05 September 2018

My Unsellable Book

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Here we are at another IWSG day! I feel like I've lost my writing mojo. It went from not having the time or energy to write, to just not wanting to write at all. I did finish my Chapter 16 edit earlier in the month, though! So that's good. I also have a long staycation after this week (starting Friday at exactly 2:30, thank you very much) and I really hope I can get lots of writing done. We'll see.

Don't even get me started on my reading goal! I still have two Harry Potter books to read and I'm only on my FOURTH blogger buddy book (and I started with the shortest ones!!!!). Now I'm into September which was supposed to be Banned Books. I haven't even picked what books to read. But hey, Banned Books Week isn't until the 23rd, so....plenty of time, right???

Anyhoo, I decided this month to utilize the IWSG's optional question, which is:

What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?

This is a tricky question, but basically I'm considering any and all publishing paths, especially for Uneven Lines. In an ideal world, I'd like to be traditionally published, but I'm not so sure if it's in the cards for this particular book. Why? Well.......because it's probably unsellable. 

Man, I've really dug myself into a hole with this one. I mean, I knew before I started that it was a controversial topic. I wanted to write about a relationship between a teenager and an adult. I can only blame myself for this. But once all the details started filling themselves in, I fell in love with the thing. And it's been a struggle, but I've worked so hard on it, making it complicated, trying to make every line meaningful and mutli-layered and I really think if someone would give it half a chance they would actually enjoy it. 

A big part of the problem is finding a way to describe the book in a query letter or even a blurb that will get someone to actually be interested and not immediately turned off. I haven't quite figured that out yet. Well, mostly because I'm still working on the book. It's one of those I'll cross that bridge when I get to it kind of things. I did write a query letter for it once (for that pitching thing that must not be named) and I vaguely remember (because I've blocked it out of my memory) one of the mentors saying that the relationship came off as predatory. IN THE QUERY LETTER! I was like, huh? Clearly I did a terrible job on this letter if you have zero clue about the personalities of my characters and are jumping to conclusions. So in order to sell this book my query letter is probably going to have to be just as complicated as the book itself. 

But I digress...there's also that whole I don't know if its YA or NA or Adult thing. But...yeah. Basically, if I ever actually finish this book to the point where I think it's ready to be published, I'm going to try to get an agent and a publisher. But I am mentally preparing myself for it not to happen. I don't have too much of an idea of where to start for self-publishing, but that's just another bridge, I suppose. 

First I gotta finish the book, amiright?????

28 comments:

  1. I hope you find that spark to finish Sarah. Querying is hard and daunting. I don't blame you there. I do believe if we want it bad it enough, it might just happen. Writer's Digest has great querying workshops. They certainly helped me. I also found some great books that helped too. Happy IWSG Day and I'll keep you in my thoughts :)

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  2. You are absolutely right. That query letter must be just as dynamic and awesome as your entire book. I spent more time on my query than the first chapter of my book. It's a make or break, first thing they see, and will judge your entire book by it, king of thing!! Good luck:)

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  3. You know, in many societies and times men would take brides who were a decade younger, and it was just the norm. (I'm looking at you old English society, and you, Middle East.) There's something to the man in his late twenties or early thirties finding himself a love interest who is one the verge of leaving their teenage years. I guess maybe if you posed it in a historical light that might be a good angle?

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  4. Query letters are so tricky because they are so subjective. Write the best query you can, and the rest is out of your hands. Good luck finishing the book!

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  5. You express a certain ennui or lack of impetus that I've heard from many others as well has having felt myself. Hopefully it's all just a phase through which we are passing.

    Your book sounds pretty interesting to me. And I think I'd rather have an "unsellable" book than the never finished books that I have waiting for me.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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  6. It's hard to sum up any book in just a few short paragraphs. I think Crystal made a good suggestion though.

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  7. A difficult subject to write about and, writing a query letter for it will take a lot of thought and careful wording. I hope you find a way to express what you want to say.

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  8. Query letters are just as hard as actually writing the book. I'd say because of the subject matter, I'd learn towards hawking it as NA. Mostly because of parents who might freak out at their teen reading a story like this.

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  9. Hey! We were meant to meet. I have a tremendously tough novel to sell. The main character, a fourteen year old, dies at the end of the book. And it is mainly about her developing friendship with an elderly woman (a quasi relation). And agents keep suggesting it is a YA. I keep sending it out and I've had a few good nibbles. The thing is to believe in your book. Don't call it a problem child - call it a brilliant and complicated one! And don't worry about the genre. Finish it and get it out. It's like when I was looking for a partner, the odds stacked against me - too old, too tall, too bossy. But I didn't need the odds. I just needed one stellar guy who could see I was a ruby of priceless value! So pitter-patter, fly atter!

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  10. Yeah, that's a tough one. I don't have any good suggestions. It's not hard to believe the situation considering my dad is 5 years older than my mom and they started dating when my mom was sixteen. But it's the news stories that make people uncomfortable with the topic. I wish I had something helpful to say.

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  11. That's what I keep telling myself. My book still isn't finished yet, so there's no need to worry about these other little details yet. Right? Sigh...

    As far as choosing YA or NA, every agent's opinions are different, so it might be best not to lock it into your query letter. Just describe the book and let the agent decide.

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  12. A tough angle and I'm sure some jump to the wrong conclusion as to how you handle it. You can only craft the best query possible.

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  13. Hey, I still have two Harry Potter books to read, too. I was crusing right along there for a while...and then my staycation ended.

    I think finishing the book may be a big part of helping you figure out where it goes from there and how to market it/sell it, whatever path you ultimately decide to choose. But there are many traditionally published books out there that deal with controversial subjects in both the YA and NA genres, so your project may not be as unsellable as you may think. Barry Lyga, for example, has a YA novel called "Boy Toy" about a male student and his inappropriate relationship with a teacher (it's hard to talk about that book without spoilers).

    Also, I really hope you finish your book because I really would like to read it someday.

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  14. Query letter are so tough. I am still rewriting a query letter for a project I badly want to get an agent and/or publisher for. Every time I get just two or three rejections, I look at it again. It's never-ending. And I constantly worry i'm not representing the story well enough in the query letter. So I try different formats and highlight certain things more or less. *sigh*

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  15. Query Shark will help if you want to take a look. Good luck figuring out what the core is. I had the same trouble with mine for a bit. :-)

    Anna from elements of emaginette

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  16. Finishing the book is a start. It can be difficult to find the right publisher for some books. Perhaps try to find other books like it and see how they published.

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  17. If I've learned anything, there's a market for everything. And if Lolita could get published (quite some time ago, I might add), why not yours? If anything else, finishing it will bring closure, making the next work unchained. :)

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  18. I'm with you. I need to finish something. Agree with David that there is a place for it.

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  19. Yeah, definitely finish the book. But after that, I'd definitely explore self-publishing because chances are, you DO have an audience. They're out there. And they're sitting on pins and needles waiting for your book. So yeah, definitely go finish it :)

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  20. Definitely a tricky subject. But like others are saying, there is a place for every book. Just make it the best you can and go to work on your query letter.

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  21. Wow, that sounds like an enormously complicated issue! I don't have much in the way of answers, but I have to say--good on you for telling the story you wanted to tell, and not telling a story you know would sell. I feel like self-publishing may be worth exploring, once your story is finished, though. There's a place for this book in the world!

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  22. It sounds like a book you've obsessed over, and which has come from a place of conviction. Please do not give up on it. You're right that the query letter will need to be very good, but it will be difficult to write, not impossible.

    My journey to finding an agent was short, but the one to publication is proving to be long.

    Pls don't hesitate to get in touch if you think you need help with the query letter--I'll do my best to help, and put you in touch with resources that will help too.

    Damyanti at Daily (w)rite

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  23. That is definitely complicated. There are specific themes inherent in YA and NA, so that might be worth looking at. If the theme and arc of the story don't match the typical YA or NA, you'll know to go for adult.

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  24. The way society perceives of such relationships could make it a hard sell if the book portrays such a relationship in a favorable light. Since you are still writing, I would consider what is the worst thing that could happen to this couple (perhaps the older of the two is arrested for child-molestation) and even if you want the relationship to be between consulting individuals, you could add a lot of tension by having them deal with the current atmosphere. Then start the query with something like: "It wasn't supposed to happen." With the MeToo stuff in the news, this could be of interest if you can find the right angle. Good luck! Personally, the reader in me perked up with the "inappropriate ages" idea.

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  25. I believe we have to write what we love, so I'd say yes, you have to finish and you have to publish--whatever way works. Wasn't it To Kill A Mockingbird that Harper Lee couldn't place? Or am I thinking of another famous book? In any case, just because your story isn't mainstream doesn't mean you should abandon it. Of course, I know you won't.

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  26. Sending you encouraging vibes to keep at it with your latest project. I wonder if it would help to focus on something the main character struggles with or ventures to overcome in your query. That might help steer an agent/publisher's attention on what could appeal to potential readers/buyers. Just an idea.

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  27. Happy Be-lated IWSG Day!
    Sorry your mojo is on the fritz.
    I'm technically a head on my reading goal, but I did read a lot of graphic novels to get there.
    Finishing the book may help to bring everything together. Still, the subject matter may be a hard sell. I too am dealing with a similar issue, but my subject isn't exactly taboo. In any case, if you believe in it, there's likely to be an audience for it. Beta reading should hopefully help with that.
    Wishing you all the best.

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  28. The query letter is not something I have tried yet. Happy belated IWSG Day.

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