I'm an indie author who published her first novel
through a small press. BLEEDING HEARTS: Book One of the Demimonde was released
March 2012 through Pink Narcissus Press. I couldn't have asked for a more
amazing team—my Lord Editor Rose Mambert, my personal editor Stacy Giufre, my
AMAZING copy editor SWEET JOSIE BROWN (capitals are intentional), and the
unsurpassed Duncan Eagleson, my cover artist…
Did you notice all the possessiveness there? MY
editors, MY artist? That's intentional, too. The folks at Pink Narcissus Press
became my book's family from the very start. I am theirs and they are mine.
All those brains and personality
and talent crammed into a tidy little publishing house—working with them has
completely opened my eyes to the reality and potentials of small press
publishing. I am proud to be an Indie-pendant. I'm proud to represent my
publisher. I'm even proud to admit I stalked my Lord Editor at a convention and
ambushed her in the bathroom so that we'd have a first meeting worth laughing
about over cocktails one day. (It's how I roll.)
Anyways, today I wanted to share my origin story. I
love origin stories—love them in comic books, love them on True Blood, just
flat out love knowing where a body came from. Although I started writing novels
right out of the gate—in secret, in snips of time, in Word documents and
notebooks and sheets of scrap paper—I didn't become a published novelist right
away. Noveling is a long and frustrating and amazing journey. (Writers will
smile and nod their heads and know what I mean.)
I often took breaks from noveling to write shorter
things like poetry and short stories. Those breaks served so many purposes: by
switching gears, I combated writers block. I expressed ideas that didn't fit
into my novel WIPs. I expanded on emotions I picked up from the music I love.
As a result, I filled even more notebooks.
I couldn't let those words just rot in those
notebooks, either. So I figured: might as well see if I can get them published.
We are a long way away from the days when we typed
up our submissions, looked up the addresses to magazines and journals, and
mailed away our precious work, only to wait weeks—months—before getting any
type of response. Uck. That was so...analog. Thank you, Internet, for changing the publishing world as we
know it.
Now, those magazines and journals are just a couple
of taps on the keyboard away. Many even accept email submissions—and the ones
that don't better get on with it before the archaeologists come after them.
One website, however, is deserving of special
mention because it became the sharpest tool in my writer's tool chest. This one
website became essential in my quest to get my small stuff published.
Duotrope.com.
I love Duotrope. If my memory serves, I first heard
mention of them in a writer's group I'd joined on MySpace. (That should tell you how long I've been
using them. :D I haven't seen MySpace in years.)
Duotrope is a free resource for writers that
primarily offers an extensive, searchable database of current fiction, poetry,
and non-fiction markets—over 4250 current markets at the moment. They also
offer a calendar of upcoming deadlines, submissions trackers (for registered
users), and some nifty reports compiled from the data they've accumulated.
They have been honored as one of Writer's Digest 101
Best Websites for Writers for every year from 2006 through 2012. Also,
Preditors & Editors selected them for their Truly Useful Site Award in
February 2010.
Duotrope helped me find the folks who actually like
my stuff enough to print it. I think I'm closing in on my one hundredth
acceptance…I suppose I'll have to go check my submission tracker and get the
official count. Some of those markets have since disappeared, some have grown
bigger-better-stronger, and some have morphed into different things entirely.
One thing for sure—Duotrope.com kept a handle on the sea of literary markets so
that I can dip in and fish for new acceptances whenever I have a new offering.
I love the Duotroopers, as their team is known. I
want to bake them cookies. However, eating cookies made by someone you only
know online is a little creepy at best so instead of being creepy, I support
them with donations to keep the site running. I need them to keep running. They
do all my research for me. If I lost Duotrope, I'd be losing my entire staff.
Almost seriously.
Most of all, I love Duotrope because, when I was
putting together a list of novel publishers, I decided—what the heck? Might as
well look on Duotrope. Up until then, I'd only used it to get my short stuff
published. I hadn't even considered looking for a publisher for BLEEDING HEARTS
on Duotrope.
I'm glad I did—because that's how I found Pink
Narcissus Press.
And we live happily ever after. :D
Duotrope 's amazing web resources helped me to
publish my small stuff while I was working on the big stuff—my novels—and, when
the time came to finally sign that first novel contract, I'd become a seasoned,
savvy Indie author who knew the joys of indie publishing. I like to think my
Lord Editor signed a professional author when she got me. I know that I
wouldn't have had that confidence without the experiences I got by perfecting
my submissions and publishing my short work.
When you play the game of publishing, every bit of
practice counts. Duotrope was an essential avenue that allowed me to make the
transition from novice writer to professional indie author.And they helped me
round out an impressive bio to boot. Editors love that.
How about YOU? Are you an indie? We indies stick together…so let's get to know each
other better. What's your origin story? We want to know...and friends share. :D
Join my Demimonde--follow me here, or on Facebook, or on Twitter--and leave a comment to enter to win a copy of BLEEDING
HEARTS, available in Kindle and Nook/epub formats.
GraveTells reviewer Mandy gave Bleeding Hearts a 4.5--a Silver Award--so the number was squee-worthy...but her words were the true prize, because she got me. It was definitely a risk worth taking.
