My day job has been sucking a lot of time lately. I'm not complaining by any means. I LOVE my day job that allows me to network with some of the most talented songwriters and artists in the country.
But an episode last fall literally sucked the fiction writing energy from me. I could NOT write fiction to save my life. The music was my escape. Something I had control over. My safe haven allowing me to keep writing.
Then something miraculous happened. I TOOK CONTROL of the situation, emailed my editor as well as the Editor in Chief with my issues. In a matter of hours, my fiction train was back on track.
For the past three weeks I've been writing new words, and going through the line edits for my contracted novella, Somewhere Down the Line. After being pushed back repeatedly, the story will finally see the light of day!
In a few days I'll be doing a Cover Release.
Am I in love with my cover? Not passionate. Covers never truly depict our stories. They are to sell the book. However, when I received the first cover I stood my ground. The male looked nothing like my hero. My editor listened to my concerns and found something that I am happy with. For that, I thank him.
Between the overall situation and the cover I learned a valuable lesson my first time out. If you feel strongly about something, at least enter possibilities into the conversation. Nothing says you have to roll over and accept what they want to hand you.
But you also have to come at things in such a way that you do not get labeled difficult to deal with. In my opinion, that will get you handed more rejection letters than contracts.
If you are not happy with something, only you can change things. But don't go in with guns blazing. Think everything through. Talk with trusted friends. Then calmly let those involved this is what you want from the situation.
But above all-
KEEP WRITING!
Angela
Glad you got your way on the cover and I can't wait to see it. Unfortunately, I've had a complaint here or there about a cover and sometimes they'll work with with me, but sometimes I'm told it's final with bold, italics, and underlines to emphasize the point. It wasn't godawful, thank heavens, I can deal with it, but it would've been nice to have been included before the final decision, you know? It's easy to forget writing is a business for the publishers when it's something I just really love to do.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're writing again! Keep it up!
Thanks for the support, Allison. This still didn't really depict my characters but was better than the first option. And I am blessed they moved this up from late fall of 2014 to holy batman here's your book LOL
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