Thank you. "Having frittered away almost a year when I should have been writing a book" closely follows my writing and publishing experience. I once had many encouraging telephone conversations with a top editor but took too long to self-edit my submission. In the meantime, the top editor had moved to a different publisher and had recently accepted a novel very much like mine. My novel was published by a small but traditional publisher, who arranged a great launch party and bookshop promotions. I thought I'd hit the big time. How wrong I was. I was no longer an unpublished author, so I could not enter many writing competitions.
I’m so sorry Connie. That sounds really upsetting and a difficult decision to have made. Such good news about your novel being optioned though. Fingers crossed for you!
Oh Sally I’m sorry. Sometimes writing can’t be rushed and things need time to percolate. I’ve had the same thing happen with a film script. The BBC put out a documentary identical to one I wrote and sent to them. But mine was rejected. The kindest thing I can think is that there’s a zeitgeist and sometimes people come up with the same idea at the same time. But life and publishing isn’t always kind…
Oh wow. Really sorry this happened to you. I know the feeling. Something similar happened to me. Several years ago my agent corresponded (in writing) with a film producer who was very interested in optioning one of my novels. The talks never got off the ground but fast forward to now. Something very similar is currently airing on on a major network. It's so similar that my agent talked to an attorney. In the end, we decided not to pursue it. Interestingly, that very same novel has recently been optioned by a film studio and we don't want to jeopardize that with lawsuits just now We'll see what happens. But sadly, these things are all too common in this business.
Historical fiction sounds good. And then you can position it somewhere on that scale -literary /high brow or commercial /populist as you see fit. Looking forward to hearing more about it.
I had written several novels that nearly made it (all were agented) then wrote another, literary fiction, which happened to be set in the past. It won prizes and was critically acclaimed. But I didn’t want to be pigeonholed as a historical fiction writer, it’s only a fraction of my interest. And anyway, the idea for my next novel was speculative fiction. So I wrote that, and got dropped by my big four publisher. Harsh. My career has not yet recovered, though that book did get published by a middle size publisher and was entered for the Booker. I get it that people want more of what they love, but loads of writers excel at more than one genre. Hilary Mantel, Iain Banks, these were my models. Publishing feels more restrictive these days, less willing to stick with an author, less willing to give you time to build your career. Still, we persist.
Wow Ros! We do indeed contain multitudes. I’m writing a memoir, finishing up a thriller, planning another thriller and a collection of speculative fiction. Do you work on one project at once? Or how do you weave them together?
Oh Ros I’m sorry. That is harsh. I agree it so much more restrictive now. Good for you, sticking to what you believe and want to write. Wishing you all the best with the latest book.
Thanks, Sanjida. Fingers crossed. The recent one I’ve written is historical, and now I have both a speculative novel and a memoir+ in progress. A literary biography is on the back burner. We contain multitudes!
Thank you. "Having frittered away almost a year when I should have been writing a book" closely follows my writing and publishing experience. I once had many encouraging telephone conversations with a top editor but took too long to self-edit my submission. In the meantime, the top editor had moved to a different publisher and had recently accepted a novel very much like mine. My novel was published by a small but traditional publisher, who arranged a great launch party and bookshop promotions. I thought I'd hit the big time. How wrong I was. I was no longer an unpublished author, so I could not enter many writing competitions.
I’m so sorry Connie. That sounds really upsetting and a difficult decision to have made. Such good news about your novel being optioned though. Fingers crossed for you!
Oh Sally I’m sorry. Sometimes writing can’t be rushed and things need time to percolate. I’ve had the same thing happen with a film script. The BBC put out a documentary identical to one I wrote and sent to them. But mine was rejected. The kindest thing I can think is that there’s a zeitgeist and sometimes people come up with the same idea at the same time. But life and publishing isn’t always kind…
Oh wow. Really sorry this happened to you. I know the feeling. Something similar happened to me. Several years ago my agent corresponded (in writing) with a film producer who was very interested in optioning one of my novels. The talks never got off the ground but fast forward to now. Something very similar is currently airing on on a major network. It's so similar that my agent talked to an attorney. In the end, we decided not to pursue it. Interestingly, that very same novel has recently been optioned by a film studio and we don't want to jeopardize that with lawsuits just now We'll see what happens. But sadly, these things are all too common in this business.
Loved that post, Sandija. It clarified a lot of things that were a bit murky for me.
Thank you so much Carol. Did it help you with figuring out your own genre or did you know that already?
Working hypothesis is that it's historical fiction or upmarket fiction. If I ever hear back from an agent, I'm sure they will correct me if need be!
Historical fiction sounds good. And then you can position it somewhere on that scale -literary /high brow or commercial /populist as you see fit. Looking forward to hearing more about it.
Thanks, that's a helpful way of looking at it.
I had written several novels that nearly made it (all were agented) then wrote another, literary fiction, which happened to be set in the past. It won prizes and was critically acclaimed. But I didn’t want to be pigeonholed as a historical fiction writer, it’s only a fraction of my interest. And anyway, the idea for my next novel was speculative fiction. So I wrote that, and got dropped by my big four publisher. Harsh. My career has not yet recovered, though that book did get published by a middle size publisher and was entered for the Booker. I get it that people want more of what they love, but loads of writers excel at more than one genre. Hilary Mantel, Iain Banks, these were my models. Publishing feels more restrictive these days, less willing to stick with an author, less willing to give you time to build your career. Still, we persist.
Wow Ros! We do indeed contain multitudes. I’m writing a memoir, finishing up a thriller, planning another thriller and a collection of speculative fiction. Do you work on one project at once? Or how do you weave them together?
I start them when they arrive but then park them until it is their turn to be at the front of the queue. One book at a time.
Great idea. I have one that’s been waiting in the wings for a long time now!
Oh Ros I’m sorry. That is harsh. I agree it so much more restrictive now. Good for you, sticking to what you believe and want to write. Wishing you all the best with the latest book.
Thanks, Sanjida. Fingers crossed. The recent one I’ve written is historical, and now I have both a speculative novel and a memoir+ in progress. A literary biography is on the back burner. We contain multitudes!