I Haven’t Disappeared, but I Need To Rest

Hello All, I haven’t stopped blogging. I’ve been fairly ill and am recovering. I think of it as having hit a speed bump so I have to slow down a bit, but…

I’ll be back!

Thank you for all of the prayers and well wishes you have sent my way. I do appreciate them.

Industry vs. Independent

This morning I emailed this discussion opener to some of my writer friends.

Thought I'd open a discussion for anyone who's up to it. The deeper I get into the publishing of Princess Kandake, the closer I come to deciding to never query again, at least not with the major publishers and possibly small presses, too. Anyone care to comment?

One of them asked me to share my thoughts. Here’s my response

My thinking is, with the economy in a serious decline and bookstores closing, the publishers are taking on less and less, they are accepting even fewer debut works. Add to that the reality that the royalties are getting less, the support for marketing is nearly nonexistent, and writers having little to no input in covers and illustrations (even when it changes the direction of the story), do I want a contract? If I can develop a product that is of equal/or better quality and market it successfully, what do I need them for?

1. I trust all of you much more than I do them to tell me what works for the market I'm aiming at.

2. I pulled all of the YA and MG books off my shelves and compared the cover art and, frankly, mine is as good or better than most.

3. I’d have to market it myself anyway.

4. The likelihood of earning out my advance within their prescribed limit is pretty low which is a mark against me. Instead of being an unknown and high risk investment as a debut author, I am now a money-losing author. This greatly reduces my chances of getting another contract?

If I can do all of this (print, cover art, market, etc.) within my own budget, what do I need them for? If my work is good, why shouldn't it be out there? Why should I allow them to be the gatekeepers?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject, pro and con.

Time to Celebrate!

I am super jazzed. I just finished book #2 in the Nubian Princess series. Yay for me. Now it’s time to give it a bit of a rest in a drawer, out of site for a while, before I begin the revision process. What will I do in the meantime?

I plan to read!!! I’ve got a few books that I need to get through, two fiction and two non-fiction, before I write another word. What’s next on the writing agenda?

Even though I have an idea for the next NP book, I think I want to leave the ancient world for a while. I’m feeling like some science fiction. I’ve got something in the future I want to get to before I return to the ancient past.

But the biggest thing is that I finished it. Yay For Me!

Fridays R 4 Fun

I remember watching television as a little girl and seeing women wear strange hats. Bonnets like these would have me giggling for at least an hour. The hats I found for this post make these women look tame and boring.
A hat was worn for two reasons, protection or self expression.Today you guess which hat belongs to which category. This first one is fairly easy I wouldn’t want to meet the guy that’s expressing himself with this one. Her hat reminds me of some alien insect invasion.   Do you think she has a great appreciation for chess. Talk about potty humor   I don’t know if you can see it, but she has a room with a sink and a bath tub on her head . At least this hat’s useful. A few years ago, a politician loved the phrase, “it takes a village”. Is this her hat? What statement is this hat making? pro or con? This hat reminds me of the group Spiro Gyra Remember the  Broadway production of Madame Butterfly?
These make me hungry   There’s always room for dessert or  but  if you want something light . This is the funniest of all because everyone else was being silly and she’s serious. 

That’s it for today. See you next Friday. Remember, if you have a particular interest, let me know. I’ll find it.