Dear Shark,
I am an author who has been querying my second novel for two years now. I have one published novel (originally self-published in 2014 but then miraculously republished by a press in Montreal) which has not sold much, alas, but has received great reviews and even an endorsement from Margaret Atwood.
My question is: Do I not even mention this in my query? Is this book, which I am proud of even if it didn`t sell much, hurting me? Some agents seem to indicate that past failures (in a sales sense if not an artistic sense) hurt you if you mention them, and you may be better off with a pseudonym or otherwise divorcing yourself from them.
Any advice you might have would be greatly appreciated.
Dear Chum,
What you don't realize is that a quote from Margaret Atwood trumps all.
And I don't think you realize that a publisher taking on a previously self-published book is quite rare. More rare than a Margaret Atwood blurb.
What you've got here is something a savvy agent is going to recognize as an opportunity.
Yes, you mention this. Almost exactly the way you did here:
I have one published novel (originally self-published in 2014 but then miraculously republished by a press in Montreal) which has not sold much, alas, but has received great reviews and even an endorsement from Margaret Atwood.
Any questions?
*scribbles note* Become friends with Margaret Atwood
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*scratches out other note, scribbles again* Write a book that will catch Margaret Atwood's attention
What about a small press novel published in 2003 and reprinted twice? No endorsement from Margaret Atwood though.
ReplyDeleteThose are two big things to highlight, OP! Congratulations and best of luck with the query process.
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago, when Wattpad was going gangbusters, almost anyone who got a million reads was offered a publishing contract.
ReplyDeleteI can only think of one that did well, The Martian. Now getting a publishing contract from a self-pubbed book is a unicorn.
Since I don't write stuff that dear Margaret would read, I can't use that as a bookmark. Guess I have to keep plugging at it the normal, even though I know that I too am a Unicorn. Mommy told me.
Embrace that praise from Margaret Atwood. Shout it from the roof tops or in a query (in a humble way). I once got a little literary love from Pat Conroy, which I cherish, and still can't believe.
ReplyDeleteOnward, OP!
Congrats, OP. Sounds like you're in the best place you can possibly be with a self-pubbed book behind you. Good luck moving forwards.
ReplyDeleteWow, OP, that is awesome, a quote from Margaret Atwood! 👏👏🎈
ReplyDeleteI also self-published my first novel, and I got a blurb from The National Editor of The Atlantic, Scott Stossel, who is the author of My Age of Anxiety.
But I guess that Scott isn't quite Margaret, is he? 🤔
Congratulations on being the odd one out. I am a huge fan of Margaret Atwood. I would love to read your novel.
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