This morning, I received an email from a frustrated writer
who I met at a conference last year. Her story wasn’t right for me, but she did
eventually sign with an agent. And this agent recently found her a decent deal
with a major publisher. Normally this would be cause for rejoicing, but today
she’s feeling overwhelmed. Her question:
I wanted to self-publish my book, but you told me that I should wait to find an agent and a traditional publisher. Now that I’ve done so, my agent and editor have given me a to-do list a mile long. They want me to rewrite my book, build a website, get onto social media, form a marketing plan, solicit endorsements, and a dozen other things. If I had self-published my book, it would already be on the market by now. What have I gained by following your advice?
I wanted to self-publish my book, but you told me that I should wait to find an agent and a traditional publisher. Now that I’ve done so, my agent and editor have given me a to-do list a mile long. They want me to rewrite my book, build a website, get onto social media, form a marketing plan, solicit endorsements, and a dozen other things. If I had self-published my book, it would already be on the market by now. What have I gained by following your advice?
Well, first, I don’t tell anyone what they should do. If you
ask my advice (and only if you ask), I will review options with you and discuss
the good and bad of each. Based on your situation, I might suggest a specific
course. But only you can decide what you will do.
