I will be submitting what will hopefully be my final proposal and query sample to my writing coach some time today. In the mean time, I've set up a twitter account specific to the book so I can shoot out quick updates as I submit for publication.
I'll post longer updates here. Follow me!
So much for having more regular updates.
However! I will say that the updates I have now are pretty darned exciting.
First and foremost, I got a grant! Woo hoo! That will make paying for editing and consultation and head shots a lot easier, especially considering much of the money I WAS going to use for such things has been redirected into hip surgery for my beloved, Mousse. Thankfully, she is recovering well and is expected to be back in the lake in no time.
Next, I finished the book proposal! Or at least enough of it to warrant another meeting with my writing coach. (And only 4 months after her original deadline!)
Also, while Mousse was recovering, I read the whole book from start to finish and got a lot of my own editing done. Turns out there's a lot of stuff in there that's repetitive. Many of you will also be happy to know that I have decided to add an epilogue. You have my editing friend, Laurie, to thank for that. Let's hope it doesn't take me another four months to finish THAT!
Finally, I got some professional head shots done by a photographer friend, so I can submit something with the book proposal, should the need arise. (Fingers crossed)
Now all that's left to do is tweak a few query letters, meet with Nancy, and take the big plunge!
The quest for publication continues. Or, more specifically, the quest to complete the book proposal continues. I did some work on my promotion plan last weekend. Through this process, I discovered lots more media outlets than I ever imagined existed. Most of them have a lesbian base, which I now see as my initial point of contact. Hopefully, from there I can reach a wider audience.
As it turns out (and perhaps unsurprisingly given the book’s revolving theme) I’m particularly enjoying my quest for media outlets that have anything to do with sex. In case you weren’t aware, there are a lot of them out there (and I don’t mean porn sites).
That being the case, my plan from here on out is to post new outlets I find and let you know how I’m doing with the proposal. (Thanks for the idea, Carol!) In my first outing, I visited Dodson and Ross. This site belongs to Betty Dodson (artist, author and PhD sexologist ) along with her business partner Carlin Ross. It contains everything you ever wanted to know about sex (and some things maybe you didn’t). There are podcasts and videos and essays and pictures and forums and god knows what else because it would take literally days to discover everything that’s up there. I hope to spend some time there doing more research in the coming weeks. (One can never be too well-versed in the art of good sex, after all. ;)
How will this help me with the book proposal? Well, I have a few ideas going forward, but so far it has led me to Bust magazine where Dodson and Carlin have a sex column and Susie Bright’s audibles where Bright interviews people (including Dodson) and talks about sex on a weekly basis. Both of these would be excellent places for me to plug my book. My guess is I will find many other outlets through the Dodson and Ross site. And even if I don’t, I’m betting my time there will be well spent :).
Anyway, another part of the proposal involves doing research on competitive and complementary titles. This will give me (and potential publishers, agents, and editors) a better idea of what kind of market there is for my book.
That said, now’s the time to get interactive. If you have any ideas to share either about media outlets I can contact to promote my book or if you know of any titles similar to mine in any way (memoir, sexuality, spirituality, sobriety, self-discovery, etc.) feel free to comment here and let me know.
In the meantime, I have research to do!
Sorry folks, the book is no longer available online. It's time to move on. I'm done writing it. I've been done for almost four months and I've been dragging my feet about doing a book proposal ever since.
That's not to say I've done nothing since then, even though it feels that way. In between bouts of dyke drama, I have completed some query letters, and started on the book proposal, including the completion of a chapter outline, a story overview, and the review of two chapters that were edited by a fellow writer and copy editor.
I still have to do some market analysis and determine how I'm going to sell myself to potential publishers. I've met with my writing teacher, Nancy Beckett, who sufficiently scared me into thinking I can never drum up the kind of audience I'd need for this project to take off. But I still have hope. Somewhere in among all the doubts.
I've also applied for a grant so I can pay someone to edit the rest of the book. I will know in April whether that comes through or not. My fingers are crossed.
It's very slow-going. It's much harder to sit down and concentrate on the proposal than it was to write the book itself. Those who've followed along from the start know just how long that process took. I'm hoping I can buckle down and get this done soon. Maybe before the book loses any more timeliness than it already has.
Dawn
