I sent them a very rough draft of my manuscript. They accepted it and I did some research later, asked some questions of them and have basically said no to them later. Here are some of the questions I asked. I scoured google for the questions to ask that I wouldn't think of. Here are some:
- Will I get free copies of my book? If so, how many?
- Will my book be published in foreign countries?
- Will you retain the rights to your book or your characters?
- Will an editor be assigned to me?
- What editing is done? As I have said before the manuscript I sent was only a first draft.
- Do you have a marketing budget for new authors?
- How will you publicize my book?
- Where are your books distributed?
- What are the distribution responsibilities of the publisher? What are my responsibilities?
- What is the procedure for ordering books for a signing/conference?
- Are you printing a run on my books or are they print on demand?
- What will my cover price be?
- What if I am unhappy with your services? Are you going to sue me if I complain on a public forum?
- What will the quality of my finished product be?
- How much control do I have over cover design, typefaces, inside art and other facets of the book?
- How long until I see my book in print?
I had gotten a response with a list of answers that didn't really answer anything at all. I was quite dissatisfied.
So it's been about two months. I thought, you know I think they got the hint. Well I got another email asking if I had anymore questions.
At this point I have read more twitter feeds from agents and editors and have been slightly discouraged because now, though I love my book, I'm starting to think that it's not exciting enough! Sure I think it's written amazing, but how well can a romance novel based on a failed relationship rekindling do? I know it's been done before, but is that the point? It's been done to death? I mean yeah I'm putting a new spin on it, you get to see the break up, and it has the larger point of "don't be a giant bitch cause that won't get you a wedding ring" or "you don't have to fight EVERYTHING" lessons I had to learn/still learning. But what if this one bad company is my only chance? Do I risk it?
At this point I have read more twitter feeds from agents and editors and have been slightly discouraged because now, though I love my book, I'm starting to think that it's not exciting enough! Sure I think it's written amazing, but how well can a romance novel based on a failed relationship rekindling do? I know it's been done before, but is that the point? It's been done to death? I mean yeah I'm putting a new spin on it, you get to see the break up, and it has the larger point of "don't be a giant bitch cause that won't get you a wedding ring" or "you don't have to fight EVERYTHING" lessons I had to learn/still learning. But what if this one bad company is my only chance? Do I risk it?
That decision is pretty much what I have been avoiding because, well, I'm a big baby. I still hold the hope that some agent will see my blog or see me on twitter and have this moment, as if Zeus spoke directly to them, saying they should represent me or at least that I should not give up nor sell myself short.
See I don't want to burn any bridges. And It is such a nice compliment having someone say they want to publish your work, even if you know your manuscript is (at the point they had last saw it) crap, and the company is, reportedly, crap.
So because I am a big baby and don't want to say no, but do, I just want to keep some doors open, but I'm not really even taking the publishing company seriously. I did email them. It's my final attempt for them to woo me, but also for me to leave that door open, just a crack. So here is the email:
Dear <name taken out>,
Thank you for your help in this matter. I am still quite leery about he editing process. I have begun another edit on my manuscript and have found there is lots that I would change/edit. I am worried that the quality is not what I would have put out to the world. In other words, I lack confidence in the editing that can be provided.
Also, to be quite honest, I have heard a lot of bad reviews about <publishing company> and this has been an issue causing a lot of stress.
Like I said my biggest issue is the editing. At this time I do not feel my manuscript is ready for any kind of print and needs a lot of work and to be expanded in some areas.
Please let me know what you think.
Yours Truly,
Deirdre Randall
So yeah I know. I'm being a big baby. I would also like to point out that I have never had the same person contact me twice. Odd and slightly unsettling.
So what is your opinion? Should I consider this shady company just to have my name out there or do I wait and try to find an agent who is as amazing as I think I am (or possibly face rejection and the inevitable failure of my dream)?
No comments:
Post a Comment