My greatest dream

My greatest dream since probably the 5th grade when I started reading the Tennis Shoes books was to become a real author.  Of course, since then, I've realized it's a very subjective and highly networked business, and it's pretty much impossible to break into.  You may be the best writer on the planet, but unless you have the right connections, it's never going to happen.

Sad as it is, I've come to accept that.  My next best option is self publishing, which is a very expensive and usually unrewarding road to take.  You'll never have a book in a book store, and the only way it will get marketed is if you stand around at the mall asking if people want to read it.  Otherwise, it will simply become part of amazon.com's inventory.

However, my dad suggested I contact a friend of the family back home.  He owns a self publishing company, and agreed to take a look at one of the books I've written.  And this was super nice, he actually had one of his editors do a rough read through and give me a quick analysis.  I have NEVER had someone do that!  No one has ever been interested in reading what I have written, so to get that review back was probably one of the coolest experiences of my life.  To see what someone's professional opinion was.  One literary agent that turned me down a year ago told me the story had good commercial promise, and this editor also said it was worthy of publishing.  I just needed to have it professionally edited.  They gave me the name of someone they recommended, and said to  get back to them once I had done that.

Exciting, right?  But, there always seems to be a catch.  Editing costs a lot of money.  This lady they recommended, while she has a great rate of $60 per hour, it's still too rich for me.  And because it is still a self publishing company, even though they take care of everything from promotion and marketing to cover design, it still would cost me around $5,000 to do.

Well, maybe in a few years I'll have money to do it.  Until then, I can be happy someone actually read it and thought it showed real potential, and that's enough for me.


Excerpt from analysis:


"The plot is adequately developed. The transition of events from the point where Kyler and Garrett learn of the possibility for them to have enhanced abilities, to the discovery of the truth, their allies, and their enemies is smooth and focused.  The story flows in a chronological order with straightforward transitions, which helps the reader keep up with the shifts and twists easily.  The author closes the story with another interesting twist that showcases the change in Kyler’s character. The author is also able to compellingly tie up all the events and minor details to create a sustained tension throughout the story."