The Experiment: Update To The Leap Of Faith

So after reviewing the website for the publisher I'd mentioned in my last entry, I decided to submit The Artifact to them, for review.

According to an email I recieved earlier this week (Okay, technically on Monday) they are going to review the material I sent, and get back to me within 2 weeks.

So, I am now waiting to hear what they say. If they accept my book, I'll ask to see their publishing agreement. After I go over it with a magnifying glass and with the help of my friends and loved ones (Many of whom, thankfully, have suspicious minds at worst, skeptical natures at best) I will decide whether the deal is good, bad, or too good to be true.

So now comes the waiting game.

And even if they agree to publish me and I agree to let them publish me, this is far from the end of my adventures.

As I said: this is a small publisher who will leave many if not most of the decisions up to me. That means that I will still ultimately have to take care of marketing and distribution of the book. I'll probably order an initial run of the book and start some small-scale marketing of my own (Including submitting the book for review to the local papers and a couple of SF websites/literary websites) while working on the "real" marketing campaign.

The process of formatting the book for print, cover design and the initial print run is going to take several months. In that time I'll have to review one or more "proof" copies of the material, while planning my marketing strategy--a large part of which will consist of figuring out how to PAY for all this. I assume that my annual bonus from the phone company, paid in February and usually in excess of $1500 CDN (before taxes of course) will go towards that end. Likewise, it helps that a friend of mine used to work for a media consultant firm.

And if I am declined by the publisher, or if I decline them, well, then it's back to square one, isn't it? Either way, this experiment is a long way from concluded.

And whatever happens, you, dear readers, will be the first to know. Well, you'll be the first to know after my wife, my friends in Ottawa, my friends in Toronto, my Mom, my coworkers, my downstairs neighbours, my psychologist...so, I guess technically you'll be the ninth or tenth to know. Twelfth or further, depending on the order in which you visit this blog.

I'll also be very soon adding a new feature to this blog: As a writer, I feel that it would be appropriate to create a book review section. Not to review MY writing, but to review books that I've liked. But, I don't want to be the only person reviewing books, so I'm going to be inviting some people to review books, as well. Right now this is all in the nebulous "inside my head" stage, but I'll keep you posted on THAT, as well.