The Surprisingly Nasty Process of Getting Published

The Surprisingly Nasty Process of Getting Published

The point of this blog is to write about the publishing process.

Do I want to spend my precious free time babbling on a blog? No. I don't really have the cathartic need to release  emotions by sharing my deepest thoughts with the world. I'm definitely not a "blogger" and never will be.

I finished a manuscript (MS) about eight months ago. I wrote it to be published, figuring if the story is good it's a sure winner and I'll be picked up in a heart beat.

Wrong.

Being Naive About Your Chances of Getting Noticed

What followed was the process of learning the publishing industry insanity and how most writers have a snowflake's chance in hell of getting their MS published - scratch that - a snowflake's chance in hell of getting picked up by an agent, never mind your MS getting peeped at by an editor at one of the big fives (NY publishers...google it).

So, those of you with grand dreams of getting published and recognized, (unless you can weasel your way in because you know someone who know's someone) drop the dreams and join the rest of us, snowflakes, gently gliding down the dark hot depths. Maybe you'll make it, most likely you won't and will give up on the dream anyways.

All Is Not Lost, You Could Get Published...If You Are Ridiculously Tenacious

The good news is that some do make it. Past the flames of formulaic manuscripts and agents and editors blinded by their lust for something creative yet profitable. Beyond the darkest, hottest corners of online writers forums, filled with desperate and raving writers, maddened with triple digit rejection numbers, howling at the unjust inferno burning their pages to cinders.

Past all these, there is a small narrow dark trail, guarded by glowing eyes quietly tracking you, that leads you to the promised land - a book deal. Few have glimpsed this, fewer still glimpse it more than once.

Like Dante and Virgil, a journey through the underworld of failures must be taken by all in order to find the ultimate goal you are looking for: getting your foot in the door.

Hopefully Lucifer will be kind :)

I hope you will join me on this...adventure...as I try to remember what happened eight months ago and up to the present. Maybe you'll learn from my mistakes. Or not.

The next post will be about the MS I mentioned and why it's cool.

Fin.

For now.