One of the blogs I follow each week belongs to Rachelle Gardener. She offers wonderful insight and advice into the world of publishing. This past week she wrote about some tough conversations that may come even AFTER a writer has an agent. They include: book two isn’t going to cut it, nobody’s buying your book, your image isn’t so hot, and you need to rewrite MOST of your manuscript. Man, just in case I was thinking getting an agent meant clear sailing!
Over the weekend, in an effort to lighten the mood, Rachelle offered her readers a “Bad News Poetry Contest.” The person who writes the best poem about the bad news writers may get wins either a gift card or an evaluation of a query, book proposal or fifteen pages of a novel. You can probably guess I won’t go for the gift card if I win! So here’s my entry. Inspired by Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Sonnets from the Portuguese.”
Sonnet from the Publishese
How do I love thy book? Let me spell out
Any misconceptions you may hold dear.
Your book is acceptable, have no fear,
‘tho about a few things there is some doubt.
Your book needs rewriting, this you must know
The publishers aren’t biting, I have tried
My best to sell, but opinion’s bright tide
Points out your tendency to tell not show.
Oh and did I mention your frightening hair
and that book two is a cause that is lost?
Don’t worry, the writer with all is rare,
And though the fixes are not without cost,
We’ll soon have a product to sell I swear,
And Hell will experience a light frost.
I like your sense of humor, Sarah! This made me smile. (:-)
Whew! It’s been a long day. It was supposed to be a smiley. 🙂