Serenity Now, Dammit!
Posted on | August 23, 2006 | 1 Comment Leave a comment | Print This Post
Arghh! This is take two of this post. All that wonderful wit and insight from the first post … gone. If there was ever a time and place for the 12-step AA Serenity Prayer, now would be it.
Or maybe last night, when I contemplated taking a flying leap off of my in-laws’ roof or, worse yet, booking a last-minute flight to New York so that I could embark on a rant against my editor that would most likely end up in career suicide and public humiliation. Ah, what to do, what to do.
Thankfully, a good night’s sleep helps. Sane family members help (though you should be wary for family members who are tired of your constant dramatics: they will be more than willing to help you find a ladder and escort you to the highest point on the roof). And realizing that things could be worse (like you could be dead or something) can add a little perspective. Oh, and protein. You can’t forget about protein.
I guess this is where I tell you about what I was so upset about. Yes, I actually have a reason. A good reason? Well, no, but what does that have to do with anything. The point is, I am a human being with feelings. A writer with feelings. A writer with feelings and a book coming out in February and a page in the publisher’s catalog that is so terrible that no bookseller will want to buy the book. Okay, maybe that last part was a bit subjective and judgmental …
If I wasn’t a first-time published author who should really watch her P’s and Q’s and probably not be talking, much less blogging, about this at all, I’d post the catalog page so you could take a look and we could vote and then I would send the results to my editor but, well, that’s probably not a good idea. Especially if everyone thought the page was fine and it would turn out that I was the insane one. But that, of course, is impossible.
Okay, so maybe it’s not TERRIBLE (again, things could be worse, like I could be dead – just another gentle reminder here) but the author bio could have been stronger, cleaner, more professional AND I could have given them a couple of blurbs that would have helped promote the book big time. In my opinion (wow, don’t you love blogs?), the page is weak and not compelling enough for anyone to want to give the book a chance. I hope I am wrong. I rarely am, but it has happened. Twice, I think.
I know publishers are busy and I know many of us are basically writers-for-hire when it comes to the fiction genre but the industry and bookselling need all the help they can get. If an author is willing to step up and help, especially if they have a marketing background and publicity contacts, giving him or her (or, more specifically, ME) an opportunity to participate in the success and promotion of the book is a smart thing.
And, if for some reason that doesn’t work and everything goes to hell in a handbasket, well, just remember the Serenity Prayer. And if that doesn’t work, just remember that you could be dead, and that should help set things straight.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
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August 24th, 2006 @ 5:26 am
It is a good prayer. Good luck with everything.