Book News

As far as New Year's resolutions are concerned, I am at what I would consider an "impressive" four for six.
http://morningcupcake.blogspot.com/2008/01/resolutions-take-two.html

Sadly, "finish Christmas cards" and "finish shift dress" did not make the cut this year, but I am happy to report that I have at least picked up the guitar once (okay, it was my friend Todd's guitar, but I think it still counts), I sat at the piano to play "Brian's Song" when I found my old '70s songbook in a box of old papers, and I returned "Good Night and Good Luck" to Netflix (although I have now had "Babel" for approximately 4 months and counting).

Most importantly, I "finished" my book. By "finished," I mean that I have a manuscript with a cohesive story from start to finish. Sure, it can be fine tuned, but there are 80,000 words there, and my totally biased friends (and mom) have voiced their approval. The question now is: where do I go from here?

Well, taking a published author's advice, I purchased Jeff Herman's Guide to Agents and Publishers, and I am starting to . . . fear for my life. Okay, that's a bit drastic. But the odds of getting published are . . . not good. I mean really not good. I looked at the profiles of about 15 agents in that book, and the lowest rejection rate I could find was 90%. Those are pretty tough odds. My concern with my book is that it's a little formulaic. Personally, I don't mind a predictable story, and I enjoy characters and situations to which I can relate. This, combined with the "write what you know" philosophy, is how I ended up with your typical chick lit fare. The real trouble will be marketing it - coming up with something that sets my book apart or simply grabs the agent and says "read my book; others will too."

Wish me luck!