Tonya Coffey's Blog - Posts Tagged "publishers"
What's next?
I never realized how hard it would be after you get your book published. I always thought it was the time before, where you had to submit to hundreds of publishers and hope they gave you a chance.
I was wrong.
Post publication is the hardest. You have to promote and promote some more and hope a bookstore will give you a chance because your book it different than the other hundred published by a big name publisher.
I'm from a small town and the closest book store from me is over 35 miles away and its a chain store, which means you have to go through a merchandising director.
I am sure the manager (who looked half my age) thought I was stupid for asking to stock my book, but I didn't know this. I didn't know you had to go to the top of the food chain in order to request a form. But I will know next time.
I am going to take a breath, relax and hold my head up high and continue to the next public library--who by the way are very supportive.
I was wrong.
Post publication is the hardest. You have to promote and promote some more and hope a bookstore will give you a chance because your book it different than the other hundred published by a big name publisher.
I'm from a small town and the closest book store from me is over 35 miles away and its a chain store, which means you have to go through a merchandising director.
I am sure the manager (who looked half my age) thought I was stupid for asking to stock my book, but I didn't know this. I didn't know you had to go to the top of the food chain in order to request a form. But I will know next time.
I am going to take a breath, relax and hold my head up high and continue to the next public library--who by the way are very supportive.
What to do?
So I have been writing for many years. I took some classes on how to create novels and stories for children. I didn't attend college or get a degree in writing. I know I'm not perfect when it comes to writing sentences without any errors. I am working on it.
I don't like how other authors treat ones who haven't spent years in a university. I'm not saying every author does this but I dislike how people can stand in front of your face and speak to you with sentences filled with words I have to look up in a dictionary. Yeah, I'm not smart. So what, it doesn't mean I can't come up with a great story and tell it. It's as if they are trying to look more important because they can talk the way they are.
When I talked to this person, they treated me as if I had no business being an author. They asked how long I'd been writing, why I chose to be one, where I went to school, who my publisher was, did I pay to have my book published, and a bunch of other stuff. As I answered his questions, I watched his facial expressions. I am the type person that I will smile and show respect. I never act as if I am better than anyone. It wasn't how I was raised. Anyway, this person laughed at a few of my answers then sighed as he pointed out my history of no education would be my downfall. No sensible publishing house would take a writer without knowledge of grammar.
Huh?
I smiled and said thank you and went on my way. I try not to let things like this bother me but should I? Does it matter that I don't have a paper hanging on my wall telling I went to a big university and was at the top of the Dean's list? I don't get why people like this think they are better than me because they have more education.
I don't like how other authors treat ones who haven't spent years in a university. I'm not saying every author does this but I dislike how people can stand in front of your face and speak to you with sentences filled with words I have to look up in a dictionary. Yeah, I'm not smart. So what, it doesn't mean I can't come up with a great story and tell it. It's as if they are trying to look more important because they can talk the way they are.
When I talked to this person, they treated me as if I had no business being an author. They asked how long I'd been writing, why I chose to be one, where I went to school, who my publisher was, did I pay to have my book published, and a bunch of other stuff. As I answered his questions, I watched his facial expressions. I am the type person that I will smile and show respect. I never act as if I am better than anyone. It wasn't how I was raised. Anyway, this person laughed at a few of my answers then sighed as he pointed out my history of no education would be my downfall. No sensible publishing house would take a writer without knowledge of grammar.
Huh?
I smiled and said thank you and went on my way. I try not to let things like this bother me but should I? Does it matter that I don't have a paper hanging on my wall telling I went to a big university and was at the top of the Dean's list? I don't get why people like this think they are better than me because they have more education.
