Newsletter: October 2024 Edition
Welcome to the October 2024 edition of my newsletter and the beginning of fall, my favorite season! Send me all the baked fruit pies and pumpkin spice, et al, that you have!! Now that this brutal summer in Texas is finally over, I can get outside and go for walks which will help me write more books. Subscribe to get the newsletter in your email inbox. Never miss an update. Subscribe today! Alright, onto the newsletter stuff.
One of the things that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is the envy that comes from seeing other writers post on social media about their successes and experiencing the jealousy that comes from feeling left out or rejected by several outlets in the literary establishment. It’s not a good feeling particularly in light of the struggle I went through to get to this point in my writing career. Having independently published eight books over 16 years, I’d hoped that finally releasing my ninth book through a traditional publisher would open doors that had been closed to authors like me who’d “self-published” their books. What I discovered was that not many new doors opened for me.
What did I hope would happen? Well, in the months leading up to my book’s publication in March 2024, I hired a publicist and I’d hoped that all the trade publications (or at least ONE) would review my book without me having to pay for a book review like I did as a self-published author. None did. I'd hoped that traditional media, particularly in Texas and in Austin—the city I've lived in for 35 years—would publish a profile about me or, at least, review my book. None did. I felt dejected because I'd finally released my ninth book on a traditional publisher and I was still discovering that the doors were closed for my new book.
So, when I'd see other authors and their similar books to mine receiving reviews in Publishers Weekly or Kirkus Reviews, I felt envious. When I'd see other Texas authors being profiled in Texas Monthly or Texas Highways or the Austin Chronicle, I felt jealous. Why wasn't my book getting that attention? Why wasn't I being featured at that time? I hate admitting that I felt this way, but I'm only human. I'm not perfect.
When I started to understand that this jealousy and envy didn't make me feel good, what did I do about it? I decided it was best for me to do what I could control, and that was to lean into my writing. I'd remind myself that the writing part of being a writer was my favorite part, not fame or notoriety or money or reviews. I also learned from other mid-list authors that I wasn't alone in being rejected. Many of them had also been ignored by the trade publications and traditional media; it wasn't just me. I decided to focus on things that I could control which was to write more books and to be a cheerleader for other writers. These were—and still are—the things that made me feel good as a writer.
Ironically, months after my novel was released and all hope was gone for any publicity for it, I was invited to appear at a book festival, I was invited to be interviewed on LIVE television in San Antonio at the NBC affiliate, I was interviewed for an awesome podcast, and the audiobook edition of my novel was reviewed in AudioFile Magazine, a prestigious trade publication. Very cool developments!
But, as cool as these things are, nothing makes this writer happier than simply writing.
