I’m with you Linda.

The prestige of finding a traditional publisher wanting to back you, must be such a thrill, someone embedded in the industry who is well read, likes your work. That moment must be pretty special! Not only that but most writers are struggling financially, it is time consuming and many work around part time jobs in order to craft their writing and work on their next best seller! People cant afford to self publish. Most will hold out for that all important deal, the perfect match of an agent. For most it just doesn’t happen, no lucky break. But for those who stick at it, keep learning, keep reading, keep writing, eventually it will come. A lucky few are fortunate and are paired with an agent, pretty much immediately – these people are either extraordinarily talented or kissed by angels.

CD

I am trying with all my might to publish my memoir. It is by all accounts a very revealing book, risque with armed robbery, heroin addiction, death and refugee smuggling. And,is all linked to an about-to-be famous person and yet still as I am not myself ‘famous’ nobody – yet- is willing to take the risk. They say – agents – if the book will potentially see 20,000 copies fly off of the shelves within weeks, then it has mileage. Now, is this a personal opinion, about if it will sell or not? As some self published books, previously rejected by such agents – have had incredible success. Is it all a matter of taste? I truly believe with the right marketing behind a good story and the backing of the author, a book will fly off of the shelves anyway. So long as it is well written and the story is intriguing and keeps the reader on their toes, then surely, that is a green light. But I suppose it is all about what the particulate agent you query, if he/she likes the writing, story, protagonists voice. One may love which another despises, so your chances are limited. Research agents that are looking for your genre! Its that simple, They are out there, I haven’t found mine yet, but I’m sure I will.
CD

However, on my 45th birthday I received an email from Post Hill Press that gave me one of the best surprises of my life! In Fall, 2016, my memoir “Birth of a New Brain – Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder” with a foreword by Dr. Walker Karraa (“Transformed by Postpartum Depression: Women’s Stories of Trauma and Growth”) will be published.

“Birth of a New Brain” wasn’t the book I thought I’d write when I was seven years old when I began writing a spooky novel set in a (where else?) haunted house.. As the remarkable “A Wrinkle in Time” author Madeleine L’Engle said, “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” My book is not meant for children, but for their mothers, and anyone else who has bipolar disorder. Although there are now numerous memoirs about bipolar, I feel in my core that my book wants to be written as L’Engle asserted. I’m deeply grateful for the drive that propelled me towards landing my book deal.

Thanks for writing an encouraging note. I’m beyond tired of seeing “ABSOLUTELY NO MEMOIRS” on agencies sites. Cheers.

In 1998 I took my manuscript on infant loss to a book packager/publisher in N.Y. He suggested I’d write a book on general loss. I refused. At the time there were very few books on the matter available.
According to him the market wasn’t large enough to warrand publication, a 20,000 sales potential was on the very low side in his eyes. He urged me to self publish (and get on with my life).
He gave me a list of things to do (among which was to buy a good manual on self publishing) and I published “Creative Acts of Healing: after a baby dies” on my own.
Back then marketing was more difficult than it is now, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and author platforms give a self published author a fair chance. I know for sure that I would have sold more books then, if the New Media had been available. If time is of the essence, if you really want to have your book in your hand a.s.a.p. self publishing may be the way to go. I’m proud of what I accomplished, and my book has helped many people, but at times I wish I’d given publishers, my book and myself more of a chance before embarking on the self publishing adventure, back then.