BooksofJobe.com

Coastal Transmissions From an Oregon Transplant

Publishing

  • The Comforting Reassurance of a 90 Minute Rejection

    I queried the old version of my novel to maybe 40 or 50 agents before taking a break. I had found a handful of tweaks I wanted to make to the manuscript (mostly minor, some more significant), and after sending my query letter to dozens of agents without so much as a nibble of interest… Read more

  • Publisher vs Agent: Grudge Match

    Just kidding, there’s no grudge. In my last post I alluded to having a decision to make regarding the fate of my novel, since it is now fully back in my hands after the rights were returned to me by the previous almost-publisher. And that decision is one I suspect a lot of writers can… Read more

  • Almost Published to Unpublished, Just Like That

    So, last week I got some news about my debut novel that was due to be published by an indie publisher in Colorado. My editor decided to resign from the publishing company, and they said they simply had no other editors with room on their plate to take on another project. The publisher sent me… Read more

  • Publishing News 2.0!

    In my last post I alluded to possibly having some more news to share soon, and it has come to pass. The “ink” is dry on the contract so I can finally announce: Denver-based indie publisher Literary Wanderlust has agreed to publish my debut novel, The End of Jimmy Ray Day! As I mentioned, they… Read more

  • “It’s about 250 pages.”

    As I look ahead to having an actual completed novel—which isn’t a case of counting my chickens before they’re hatched, I don’t think, but rather anticipating what’s to come—there are a few things I have to do that are deceptively difficult. For the most part, they all revolve around one basic question: “What’s your book… Read more

  • Random Thoughts: Twitter, Facebook, and Mike

    I’ve been on Twitter quite awhile now, but I never really used it in a “professional” capacity. I followed mostly comedians and the like, and that was how I enjoyed my Twitter: as occasional entertainment, for a few laughs and not much else. I followed some writers, some fellow bloggers, and that was it. I… Read more

  • The Oddity That Is The Encouraging Rejection

    I’ve become accustomed to rejection. I’m still in the early stages of my collection, as yesterday I received lucky number 13 if you’re scoring at home. But this one was different. To paraphrase, it read, in part: Thank you for submitting your story to our online magazine. Unfortunately, our editors did not feel your story was… Read more

  • Rejection, Dejection, Commendation, and Inspiration

    Quite a ride on the Aspiring Writers’ Emotional Tilt-A-Whirl yesterday. I checked my email just before leaving for work to find that my second submission to a publisher has been swiftly rejected. Nothing heartbreaking or earth shattering there; to be honest, I’m not completely surprised. The novella was not necessarily the best fit for the… Read more

  • I Never Would’ve Guessed One of the Hardest Things About Writing Could Be Coming Up with a Good Title

    I’ve become convinced that the title of one of my novellas (the one I’m currently trying to get published) is no good. In fact, I’m on the verge of saying it downright sucks. Originally, I thought it was a clever little title. It’s actually one of the last lines in the book, and I thought… Read more