Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Chicken Ranch report no. 32

I know it's been quite a while since I gave a formal update to the Chicken Ranch project, but there's not been a whole lot of developments to share. That doesn't mean I don't have some interesting and (dare I say it?) exciting projects in the works. Two, in particular, I should be able to unveil sometime in June if all goes well. They don't involve The Book directly, but I suspect all you patient folks who've waited for word on The Book will be pleased.

As for The Book itself... well, things are starting to happen there as well. I'm in the middle of third draft (or is it fourth?) rewrites, taking into account the feedback from my first readers. The good news is that most trouble spots are relatively minor and easily fixed. It's just a time-consuming process, as I'm doing a line-by-line reading to catch any typos and goofs my first readers may have missed (and despite everyone's best efforts, some of those do get missed). More importantly, though, is the fact that I'm back in agent-hunting mode, which is a huge time-sink in and of itself. Since last week, I've sent out 25 queries to agencies that 1) accept simultaneous submissions, 2) rep non-fiction/history/women's issues and 3) have a good track record selling successful books to major publishers. Thus far, I've received four requests for my proposal and/or sample chapters against only two rejections (and one of those rejections recommended that I submit to a specific agent at a different agency who my book might be well-suited for). Granted, none of those amount to a contract or a publishing deal yet, but that response is overwhelmingly positive compared to the profound indifference I ran into back in 2011 when I played this game before. I am, as they say, cautiously optimistic.

So, you're asking yourself at this point, "How can I help Jayme sell his book?" I'm glad you asked. You can formally follow this blog, either via Google or Networked Blogs, both of which have links to the right. Also, "Liking" my Chicken Ranch Central Facebook Page is a good thing as well. Seriously. So many publishing decisions these days hinge on how large an online following a writer has, which agents and publishers view as the sales potential of any particular book. So the more people following me, the more attractive my book becomes in their eyes. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors. Like, Like, Like. I'll be quite grateful, I promise.

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