sounds like a lot of work. How the hell do I find them, and how long will it take me to read them? OMG
But then I started getting excited. I really have to sell my book to these people. I have to research books in a new way. Learn something completely out of my frame of reference. Expand my mind.
I remembered my first few writing classes that I took in 2013. It felt like I was learning a new language – scene vs summary, back-stories, dialogue, etc. I never knew about any of that. I was fascinated by what I didn’t know. It was fun to rewrite my chapters using my new techniques.
And now I have something new to learn and apply – how publishers think and how to sell my book. I’m surprised that I am looking forward to this. Who knew?
So back to work. I’ll keep you posted.
Creating Life Out Here 