Music Monday - High Hopes

Whew, this month is almost over. Hard to believe right? Like where is the time going? I feel like I have so much to get done, yet actually accomplish very little.

There are not enough hours in the day for editing, writing, marketing, and making sure the family is taken care of on top of it all. But somehow, things manage to get done, maybe not always when they should, but I turtle along and keep chugging.

When I first started writing, I wasn't sure if I'd keep doing it for fun, or if I wanted to put forth the serious work required (see above) to make a go at having this as a career. At this point in the game, I'm all in with writing. I have stories I want to share with the world. I want to be successful in my endeavors. I have hopes, modest hopes, but hopes all the same for my future as an author.

If you've been following some of my other blog posts this year, you know I dipped my toe into the query waters. I've been peddling my stories to various small publishers and even bit the bullet and sent to an agent, because why not. As expected, I received rejections. Did they hurt? Well, not as much as one would think because I pretty much had it in my head no one would want my stories. Not in the 'traditional' publishing sense anyway.

I gave myself a year, 12 full months from the date of first submission to see where things would go. And to my great surprise I actually got interest in the two tester stories. I submitted one via a Twitter pitch contest and got a like (back in April) and since then I've talked with the editor and she's interested in taking on that story. In the same phone call, I was rejected for the second story. It was a weird day.

Two days later, I received an email from another publisher for that second story and they requested the full thing. A week later, they made an offer. So if all goes well, I could have sold two stories I really thought would never get traction, especially the second as it's a married couple romance and they are a hard sell, or so I'd been told in each rejection I got for it.

I haven't signed on the proverbial dotted line as of yet because I don't fully understand contracts and want them reviewed first. But, if all goes well, I'll be making the move from indie author to a hybrid author.

This week's selection fit my general mood. I don't have grand dreams where my writing career is concerned, but I do have some. And even I didn't know that having a publisher like something I've worked so hard on was one of those dreams until the possibility became a reality.

This business isn't easy. Keep your head up, and keep chugging forward to do what you love.

Have a great week.

Until next time,
~Meka

"High Hopes" by Panic! At The Disco