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Yeahhhhh, but not quite there yet

24/10/2017

4 Comments

 
Picture
I started writing my novel, 'Secrets are not for telling', in September 2014. It started life as 'Holding on', mushroomed into 'A woman like Doli', and within the last year, finally metamorphosed into 'Secrets are not for telling.'
Four days ago, I put the last full-stop on what I consider to be a good complete draft. 


At first, I felt a sense of light satisfaction and achievement. Then I found myself fighting off urges to recall my manuscript from the two generous, and keen, beta readers I have enlisted to give me feedback.

Strangely enough, the emotions around parting with my manuscript, feel very much like when I left my children at nursery for the first time.

And after four days, since closing the file on my computer and the cover on the hard copy, I still have moments when my mind travels into the pages and I start thinking about possible tweets. Wonder what the beta readers are making of it?  Then I have to force myself to put those thoughts to bed along with the manuscript. I’ll need to address it with fresh eyes in a few weeks. 


I have turned my attention to the stage I’ll need to be at after polishing up the manuscript. So I've been researching potential literary agents. That piece of research has led me to recognising just how many writers and interesting books there are out there that I’ve never heard of and, most probably couldn’t get to read in a life time, even if I wanted to. It’s like lifting a lid on an amazing parallel world. Exciting, but scary. 

As well as working on the list of potential agents, I have to knuckle down to polishing up my synopsis and to write that all important query letter, which, I understand, will make or break an agent’s decision to represent me. The only thing that will save me from rejection, I am led to understand, if my query letter fails me, is the agent deciding that my novel packs that punch - has the potential to be a best seller. No pressure, eh?​

Way back in January 2014, after attending a literary event called the State of Black Publishing in the UK, I wrote a blog post: The Publishing Maze which mentioned concerns raised at the event around opportunities for black writers to get published, who the gate keepers in publishing are and whether the small number of black publishers in the UK hampered opportunities for black writers. 
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It's interesting that in my search to find literary agents in the UK, who may be interested in representing me, out of a list of 134, I only came across two who were black. 

Mmm... possible future blog post...?

For now, I must move towards gaining a better understanding of how the publishing world works and try to see my ‘baby’, 'Secrets are not for telling', as a 'product' and not just a story that will provoke thought, bring pleasure and stir emotions. 
4 Comments
Nicole link
29/10/2017 03:19:53 am

Congratulations on finishing the book Steffanie! That’s quite an accomplishment. I share your sentiments to re letting your baby go. I feel the same every time I show a new piece of art. And when one is sold... 3 days of mourning! Congrats again.

Reply
Steff link
30/10/2017 11:37:23 am

Thanks, Nicole. Still a lot of work ahead, but hey!

Reply
Annecdotist
9/12/2017 06:53:02 am

Congratulations on getting to this point, Steff. Re diversity - or lack of - in publishing, you might be interested in this from today's Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/dec/09/diversity-publishing-new-faces

Reply
Steff link
11/12/2017 04:07:06 pm

Thanks, Anne. Will check it out.

Reply



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    The Bump
    The Long Song
    The Mathematics Of Love
    The New Black Magazine
    The Voice Newspaper
    Transatlantic Slave Trade
    Treasure Beach
    Vegetables
    Vladimir Lucien
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    All
    A Cupboard Full Of Coats
    African Writer
    Americanah
    Andrea `Levy
    Arts
    Beauty
    Beverley East
    Black Women
    Blossoms
    Business
    Calabash Literary Festival
    Caribbean
    Cats
    Chimamanda Adichie
    Chris Abani
    Cocks Crowing
    Commonwealth Short Story Competition Winner 2016
    Creatures
    Crime
    Crowning Glory
    Cuts
    Darker Times Publishing
    Debbie Flint
    Debut Novel
    Dub Poet
    Editing
    Emma Darwin
    Exhibit B
    Features
    Flooded
    Freedom
    Gatekeepers
    Goldsmith's University
    Hair
    Heat Wave
    Hedgehog
    Historical Fiction
    Holding On
    I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
    Jacob Ross
    Jamaica
    Joy Francis
    Kadija (George) Sesay
    Kendal Train Crash
    Kindle
    Lifestyle
    Linton Kewesi `Johnson
    Literary Editor
    London
    Lovers
    MA Black British Writing
    Maya Angelou
    MIR Online
    Mother
    Motivation
    Nella Larsen
    Parashar Kulkarni
    Passion
    Patsy Antoine
    Peepal Tree Press
    Poet
    Political
    Politics
    Prejudices
    Protoje
    Psychological
    Publishers
    Publishing
    Quicksand & Passing
    QVC
    Rape
    Readers
    Reaper Of Souls
    Relationships
    Reviews
    SABLE LitMag
    Saturday's Soup
    Short-story.me
    Sister
    Social Media
    Somalia Seaton
    Steve Pope
    Still I Rise
    Sunrise Pic
    The Bump
    The Long Song
    The Mathematics Of Love
    The New Black Magazine
    The Voice Newspaper
    Transatlantic Slave Trade
    Treasure Beach
    Vegetables
    Vladimir Lucien
    War
    Well-being
    Whistling Frogs
    Women
    Words Of Colour
    Writing
    Writing Projects
    Yvette Edwards

    Categories

    All
    A Cupboard Full Of Coats
    African Writer
    Americanah
    Andrea `Levy
    Arts
    Beauty
    Beverley East
    Black Women
    Blossoms
    Business
    Calabash Literary Festival
    Caribbean
    Cats
    Chimamanda Adichie
    Chris Abani
    Cocks Crowing
    Commonwealth Short Story Competition Winner 2016
    Creatures
    Crime
    Crowning Glory
    Cuts
    Darker Times Publishing
    Debbie Flint
    Debut Novel
    Dub Poet
    Editing
    Emma Darwin
    Exhibit B
    Features
    Flooded
    Freedom
    Gatekeepers
    Goldsmith's University
    Hair
    Heat Wave
    Hedgehog
    Historical Fiction
    Holding On
    I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
    Jacob Ross
    Jamaica
    Joy Francis
    Kadija (George) Sesay
    Kendal Train Crash
    Kindle
    Lifestyle
    Linton Kewesi `Johnson
    Literary Editor
    London
    Lovers
    MA Black British Writing
    Maya Angelou
    MIR Online
    Mother
    Motivation
    Nella Larsen
    Parashar Kulkarni
    Passion
    Patsy Antoine
    Peepal Tree Press
    Poet
    Political
    Politics
    Prejudices
    Protoje
    Psychological
    Publishers
    Publishing
    Quicksand & Passing
    QVC
    Rape
    Readers
    Reaper Of Souls
    Relationships
    Reviews
    SABLE LitMag
    Saturday's Soup
    Short-story.me
    Sister
    Social Media
    Somalia Seaton
    Steve Pope
    Still I Rise
    Sunrise Pic
    The Bump
    The Long Song
    The Mathematics Of Love
    The New Black Magazine
    The Voice Newspaper
    Transatlantic Slave Trade
    Treasure Beach
    Vegetables
    Vladimir Lucien
    War
    Well-being
    Whistling Frogs
    Women
    Words Of Colour
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    Yvette Edwards

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