Taking a Detour on the Road to Publication

Although I love being a writer, there are days when I question that choice. Writing is not the problem. I like sitting at my computer, classical music softly playing and a mug of tea at hand. I enjoy working with words and stories. But I hate marketing, and that’s something I need to do right now. My editor at ECW says there is “nothing ‘wrong’” with my new novel and that it’s “publishable,” but it just didn’t appeal to him. And so, I must find a new publisher.

The competition is intense. Publishers are flooded with submissions and can accept only a tiny fraction of them—maybe two or three percent. And wait times are long. It’s not uncommon for writers to wait four to six months before they hear the fate of their submission.

I was extraordinarily lucky with my first novel. ECW replied to my query in less than a week and offered me a contract less than one month later. Maybe that experience spoiled me. I hadn’t expected my situation to change to suddenly. But it has. And I will cope with that change.

Yesterday I completed a new submission package—including a two-page synopsis and an undated literary CV—and sent it off to a new publisher. It advertises a wait time of up to six months. Unless I get lucky again, I’m likely to be frequently checking emails all summer long.

Writer friends tell me that writers often change publishers, both by choice and necessity. Dave Margoshes, bless him, assured me that a rejection slip is “part of the process, not a failure.” He’s a wise man (and a good writer)—I’ll take him at his word.

In the meantime, Grounds for Murder is still available at the library, in bookstores, and online. And from ECW Press.

Next Friday, I’ll attend the Saskatchewan Book Awards gala, where Grounds for Murder is a contender for the best fiction award. It has stiff competition—Dave’s A Simple Carpenter is excellent. Regardless of the outcome, I plan to enjoy the evening.