By Christine Thackeray
I was (electronically) talking with Rebecca Talley a while back and she mentioned that her book had just come out and she was facing the hardest part of writing. At the time I had no idea what she was talking about but now that my first book is here, my eyes are wide open.
For me the actual writing of my story was challenging but fun. I'd sit at the computer clicking away, watching the ethereal images in my head come to life in full color. While doing laundry or dishes, new plot twists would come to mind or a phrase from one of my children would be so clever, I'd have to include it. Although my family would laugh at me or catch an ocasional typo, it was smooth sailing and a lot of fun.
Then came the rejections. I thought that was the toughest part. Plain form letters with not a single comment, no glimmer of encouragement. But after some rewrites, it shockingly got accepted. The editorial process was very pleasant and I loved the cover. It was great.
When the time came to get my book out there, it was tough begging for reviews, blogging, emailing all my relatives and telling them to beg all their friends to buy it. But the worst part was when the reviews started coming back. Yup, it's the hardest part. Your book is your baby and when people stab at it, its like getting poked in the eye with a toothpick. I suppose I've just got to smile and keep encouraging sales. I mean three of my neighbors said they adored it and couldn't put it down so what does an accomplished reviewer know anyway-- do I sound too much like an "American Idol" contestant?
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4 comments:
Christine, I have only had one review. What did you do to get reviews?
Keep your head up and believe in yourself.
Writing is like everything else, there will be people who love what you write and people who don't. You can't please everyone. Just write what's in your heart and write it the best you can and everything will fall into place.
Yes, I still believe this is the hardest part of writing, but it's all part of the process and if we want to write for publication, we have to accept that we can't please everyone.
I'm excited to read your book!
I always wonder if there is anything out there- music, a movie, TV show, book-- that everyone loves. And there isn't. If you look on Amazon at NY times bestsellers, they all have a lot of bad reviews. Not everyone could ever love something. Just think, there are people out there who have terrible things to say about the Bible. Anyway, everyone gets bad reviews even the big-timers.
As fellow writers we share your pain...and your joy! We're all in this together, to uplift, edify, and to promote each other. Okay--I added the promote part!
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