"You get what you settle for. Anonymous"
A person I don't know in an online writer's group I'd rather not name used those words to kick off a new discussion. So far it hasn't been much of a discussion. A fellow member posted a short response about a day ago. And then I arrived.
I do my best to be upbeat on this blog, on Facebook and other social media. When at all possible I do so in person as well. I'm about to make an exception.
Why?
I hope that the response I posted on that writer's group discussion this morning answers the question. If it doesn't, I invite you to leave a comment below or write me directly at:
ScrollChamberPress@gmail.com ScrollChamberPress@gmail.com .
"You Get What You Settle For"
"May I offer a counter-example? I'm 68. I began writing fantasy novels in 1979--beginning with Seabird and Earthbow. By the 1980's, after input and many revisions, I began submitting Seabird to both literary agents & publishers. Back then, we mailed out the whole manuscript and waited for months for a response.
I used the "waiting months"
1. continuing to write new material and revise old material, and
2. attending conferences whenever I was able in search of a literary agent or a publisher. I made connections with one of each but, in both cases, I had to terminate the contract during the following year. The agent did nothing at all during that time. The publisher & I split amicably over "creative differences".
In time, publishers requested electronic submissions and I was happy to comply. By then I was a members of three writing groups. David Wood, a longtime friend and new owner of the start-up indie Gryphonwood, published both Seabird (2008) and Earthbow (2010).* Two short stories were published in anthologies.
I was still attending conferences, now in an effort to make industry connections, including marketing my books to dealers. None of this worked. Not one effort that I made paid off so, thanks partially to my health, I stopped attending conferences about five years ago. In other words, I "gave up" on conferences after twenty-five years and after spending more thousands of dollars than I even want to think about.
In spite of the positive reviews garnered by both Seabird & Earthbow, neither novel has ever sold well. What do I mean by this? Setting aside my own purchases to use as gifts, Seabird (PB, ebook and audio recording versions combined) has sold less than 20 copies a year on the average since 2008. Earthbow volume 1 (PB & ebook) less than 10 a year and Earthbow volume 2 less than that.
I have had two blogs. I began one of them in 2007 and stopped adding to it last year. I've posted 63 entries to this second blog since last summer. This blog focuses on Imagination, Inspiration & Creativity. I'm active on Facebook, keep my LinkedIn page up to date, belong to Goodreads and Library Thing plus an assortment of industry-related email and professional groups.
Through the years, I've never stopped writing, which means in my case that I have a "backlog" of five more novels totaling some 600,000 words which are not published--and which look likely to remain unpublished.
Or, as I might have written in one sentence, I've never settled. I may be about to do so. Am I getting what I settled for? **
Sherry Thompson, author of Seabird, Earthbow, Tree House Tales, etc.
p.s. Please forgive any typos. I wrote this in haste and spurred by strong emotion.
13 hours ago
(The footnotes below were added for this blog entry)
* Between 20 & 25 years after I began my search for a publisher.
** Or, to put it another way, if I've refused to settle for over 35 years now, why must I feel like I'm settling now when in fact I seem to have no alternative?
If no matter what I do results in little or no sales for my work but I keep on trying to sell my books and publish more of them, doesn't this fit the modern definition of insanity? "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."
~~~~~
If you would like to learn more about my decades of experience as a fantasy author, I invite you to follow the three links given below! In spite of the fact that I wrote it, I think you'll find the account very interesting. ;-D
Warning. Keven Newsome set aside three blocks of the New Author's Fellowship's "Special Guest" column to accommodate my account. Anything less than that would not have told my story. I'm grateful that Keven recognized this right from the beginning. Also be advised that my article for the New Author's Fellowship was written in late 2010, not long after the second half of Earthbow saw print. And two years before I had no choice but to resign from our local writers group, Written Remains Writers Guild.
The
New Author’s Fellowship, Special Guest – Sherry Thompson
Posted
by Keven Newsome on December 31, 2010 in Author's Journey, Guest Blogs
Follow this link to see the entry for Keven's novel, Winter. While you're there, try to count all of the pretty Amazon review stars!
