#author experience

Them during writing: Oh this is AWESOME! This is a masterpiece! Can’t wait for everyone to see this!

Them reading after: Oh this is CRAP! How could I have ever thought this was a good idea?! I either gotta rewrite the whole thing or post it even though no one will probably like it!

But for me? It’s the exact opposite. I feel cringy and unsure of myself as I’m writing, usually leave it overnight, then come back to it thinking it’s gonna be crap and am actually surprised at myself for how much better it is than I can remember writing.

Tomi Adeyemi, the acclaimed author of the bestselling novel ‘Children of Blood & Bone,’ has publicly declared she will not watch the forthcoming film adaptation of her debut work. Adeyemi characterized her involvement and the overall experience during the film’s production as “painful.” This announcement, reported by Deadline, has initiated considerable discussion within the literary and film…

A Lesson in Indie Promotion: When Paying Doesn’t Guarantee Priority As indie authors, we’re constantly looking for ways to get our work seen, and sometimes we pay for services that promise exposure, listings, or spotlights. I recently had an experience that reminded me how important it is to know exactly what you’re paying for and, how things can still go sideways, even when you follow the…

1- not a father

2- not a man

3- not single

I began writing what would become my first published novel when I was 18, in 2008.  I don’t know how many versions it went through, how many revisions, how many nights I stayed up way too late, but in 2013 I began submitting to publishers.  I got a great stack of rejections and I began to lose hope.

In July 2013 I was offered a contract by a now defunct small publishing house.  My hopes were high and I didn’t care what others said.  This was going to be amazing!  The editor I worked with was wonderful at first, even if he didn’t completely understand what I was trying to get across, and the cover art they got for me was more than anything I ever could’ve imagined.

My first novel hit virtual shelves November 2013.  There was a little build up.  Some reviews on blogs, some mentions on Twitter feeds and Facebook pages of staff at the publishing houses but... not really much else.  Of course, this was a small house so it was expected.  Months went by and I got no marketing help.

As I began trying to write my second book my editor dropped the ball.  Instead of it coming out November 2014 it came out March 2015 due to him not working on my edits.  The second book had no build up, I wasn’t notified my book was going up, and when it was they uploaded a misspelled cover.

I began demanding answers from the CEO.  He didn’t like giving straight answers and I was frustrated.  I never got author copies of any of my books.  My mother bought me a copy of the first and I didn’t receive a copy of the second.  I stuck with them for almost a year longer.

In January I called them out, demanded to be released from my contract, and had to fight through being threatened with legal action.  The CEO didn’t want to release my books, but I won at the end and by January 23 I was done.

Now, I don’t say that to put anyone off traditional publishing.  With the novel I’m currently working on I intend to get an agent.  A reputable agent.  However, experiences like mine are very common with new authors these days.  Please, please research the people you’re submitting to!