First of all, thanks for writing this! Secondly, i would encourage you to rewrite your pitch and try again. When you started you were not where you are now. At this point you have a concept, you have built a platform and you have a body of work. Self publishing is very doable (I have done it) but you have something to say, and while you don’t need the approval of anyone, a major publication can help those words reach others. I think you have something here, and enjoy your newsletter, so matter what you decide. I am excited to keep supporting!
Why not do all three? Agents take forever, as you know, so why not adjust your pitch to reflect that this is a multi-media work in progress. Add a card or bookmark (like something you put in a book, not the browser kind) or whatever novelty goods you're thinking about to your pitch, too. Then, while you're waiting for replies, start thinking about how you'd like to self-publish. As one of your other commenters (Alex) said, there are a lot of ways to get the book out there, so take some time to really consider which one(s) you want to use if you decide to go that route.
good on you for writing this post, and honestly I wanna read this book! You could publish the whole thing on substack, or sell it on gumroad or lots of things I could say that are easy for me to say and way harder to do when its your own thing.
Never give up on any of the options you presented— do all three in a sense that the only one that counts is you. As a mom & a little old fashion leave out the “I’m a pussy” lol. You are a great writer have wonderful ideas, have a knack for putting your very big thought process into laymens terms and often see things before it materializes. Keep going!
Years ago, I was struggling at a job I didn't like. I had moved away from New York City to a little town 20 minutes from the Jersey Shore (don't ask). I felt lonely and unfulfilled. I wanted to move back to the city. When I spoke to my sister about it, I fully expected her to support the move back to the city, but she didn't. Not exactly. She asked me if I had given the new job a real shot. I hadn't. Then, she gave me a piece of advice that has always stuck with me: "Operate from a position of strength."
She told me to give the job a real shot. Kick ass and take names. Give it a few months. If at that point, I still didn't like the job, if I still didn't feel like I was getting something valuable from it, then I could make the move. So that's what I did. I proved to myself I could do the job well, but I still didn't feel fulfilled. So I moved back, only now I didn't feel defeated. I had done it on my own terms.
I bring this up because I, like you, have been grappling with rejections from agents, and I, like you, have toyed with the idea of self-publishing. But when I ask myself what my sister asked me all those years ago, if I'd really given it my all, I have to be honest. I haven't. I haven't burnished my manuscript to a gleaming shine. I haven't perfected my query and my agent targeting. Once I've done that, whether or not I've piqued the interest of an agent, I can choose to self-publish from a position of strength.
It seems like you're further along the process than I am, so maybe none of this applies to you. This is just what jumped to mind reading about your deliberations about what to do with your book. Either way, I hope the path you choose is right for you. Good luck!
First of all, thanks for writing this! Secondly, i would encourage you to rewrite your pitch and try again. When you started you were not where you are now. At this point you have a concept, you have built a platform and you have a body of work. Self publishing is very doable (I have done it) but you have something to say, and while you don’t need the approval of anyone, a major publication can help those words reach others. I think you have something here, and enjoy your newsletter, so matter what you decide. I am excited to keep supporting!
Why not do all three? Agents take forever, as you know, so why not adjust your pitch to reflect that this is a multi-media work in progress. Add a card or bookmark (like something you put in a book, not the browser kind) or whatever novelty goods you're thinking about to your pitch, too. Then, while you're waiting for replies, start thinking about how you'd like to self-publish. As one of your other commenters (Alex) said, there are a lot of ways to get the book out there, so take some time to really consider which one(s) you want to use if you decide to go that route.
good on you for writing this post, and honestly I wanna read this book! You could publish the whole thing on substack, or sell it on gumroad or lots of things I could say that are easy for me to say and way harder to do when its your own thing.
here if you wanna chat thru it
sending love
sash
Never give up on any of the options you presented— do all three in a sense that the only one that counts is you. As a mom & a little old fashion leave out the “I’m a pussy” lol. You are a great writer have wonderful ideas, have a knack for putting your very big thought process into laymens terms and often see things before it materializes. Keep going!
Years ago, I was struggling at a job I didn't like. I had moved away from New York City to a little town 20 minutes from the Jersey Shore (don't ask). I felt lonely and unfulfilled. I wanted to move back to the city. When I spoke to my sister about it, I fully expected her to support the move back to the city, but she didn't. Not exactly. She asked me if I had given the new job a real shot. I hadn't. Then, she gave me a piece of advice that has always stuck with me: "Operate from a position of strength."
She told me to give the job a real shot. Kick ass and take names. Give it a few months. If at that point, I still didn't like the job, if I still didn't feel like I was getting something valuable from it, then I could make the move. So that's what I did. I proved to myself I could do the job well, but I still didn't feel fulfilled. So I moved back, only now I didn't feel defeated. I had done it on my own terms.
I bring this up because I, like you, have been grappling with rejections from agents, and I, like you, have toyed with the idea of self-publishing. But when I ask myself what my sister asked me all those years ago, if I'd really given it my all, I have to be honest. I haven't. I haven't burnished my manuscript to a gleaming shine. I haven't perfected my query and my agent targeting. Once I've done that, whether or not I've piqued the interest of an agent, I can choose to self-publish from a position of strength.
It seems like you're further along the process than I am, so maybe none of this applies to you. This is just what jumped to mind reading about your deliberations about what to do with your book. Either way, I hope the path you choose is right for you. Good luck!