Hello, my delightful people!
I want to give you an update because so much has happened. The past four months have felt like slogging through mud by the hour, feeling like I never get anything done and am constantly moving in slow motion. But looking back, the progress I’ve made makes me want to jump up and down. I think I will.
(Yes, I actually did.)
So here’s the scoop, my lovely first readers: publication is on the horizon. That is to say, I’m close enough to my on-ramp that I can hear the traffic.
It’s been a long, weird, windy path. If you’ve ever undertaken a long-term project, you know how it can feel like on amorphous mass of stress instead of a series of individual steps. So when you reach a hilltop, it’s reassuring to look back and mark where those steps became a rhythm. I’ve spent chunks of time following the tracks of others who have made it before me, but they all criss-cross and diverge so much that I can’t help but realize eventually that each one is different and mine will be as well. Another stem in the bouquet, all ending in a different bloom.
But enough speaking in metaphors! The past four months have given me a lot to think about, and possibly enough direction to chart a course. So here’s what’s on the horizon, with one caveat: This journey has so many moving parts, many of them people (the squirrelliest parts of any plan), so remember this is only a snapshot of my journey. Everything is still progressing, but I wanted to let you know where I am. A selfie in time, so to speak.
So let’s start at the beginning.
In November 2019, I lost my job. Scary, but not insuperable, and it gave me time to think. I’d done a lot of research into traditional publishing (where you write letters to agents who then decide to represent your stuff to the publishers and blah, blah, blah). I had queried a lot of agents without getting any worthwhile results. (See “The Long Walk to the Slush Pile.”) But after I lost my job, I spent any time I wasn’t applying and interviewing for jobs to get to know the arena of self-publishing. It started with chatting with a lovely lady who lives in my city and has experience with both kinds of publishing, and it has progressed into numerous avenues of free information (my favorite kind!). I learned a lot and have begun to think that self-publishing is the most likely avenue for my stories.
When I first began researching self-publishing, my biggest fears had been these:
- Ending up with a crappy product because it hadn’t been vetted by other professionals (that feeling of having been “chosen” by an agent really has its appeal)
- Getting my friends and family hyped to read it, selling maybe fifty copies if I was lucky and then…falling into obscurity.
Don’t get me wrong, that last one is still a risk, but I’ve spent the last four months preparing by learning what authors do to market their books, especially when they won’t be relying on the help of a publishing company. I also began looking into hiring an editor for my first finished novel. I did some research, got a few quotes, but still wasn’t satisfied…and then I found Reedsy. Reedsy is a site focused on helping authors find the most valuable resources they need to get published: people to edit your book, design your cover, etc. Finally finding out where all these people hang out was quite a rush. You can also take free classes via email about just about any aspect of publishing. This website, in short, is a goldmine for writers, and it is how I met Constance.
I won’t go into tons of detail now because I’m still on Cloud Nine, but I trusted my gut in choosing her from the editors who gave me quotes, and she proved to be exactly the audience I wanted for my books. Our collaboration began in January and ended exactly today. She read over my manuscript and sent back the marked-up version and a letter detailing her overall thoughts as a professional and simply as a reader.
I read everything she sent me in a single sitting. I was floored. I love my family and friends who have been my lifelong cheerleaders; they are the ones who help encourage me through my slumps and celebrate my victories with me. But having feedback from a professional editor took my breath away. It was fantastic. There will be work to do, but not as much as I’d thought, and none of it was shocking. What’s more, instead of just being able to vaguely point out sections that smelled a little off, I now have a simple, doable path to follow thanks to Constance. If you have a dream that involves writing, get an editor. Pick someone who believes in your vision but is enough removed that they can tell you the tough stuff like, “I know you can do better.” It doesn’t hurt as much as it helps.
The work of an editor put a lot of things into perspective. I now know I’ve only got a few weeks of work before my story will be ready to publish. However, based on my research, I still have several other things to get ready. I’ll need to edit, format, and then design (or commission) a cover. Most of all, I’ll need to build the hype. Dropping your book and then telling people about it isn’t as powerful as building your audience and letting them help you create an expectant crowd to await your book’s arrival.
So I’ve got a long way to go. But it’s starting to feel real.
One major obstacle stands between me and beginning my publishing career, and that is my name. You all probably know my real last name and Rey was an easier version of it, but it doesn’t have the pizzazz I want and I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to think of one. I’ve been through name websites, census data, fantasy name generators, you name it! But I still don’t have the guts to pick one and stick to it.
The key reason why I keep stressing over this is that it’s going to be my brand, possibly for the rest of my life. I want a name people can quickly say when someone asks who they’re reading, without them having to give two or three tentative pronunciations. That slows you down and turns an opportunity for a new reader into a confusing and forgettable transaction. I want my name to be rhythmic and unique, but without sounding childish like a kid making themselves into a superhero or TV personality. But most of all, I want it to be mine. It has to ring well with Gina and just feel right. My top names so far have been Fitzcarraldo and Renaldi, but I’m still looking. One of these days, I’m going to go visit a cemetery and check out some of their names. Anyway, that’s my current struggle, and the one on which all my other marketing efforts hinge. If you pray, pray that I resolve this soon with a name I’ll love and which will live on among readers long after I’m gone.
In the coming months, you’re going to hear a lot more from me. The Faith of a Few and Hope in the Rain of Ashes have become one and are almost ready to publish, but I’ll need my cheer squad to help welcome them. That’s where you come in. I’ll let you know as more details come out, but I just wanted to update you and let you know we are almost ready to go!
Thanks for sharing this journey with me and I look forward to meeting up with you again on the next mountaintop!
Much love,
Gina
