As of today, I have submitted a manuscript and other information for The Earthworm That Blows No Trumpet to iuniverse.com. The gent serving as my check-in coordinator was very intrigued by the title and the basic premise, so that bodes well. He also reminded me that the package I have purchased from iUniverse probably means the book will be ready for sale in about three months, so look for my big announcement in March 2015.
Among the options I selected was the format of the printed version: 6x9 inches, creme-colored stock. The e-book will be available in Kindle format, the other e-reader format (whatever it's called), and PDF. Prices are not yet determined, but look for the printed edition to run about $25 and the e-book $4.
So I hear somebody saying, "Hey Dave, why don't you go through a traditional publisher?" I say to that person, "What a cute question! You're a little naïve, aren't you? No author goes directly through a traditional publisher any more. Publishers don't even talk to authors. Even for established authors, they typically speak only with the agent representing the author's work."
The major trick is finding an agent who specializes in your particular sub-genre. An author must send the agent a query that grabs the agent's attention as concisely as possible. Grabbing the agent's attention means presenting something instantly recognized as marketable. After half a dozen targeted queries brought rejections or no response at all, I learned that Earthworm is too complex to lend itself to easy marketing. Considering how many queries agents receive, they probably accept about 1% of all queries that come their way.
What if I told you that I could write a comic/satirical novel about religious conflict with a Texas flavor—and that it involves Unitarians? Would that pique your curiosity, to see whether I could pull it off and make you laugh and think? Well, would it?
Among the options I selected was the format of the printed version: 6x9 inches, creme-colored stock. The e-book will be available in Kindle format, the other e-reader format (whatever it's called), and PDF. Prices are not yet determined, but look for the printed edition to run about $25 and the e-book $4.
So I hear somebody saying, "Hey Dave, why don't you go through a traditional publisher?" I say to that person, "What a cute question! You're a little naïve, aren't you? No author goes directly through a traditional publisher any more. Publishers don't even talk to authors. Even for established authors, they typically speak only with the agent representing the author's work."
The major trick is finding an agent who specializes in your particular sub-genre. An author must send the agent a query that grabs the agent's attention as concisely as possible. Grabbing the agent's attention means presenting something instantly recognized as marketable. After half a dozen targeted queries brought rejections or no response at all, I learned that Earthworm is too complex to lend itself to easy marketing. Considering how many queries agents receive, they probably accept about 1% of all queries that come their way.
What if I told you that I could write a comic/satirical novel about religious conflict with a Texas flavor—and that it involves Unitarians? Would that pique your curiosity, to see whether I could pull it off and make you laugh and think? Well, would it?
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