Dear Lit Loves,
Greetings book lovers! Those of you who are Southern women are going to loooovvveeee this post. I read somewhere recently where Reese Witherspoon selected a memoir for her April 2018 Hello Sunshine Book Club. So I, being a lowly, self-published Amazon memoir author/writer, started thinking during my most recent book club luncheon that I needed to fire up my laptop and see if Reese Witherspoon has ever selected a self-published book as one of her Hello Sunshine Book Club picks. This does have a point to it ya'll so just hang in there with me, okay?
Driving home from my book club meeting/luncheon that day I thought back to a presentation I made in Calabash, North Carolina when I self-published my first book titled Brave Soul Rising: Tales From The Trenches of An Uncharmed Life. When I closed my book presentation someone asked me about the self-publishing process and if I ever thought I might one day be a part of the traditionally published author tribe. And I answered by saying, "Well, I guess anything is possible. I mean, the movie Legally Blonde was originally a novel written by Amanda Brown that began as a self-published book. The novel was eventually published by the book imprint named Dutton which is or was most definitely part of the big five traditional publishers. And we all know how BIG that movie became for Reese Witherspoon - Hell, it put her on the map! So who knows?"
I arrive home from my own book club group meeting and luncheon and check to ascertain if Reese Witherspoon has ever selected a self-published book as a pick for her Hello Sunshine Book Club. Nope. Nada. Ain't Happened Yet. Wait A Freakin' Minute! I googled the Hello Sunshine Book Club and what I found which I think is sort of a mission statement is "To tell stories BIG and small and shine a light on female authorship." !!!!!!!! Hold the phone, shut the door, and sit thy posterior down for a moment. An idea popped into my head (this happens occasionally, sometimes for the good and sometimes for naught). If Hollywood or at least most of it, but particularly Oscar-winning actresses are going to support women in their efforts to "speak their truth" while also encouraging them to "raise our voices and tell our stories," should that not include those of us who've been trying to break through the forces of the literary gatekeepers? Seriously, I personally feel like I have queried literary agents till the cows have come home and right now, they all are grazing on my deck. I've been given every reason in the world for rejection including that I am not a grand partaker of social media (Hello, thank God I did not join Facebook as 87 million users have had their private information stolen and I think Zuckerberg or Zuckerburg and company also allowed advertising that negatively impacted our last election). How would you feel if after writing a memoir manuscript, a query, a book proposal, etc and then researching literary agents that sell books in your genre, you wrote to those literary agents and received email responses like the following, "Sorry. Pass., I have determined I am not the right person to rep this book, You have virtually no platform, and last but certainly not least, I don't have the time to devote to this manuscript and memoirs by unknowns just don't sell." I have received emails from literary agents that said all this and more. Not to mention, some literary agents never bothered to respond in any shape or form.
Would it not be great if Reese Witherspoon selected a self-published book as one of her Hello Sunshine Book Club selections???!!! So I am throwing down the gauntlet (in Southern-speak this means I am putting down my fork of Lexington-style barbecue and placing the glass of mint julep down on the table). I think it would be fantabulous if Reese Witherspoon selected and promoted a book completed by a self-published author. And yes, I am going to give the reasons why my self-published book should qualify as a selection. Henceforth, here is why Brave Soul Rising by Grace Sutherlin should qualify as a Reese Witherspoon book club selection:
1) It relays the story of a timid, Swouthern gal evolving to become one bad-ass, take-no-prisoners woman.
2) The book delivers a round-house drop kick to the cruelties of domestic violence and sexual harassment.
3) It is a book featuring a real world woman who learns the art of how to write about her actual encounters with the realities of inner city public education and overcome the negative stigmas associated with it.
4) It's a story about a woman rising above the fray when the odds are firmly stacked against her.
5) Above all, never underestimate a Southern woman with a brave heart and feisty soul.
That's my pitch to Ms. Witherspoon. And for my limited and select few regular blog readers I just finished reading They Left Us Everything by Plum Johnson and will review it here shortly.
Till my next post,
Grace
(Amy)
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Monday, April 2, 2018
Dear Publisher: We Need More Books Written By Patients
Dear Lit Loves,
Greetings book lovers! My journey to locate a publisher is a never-ending anxiety attack. Seriously. This past week I received one form rejection from a literary agent. I just love it when I have literary agents preach not to send query letters beginning with "Dear Agent" and then I receive a rejection email addressed to "Dear Writer"! It makes me want to scream, "Hey, if you can't follow your own query rules then you are most likely not the literary agent to represent me". Writers often get very little respect and endure a tremendous amount of belittling. Next, I am somewhat happy to report that another literary agent actually sent me a personalized response indicating she had read my proposal and was impressed; however, she just signed an author writing on a subject similar to mine so she would pass on my work. I appreciated the knowledge that I could tell she had truly read through the book proposal and specifically noted portions of my story as a patient with four chronic illnesses. Agents like this give me hope.
So I see there is slow growth in book sales by three of the big five publishers. I think there are several reasons for this beginning with the point that people are highly distracted these days. Honestly, individual attention spans do not last much longer than nine seconds! I read that statistic somewhere in the news recently. So if many individuals can really only concentrate in nine second segments then books better be about a subject in which the reader has an interest or the book must fascinate, relate or create one damn fine escape for the readers of today. This brings me to my real point: We need more memoirs written by patients, not just the medical experts, but those of us who entrust our lives to those who may or may not be medical "experts". I swear if I see one more book, particularly a memoir, written by a medical expert I may scream while in Barnes and Noble or scream while surfing Amazon on my deck which would totally annoy my neighbors and most likely scare the hell out of my feline. Did anyone, such as literary agents, editors, copywriters, marketing specialists, etc. ever consider that there are just some patient stories that truly need to be told (published)?
Now I am a writer with a memoir manuscript in the 92,000 word range chronicling my interactions with all facets of the medical industry while juggling four rare chronic illnesses. And let me tell you I do not spare the rod when it comes to detailing the highs and lows of searching for the best medical specialists, enduring all forms of tests or torture in one case to determine a diagnosis, learning how to deal with negligent and pompous medical personnel, standing up for my rights as a patient, and discerning how to become my own best medical advocate. My memoir about chronic illnesses does not involve any form of addiction. It does not involve turning to alcohol or pharmaceutical drugs to escape what physical illness did and continues to do to my body which also happens to wreak havoc with my life on a frequent basis! My memoir relays my story in a detailed plot without a lot of frilly language. The key to a great memoir to me is the story or the truth put forth in a no-holds-barred manner that gives me something I can take away and apply in my own life as well as a book I can readily say to my friends, "You better not miss reading a copy of this book."
No, I am not a neuroscientist, pediatric oncologist, editorial writer for The New York Times, or a Nobel Prize winning writer. I am your slightly above average Jane coping with unusual illnesses, an often dysfunctional medical system and learning to navigate doctors, medical insurance, hospitals, medications, family crisis, a redirected career choice and still live a relatively stable life while daily discovering new sources of happiness and hilarity. Let's hope that someone in the publishing industry lets me share my little nuggets of relatively controlled chaos soon.
Till my next post,
Grace
(Amy)
Greetings book lovers! My journey to locate a publisher is a never-ending anxiety attack. Seriously. This past week I received one form rejection from a literary agent. I just love it when I have literary agents preach not to send query letters beginning with "Dear Agent" and then I receive a rejection email addressed to "Dear Writer"! It makes me want to scream, "Hey, if you can't follow your own query rules then you are most likely not the literary agent to represent me". Writers often get very little respect and endure a tremendous amount of belittling. Next, I am somewhat happy to report that another literary agent actually sent me a personalized response indicating she had read my proposal and was impressed; however, she just signed an author writing on a subject similar to mine so she would pass on my work. I appreciated the knowledge that I could tell she had truly read through the book proposal and specifically noted portions of my story as a patient with four chronic illnesses. Agents like this give me hope.
So I see there is slow growth in book sales by three of the big five publishers. I think there are several reasons for this beginning with the point that people are highly distracted these days. Honestly, individual attention spans do not last much longer than nine seconds! I read that statistic somewhere in the news recently. So if many individuals can really only concentrate in nine second segments then books better be about a subject in which the reader has an interest or the book must fascinate, relate or create one damn fine escape for the readers of today. This brings me to my real point: We need more memoirs written by patients, not just the medical experts, but those of us who entrust our lives to those who may or may not be medical "experts". I swear if I see one more book, particularly a memoir, written by a medical expert I may scream while in Barnes and Noble or scream while surfing Amazon on my deck which would totally annoy my neighbors and most likely scare the hell out of my feline. Did anyone, such as literary agents, editors, copywriters, marketing specialists, etc. ever consider that there are just some patient stories that truly need to be told (published)?
Now I am a writer with a memoir manuscript in the 92,000 word range chronicling my interactions with all facets of the medical industry while juggling four rare chronic illnesses. And let me tell you I do not spare the rod when it comes to detailing the highs and lows of searching for the best medical specialists, enduring all forms of tests or torture in one case to determine a diagnosis, learning how to deal with negligent and pompous medical personnel, standing up for my rights as a patient, and discerning how to become my own best medical advocate. My memoir about chronic illnesses does not involve any form of addiction. It does not involve turning to alcohol or pharmaceutical drugs to escape what physical illness did and continues to do to my body which also happens to wreak havoc with my life on a frequent basis! My memoir relays my story in a detailed plot without a lot of frilly language. The key to a great memoir to me is the story or the truth put forth in a no-holds-barred manner that gives me something I can take away and apply in my own life as well as a book I can readily say to my friends, "You better not miss reading a copy of this book."
No, I am not a neuroscientist, pediatric oncologist, editorial writer for The New York Times, or a Nobel Prize winning writer. I am your slightly above average Jane coping with unusual illnesses, an often dysfunctional medical system and learning to navigate doctors, medical insurance, hospitals, medications, family crisis, a redirected career choice and still live a relatively stable life while daily discovering new sources of happiness and hilarity. Let's hope that someone in the publishing industry lets me share my little nuggets of relatively controlled chaos soon.
Till my next post,
Grace
(Amy)
Monday, March 26, 2018
Juggling Four Chronic Illnesses And Waiting To Hear From Agents & Publishers
Dear Lit Loves,
I just want to begin by saying that I get the heebie-jeebies each time I check my email these days. Seriously, I just wrote a manuscript about living with four rare, chronic illnesses that I feel is quite relevant for our times as currently there are 134 million people who have some form of chronic illness and by 2025, almost 170 million people will be welcomed to the world of chronic disorders. To me, those are staggering numbers. Heart disease is a chronic illness. PTSD is a chronic illness. Heck, to me, even cancer can be a chronic illness these days. In my experience, you never really recover from a chronic illness; it is more like "continuous endurance" and remaining in a hyperactive state of vigilant awareness that some part of your body may turn on you or force you to sit up and take notice that life is often a never-ending state of expecting the unexpected.
So I decided to write about my experiences with chronic illness. Now I am in the midst of grinding out the wait to hear if a literary agent is going to select to represent me and if there is an editor out there that can appreciate the relevance of my subject matter and the "plain spoken" manner in which I write. I'm not the writer who went to Stanford or received an MFA from Sarah Lawrence; I am the writer for those who like a feisty woman who doesn't mind telling it like it is and leaving everything about my personal experiences on the written page. I'm probably not the writer for you if you like lyrical prose that sings operatic notes. I write about the nitty-gritty of life with a ZZ Top beat and in your face lyrics. A lot of folks cannot handle that, but what the traditional publishing folks are missing currently is that many of my peers will not buy much less read books written in a high-falutin' manner and tone. Seriously. I had several people who read my first book, Brave Soul Rising, and then later said, "Thank God! A female writer who doesn't bore me to death with detailed descriptions or background information!" And from other readers I would also hear, "Finally! A writer whose life and manner of writing I can relate to without having to go consult a dictionary or Google."
So I continue to wait. Waiting to hear from literary agents. Waiting to hear from acquiring editors. Here's the deal though: I'm not willing to wait forever on traditional publishing. I will go it alone and publish the book on my own if I have to because I feel it's that relevant and incredibly important.
And I'm hearing a lot these days about literary agents and editors wanting to hear from diverse voices and women who have a #MeToo experience or two to relate. Is that really the case? I hope I get the answer I'm looking for soon because it would highly disappoint me if this is all talk and no action. I want to see traditional publishers - all parts of it- agents, editors, publicity, etc. put their money where there mouth is. Let's get this party started. There is no time to waste.
Till my next post,
Grace
(Amy)
I just want to begin by saying that I get the heebie-jeebies each time I check my email these days. Seriously, I just wrote a manuscript about living with four rare, chronic illnesses that I feel is quite relevant for our times as currently there are 134 million people who have some form of chronic illness and by 2025, almost 170 million people will be welcomed to the world of chronic disorders. To me, those are staggering numbers. Heart disease is a chronic illness. PTSD is a chronic illness. Heck, to me, even cancer can be a chronic illness these days. In my experience, you never really recover from a chronic illness; it is more like "continuous endurance" and remaining in a hyperactive state of vigilant awareness that some part of your body may turn on you or force you to sit up and take notice that life is often a never-ending state of expecting the unexpected.
So I decided to write about my experiences with chronic illness. Now I am in the midst of grinding out the wait to hear if a literary agent is going to select to represent me and if there is an editor out there that can appreciate the relevance of my subject matter and the "plain spoken" manner in which I write. I'm not the writer who went to Stanford or received an MFA from Sarah Lawrence; I am the writer for those who like a feisty woman who doesn't mind telling it like it is and leaving everything about my personal experiences on the written page. I'm probably not the writer for you if you like lyrical prose that sings operatic notes. I write about the nitty-gritty of life with a ZZ Top beat and in your face lyrics. A lot of folks cannot handle that, but what the traditional publishing folks are missing currently is that many of my peers will not buy much less read books written in a high-falutin' manner and tone. Seriously. I had several people who read my first book, Brave Soul Rising, and then later said, "Thank God! A female writer who doesn't bore me to death with detailed descriptions or background information!" And from other readers I would also hear, "Finally! A writer whose life and manner of writing I can relate to without having to go consult a dictionary or Google."
So I continue to wait. Waiting to hear from literary agents. Waiting to hear from acquiring editors. Here's the deal though: I'm not willing to wait forever on traditional publishing. I will go it alone and publish the book on my own if I have to because I feel it's that relevant and incredibly important.
And I'm hearing a lot these days about literary agents and editors wanting to hear from diverse voices and women who have a #MeToo experience or two to relate. Is that really the case? I hope I get the answer I'm looking for soon because it would highly disappoint me if this is all talk and no action. I want to see traditional publishers - all parts of it- agents, editors, publicity, etc. put their money where there mouth is. Let's get this party started. There is no time to waste.
Till my next post,
Grace
(Amy)
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