Space may be the final frontier, but in my opinion, navigating the world of publishing comes in a close second. My bookshelf (and Kindle) are full of reference books. I have books on everything from how to write a book in 30 days to how to write a darn good novel to how to secure an agent. What has me floating around in space is what happens next.
In 2012 I started Seton Hill University’s Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction with two ideas for books. The idea that was closest to my heart (and had been with me the longest) became my thesis project, TRAVELLIN’ SHOES, a multicultural cozy mystery featuring a policeman and his godmother as a sleuthing team. The godmother was based on my godmother and has a big place in my heart. I completed my thesis a little early and started the other book, THE PLOT IS MURDER. This book is a cozy mystery series featuring a bookstore owner and amateur sleuth who solves a murder mystery in her personal life (with the help of her grandmother) while writing a British historical cozy mystery. The reader will solve two mysteries in every book. The concept for TRAVELLIN’ SHOES has been with me since 2006. I have written, rewritten and then when I was done I rewrote it again. I finished THE PLOT IS MURDER in April 2015 and in October, I signed with Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. In April 2016, Dawn sold THE PLOT IS MURDER to John Scognamiglio at Kensington Books in a three book deal. Ecstatic doesn’t even begin to express my feelings at seeing this dream come true. However, I find myself wandering around asking, now what? I have focused so much energy and effort into writing and finding an agent and publisher, that now that the glorious day has arrived, I don’t know what comes next. I’ve Googled to locate the definitive guide on what to do after you sell your book. Unfortunately, none exists. What I have found are books on marketing for authors, using social media to market your book, and a lot of contradictory posts on the benefits and pitfalls of marketing and social media.
Despite my anxiety, I know this is not unchartered territory where no writer has gone before. Thousands of authors have published books. In my head I know every author’s journey is different. Just as writing a book is different for each person, publishing will be the same way. Ultimately, my agent, editor, and kindhearted friends will guide me through this strange new world of publishing. So, while I go (perhaps more tentatively than boldly) into this new frontier, I will endeavor to leave a trail (of blog posts) to help the next explorer find her way, or at least to have something to laugh about on the journey.