25 March 2015

Hi Everyone:

     I wish I could write that I have great news. Heck I wish that I could write that I have good news. The truth is, I hardly have any news at all.
    On my last blog, I said that I was having a love affair with my latest creation, my thirteenth novel,  currently titled, Where There's a Will--There's a Relative. I believe I gave credit for my inspiration to a quote from Mavis Gallant: "Writing is Like a Love Affair: The Beginning is the Best Part."
    I'm still very much in love, I just finished chapter 17. However, I must be past the beginning, because I'm slowing down. I'm approaching the middle of my story where it gets harder and harder to get a clear view of the path ahead. Some wise sole once dubbed it, the muddle of the story. I have a fairly good idea of how the novel ends. I just have to find my way from where I am, through the next twenty chapters, to what I hope will be a fantastic finish.
     In the meantime, I am still waiting for my publisher to send me the initial supply of copies that I ordered of my just released seventh novel, Alex, Peanut Butter and Me. About two weeks ago, he said that it would take about three weeks before the printer could ship them, so I guess I'm a week or two away from nail-biting time.
     I did go to his website and I found that when I clicked on my name under his listing of authors it did take me to a section with a brief biography and a picture of my novel in soft cover. It displayed an initial price of $12.95 that was ruled out and replaced by one at $10.95. [He accepts MasterCard, PayPal and Visa], so I'm guessing that the book can be purchased on-line directly from  www.secondwindpublishing.com (or click on this link.) Click the "Authors" tab, the names are  alphabetized by first names. Click on Joshua Truxton and the website should do the rest.

  By the way, if you are following this blog, you are among the first to be invited to purchase the novel. I guess you could say this is my formal, informal announcement.

March 4, 2015

Hi Everyone:

     About two weeks ago, while I was between revising the third volume of my trilogy, Adventures of Silent Sam, and sending out queries to Literary Agents for representation on my novel, The Unvarnished Truth, and urging my publisher to expedite the release of "Alex, Peanut Butter, and Me"; I came across this terrific quote from the author, Mavis Gallant:
      
                      "Writing is like a love affair:  The beginning is the best part."

     I jotted it down on a Post-It and now it sits firmly attached to my computer screen. The more I thought about it, the truer it sounded. It became clear to me that it was trumpeting a message that was far too clear and poignant to ignore, so I dusted off my trusty keyboard and immersed myself in a brand new project. You might well ask if it is a romance or at least a love story. Either, would be only too poetic, but alas, no such luck. It's a family saga in which the main character, age seventy, is beginning to experience cognitive issues and recognizes, that for all his wealth, he must face end of life decisions. The working title for this, my 13th manuscript. is [Are you ready for this? May I hear a drumroll, please.]
                                      "Where There is a Will . . . . There's a Relative"
     Now don't go rushing out to Barnes & Noble or to Amazon.com to get a copy. I'm a long, long way from publication. In fact, if you have been following my blog you know what a struggle I've been having to find a Literary Agent in the hope of getting some major publishing house to consider one of my manuscripts.
     So far, all I have is a working title and the first eleven chapters. And I'm here to tell you that Mavis Gallant is right, writing is like a love affair. I've never felt more alive than I've been while putting together these initial chapters. Will the beginning turn out to be the best part of the affair? I guess I won't know the answer to that until I reach the end of my quest. But like a love affair, I can feel myself being seduced by the promise of the main characters. Will their allure pull me deep into the plot? I have no idea, but I find myself pushing other literary concerns aside to concentrate on this, my great new love.
     As they used to say on the radio soaps, Stay tuned for further developments.
                   Josh

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Hi Everyone:
    
     It's been about six weeks since my last post and I'm still waiting for my publisher to move my novel, Alex, Peanut Butter, and Me, out of the "Coming Soon" list and onto his "Available Now" list. I just sent him a note and I'm hoping he'll respond right away.
     In my previous blog, I mentioned that I had sent the manuscript for The Unvarnished Truth to a literary agent. Story in a nutshell--rejected. Once again I am actively seeking someone who feels passionately about this story. I now have 51 unanswered queries out there (123 sent since April of last year). I feel that the advent of the movie Selma should improve the book's chances.
     In case you are wondering, yes, I am also seeking an agent who likes Young Adult and New Adult stories for my three volume trilogy, Adventure of Silent Sam. There are 26 unanswered queries about those. (Does anyone have a special in with a literary agent?)
     Every time I get a rejection notice I send at least one new query out. I don't take rejections personally, I try to treat this as a process and my response of a new query for each turn down helps to keep it that way.
     In the meantime, beside reading the 3rd volume of Adventure of Silent Sam to my critique group at the rate of a chapter a week, I have started writing a new novel. It's a family saga that I'm really excited about. So far I've completed only eight chapters, so I have a long way to go. I shall keep you posted as to my progress.
     Here is a great quote from author, Mavis Gallant. "Writing is like a love affair: The beginning is the best part."

Hi Everyone:
     In my last blog, I bemoaned the difficulty of enticing a legitimate literary agent to actually read  my manuscript, The Unvarnished Truth. At the time, I had already written to 75 literary agents without any sign of success and  my lament was to find a specific number where one could honestly say to ones self, "That's enough, it's time to put the book on the shelf, or consider the Independent Publishers or self-publication."
     I am a persistent person so I kept on sending out query letters, and lo and behold, after sending an electronic query letter to the 110th agent (with over 45 still unanswered) today I rec'd a request for the entire manuscript. Naturally, I complied. She may decide not to represent it, but for a while, I can at least ecstatically float on a sense of hope.
     My list of potential literary agents still contains 23 likely prospects for this genre. I shall hold these as a reserve, in case I wind up with another rejection, and in the meantime, dedicate myself to finding a Literary Agent for my Young Adult trilogy, Adventures of Silent Sam. I must confess that within the last week I also came up with the germ of an idea for my next novel, a great family conflict. I can hardly wait to start putting that on paper.
     In case you are wondering, here is the latest news on my forthcoming novel, Alex, Peanut Butter, and Me. I checked my publisher's website and found a segment dedicated to novels that are close to their publication date. There together with nineteen others, listed under: COMING SOON was the cover for my book. Now all I need to figure out is the definition of the word: SOON.
    Stay tuned for further details,
              Josh

When is it enough?

Hi Everyone:
     When is it enough? When do you know that you've done all that's reasonable? I'm not a quitter, but I would like someone to tell me when to quit trying to get a Literary Agent to read a manuscript. I had a good friend who used to say, "When you're doing the right things and you're not getting the result you want, you've just got to keep on keeping on."

     Now I know that there aren't an infinite number of agents so somewhere there has to be a number, a law, or a standard that says when you've reached this number without a positive result, it's time to move on, either to a new endeavor or a new vocation.

     I know that in order to get one of the major publishing houses to read my novel, it must come through a literary agent. They refuse to accept material directly from the author, so getting an agent is crucial if one hopes to be contracted by the likes of Random House or Simon and Schuster.

     That's not to say that you can't get your novel into print. There are two or three dozen independent publishing houses that will deal directly with the author, which is what I did for my forthcoming novel, Alex, Peanut Butter, and Me. It will be published shortly in both print and digital form by Second Wind Publishers, a N.C. firm. In addition, thanks to the internet, self publishing is a viable alternative. Three of my earlier works are available for nook, fire, and other electronic device readers. However, the Golden Fleece of publishing still belongs to the big five publishing conglomerates.
    
     I am not faulting Literary Agent's. There are just so many books that one person can read or authors they can represent. Many of these hard working people already represent as many active authors as they can handle in the time that's available to them. They are loath to take on a new author unless he or she is famous or infamous and I think it's a little too late in  life to rob a bank or kill someone.

     To attract a good Literary Agent, writers must compose a query letter. It's actually a sales pitch, condensed to a single sheet of paper and it's sent to those agents who indicate a willingness to consider the specific genre of the author's work, along with whatever else the particular agent requires, (sometimes a synopsis, a biography, and anywhere from a single chapter on up.) I'm not new to this process. I've written, what I consider an excellent query letter, which I have revised umpteen times for my 9th manuscript, The Unvarnished Truth.

     Initially, I selected twenty agents. Each time an agent refuses to consider my novel, I eliminate that agent from my list and replace him or her with another prospect, thus keeping twenty irons in the fire at all times. To date, I've sent queries to 75 agents.  WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHEN I'VE DONE ENOUGH?

  

Hi Everyone:

     The other day, a friend asked me if all novelists needed to have a literary agent. I knew that my friend wrote a lot of short stories (500-8,000 words) and vignettes (1,500-2,500 words) and even a novella or two (10,000-20,000 words).
     In light of fast growing use of electronic publishing, it was impossible to give him a quick 'yes' or 'no' answer. "That all depends," I said, and not wanting to come off as a wise guy, quickly added, it depends on what you want to accomplish.
     "You mean, on how much money you want to make," he replied. Both he and I knew that I had long ago published three novels electronically for Nook and Kindle readers as well as those using other electronic devices.
     "That could be a consideration." I said. In most cases, traditional print authors receive 10-15%, whereas each e-book purchase produces five to seven times that amount. Today, a good number of successful authors are opting to e-publish, which does not require the service of a literary agent, in order to reap these larger rewards. They count on their loyal followers and their name recognition to maximize sales."
     "In other words," my friend said, "the only way to see your book in print, is to get an Agent?"
     "No, not at all," I replied. For decades, authors have self-published in hard copy. This requires a financial investment on the part of the author because printing and book-binding is costly. There are also a number of independent presses that will deal directly with the author. These usually accept and publish a limited number of books each year, often use print on demand technology, and frequently have a limited system of distribution. My novel, "Alex--Peanut Butter--And Me," will be published by Second Wind Publishing, a small independent press based in North Carolina. They lean heavily on the author's marketing skills for the books success."
     "Josh," he said, "you once told me that you were happy about getting that book accepted for publication, that it gave you a sense of psychological confirmation that your work was worthy of publication, and yet, I know that you are still trying to find a Literary Agent. My question is why?"
     I grinned at him, "You're absolutely right, Having Mike Simpson, the publisher say that he'd like to publish my seventh novel was terrific. I am already making plans to aid in its success. At the same time I'm doing all that I can to find a good Literary Agent for my 9th novel, "The Unvarnished Truth." One of my goals for this tale is publication by one of the major publishing houses. Firms like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Doubleday insist on dealing through the Literary Agent, so if you want the power and prestige of one of the huge conglomerates behind your manuscript, you first have to obtain the services of one of these gatekeepers."
     "I see," he said. "I guess getting an agent is pretty hard," he said.
     "Hard? It's like pushing a dead elephant up a steep mountain."



P.S. IF YOU'D LIKE TO READ THE LAST FEW CHAPTERS OF NOVEL # 9, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE: joshswritingroom.com



    

Hi Everyone:
     It's been quite a while since I used this Blog. As you may recall, I was posting serialized chapters of my novel RAPE for your reading pleasure and to solicit your reactions, thus helping me to make changes in this unpublished manuscript. Things became hectic and I switched that effort to my website at joshswritingroom. com where you can find a summary of previously posted chapters in the Current Post section, as well as chapter 48. I hope to post chapter 49 on October 9th if everything goes according to plan. Of course, things seldom go according to plan, but I can dream can't I? (I think that's the name of an old song)
     My really big news is that Second Wind Publishing is about to publish my seventh novel, ALEX--PEANUT BUTTER--AND ME. I don't have an exact date, but I believe it will be sometime after the middle of this month. After that, the hard work of trying to get the novel stocked in bookstores across the country so people will have a chance to buy it. Stay tuned for the further adventures of this struggling author.