Friends keep asking me "how's your book?"
Well, here is my gritty, short answer:
Book is done but I've been rejected by a handful of publishers. The last rejection letter was "the nicest one" Deirdre Paulsen has ever seen - true, it was very nice (and I've also received some not-so-nice letters). It said it was good and they commend me for my work, but they don't know how to market such a memoir which leads me to believe two things:
1. If I was a famous person, my book would easily be published because it's a great story. But I'm just a random, average person.
2. People are unfamiliar with brain injury and assume it's an . . . an . . . I forgot the word I was going to use, seriously it was just in my head and I thought about something else for a second and the word dissolved. This is the brain injury battle - words dissolve in your head. Anyway, I can't think of the word but it's the same thing as an "uncommon" or "rare."
Bottom-line, I understand why a publisher doesn't think they can market this book and with the way our economy is, they want to publish potential best-sellers. SO I'VE DECIDED TO SELF-PUBLISH!!!!
So I'll definitely post an update when the book is published (I've already found a self-publishing company and had them print one test copy. . .) and let you know how you can buy it!
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5 comments:
Congratulations! I'd add a 3rd thing to your list. Basically, it freaks people out. They don't really want to talk about it and it makes them uncomfortable. Now, having said that, there have been other "brain injury" memoirs written, published and well received by the reading public. So, I think they are short sighted. There's room for more from a new/different perspective. I can't wait to read yours. oh, a question too. Did you go direct to publisher's yourself or have an agent do that for you...an agent would have a much better chance of getting your book serious consideration.
Hey Veganwannabe:
Thanks for the post. Do we know eachother? I love your blog!
You are right, agents have an easier time getting in with publishers. Unfortunately, the agents I talked to said, "Memoirs like this are hard to sell." Yeah I've read most of the other TBI Memoirs too . . .
Hi again. Nope, we do not know each other. I stumbled upon your blog while surfing "brain injury" and enjoyed it. Damn those agents. Well, I'm glad you are undeterred and will be self publshing! Yay!
Amen sistah!!
I'm really jazzed about my new self-publishing thing! Did you see my website www.Jennifermosher.com and you can add your email to my publication distribution list so I can let you know when it's out.
yeah. I checked out your site. I have an RSS feed setup so when you post, I'll know. I'm a web 2.0 librarian...which is kind of funny because when I was in library school the web was just emerging...as I was graduating my school got the first web browser : mosaic....we oohed and aahed over that thing. and now...well now it's beyond our predictions by a million miles.
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