Hello everyone,
Some of you may know me from the Getting out there and having conversations thread of which the title was changed to LEADING AFRICAN STUDENTS OUT OF POVERTY WITH ENGLISH LESSONS and moved to INSIDERS. It will continue as my main progress thread.
This thread is about publishing a novel I have written.
A background to my writing
I began writing in 2015, at age 19. My first long lasting project was this novel I am talking about. I wrote the first draft between 2015 and 2017, completed first draft in January 2017.
I composed and wrote songs from 2013 to 2015. I just kept them in my room. I turned some of those songs to poems later in 2015 and embarked on a marathon of writing poems.
In 2017 I almost wrote a poem day. I noticed that whenever I wrote a new poem, it seemed to climb steps higher than all the previous ones. I wrote many more poems during the lockdown of 2020 and 2021, most of which featured dark themes such as death and fear of death. But the poetry in them was higher.
In 2017 I participated in my first writing contest. We wrote short stories and competed against others from the same region in the country.
I didn't make it. Others made it and were published in a short story anthology titled Odokonyero in 2018. Unfortunate that they haven't followed up that success with more writing. I decided to teach myself creative writing. I read book after book and did the exercises in them. I began to see changes. I was focused on fiction.
In 2018, I participated in a contest on the continent of Africa, with my high school leaver brother as reviewer and editor. Over 5,000 stories were entered, my story titled SUICIDAL FLAMES was among the 94 nominated. I was both gratified and disappointed. Nominees aren't given money. They are not even accorded that media coverage.
When I met the editor I mention in the paragraphs below, he made me know that the nomination alone is a powerful indicator of my writing force. He reminded me of authors whose most powerful works were note as famous as their less powerful ones. Take for example George Orwell's 1984 is more powerful yet less popular than his Animal Farm. He advised that I just get published.
I revised it in 2021 after that prompting by an editor in the biggest publisher house in the Great Lakes Region.
I sent it off for review to his publisher house and the review report was scathing in its critique. However, it also recommended that my book be published and used in Ordinary Level Literature. This level has been graced by writers such as Hemingway, Steinbeck, Gogol, Shakespeare, Soyinka, Laye, Achebe among others. Appearing beside them would be gratifying.
I made the adjustments as recommended. My younger brother worked as the peer reviewer in that period. He made other crucial comments and I worked as suggested. That was last year. I sent the manuscript to the publisher house earlier this year and have not heard as much as a sound from them. The editor I was working with retired late last year, but he told me my title was on queue for publishing, but his successor made and broke every promise to me in a matter of few weeks.
I have decided to contact a younger publisher house to bring out for the novel. I have no excuse. I have seen their work and I must say it is strong.
I have reconfirmed that the work is powerful. I will drop some passages into this thread. Yesterday I shared these passages among my contacts and two wanted to make orders.
This other publisher house I am contacting is capable of bringing out the novel in a matter of a few weeks.
All that I want to do is allow him some percentage of sales revenue and have him agree to the responsibility of participating in marketing the book.
Why am I going this?
This is giving away control, which is a CENTS commandment. I want to keep moving even when I don't have money to move.
I know this novel has huge potential. I believe it will cause some stir, however tiny, that will bring some attention and probably finances.
I plan to first get it into the hands of academics, reviewers and editors in my country. These people are capable of leading and influencing discussion in favour of the book's popularity.
My Alma mater is a friend and I am thoroughly convinced that they will be pumped to see that one of their former students has written something really strong. This alone may invite their critical blessing.
I plan launches in such a way that they are accompanied by some buys.
Fingers crossed.
Some of you may know me from the Getting out there and having conversations thread of which the title was changed to LEADING AFRICAN STUDENTS OUT OF POVERTY WITH ENGLISH LESSONS and moved to INSIDERS. It will continue as my main progress thread.
This thread is about publishing a novel I have written.
A background to my writing
I began writing in 2015, at age 19. My first long lasting project was this novel I am talking about. I wrote the first draft between 2015 and 2017, completed first draft in January 2017.
I composed and wrote songs from 2013 to 2015. I just kept them in my room. I turned some of those songs to poems later in 2015 and embarked on a marathon of writing poems.
In 2017 I almost wrote a poem day. I noticed that whenever I wrote a new poem, it seemed to climb steps higher than all the previous ones. I wrote many more poems during the lockdown of 2020 and 2021, most of which featured dark themes such as death and fear of death. But the poetry in them was higher.
In 2017 I participated in my first writing contest. We wrote short stories and competed against others from the same region in the country.
I didn't make it. Others made it and were published in a short story anthology titled Odokonyero in 2018. Unfortunate that they haven't followed up that success with more writing. I decided to teach myself creative writing. I read book after book and did the exercises in them. I began to see changes. I was focused on fiction.
In 2018, I participated in a contest on the continent of Africa, with my high school leaver brother as reviewer and editor. Over 5,000 stories were entered, my story titled SUICIDAL FLAMES was among the 94 nominated. I was both gratified and disappointed. Nominees aren't given money. They are not even accorded that media coverage.
When I met the editor I mention in the paragraphs below, he made me know that the nomination alone is a powerful indicator of my writing force. He reminded me of authors whose most powerful works were note as famous as their less powerful ones. Take for example George Orwell's 1984 is more powerful yet less popular than his Animal Farm. He advised that I just get published.
I revised it in 2021 after that prompting by an editor in the biggest publisher house in the Great Lakes Region.
I sent it off for review to his publisher house and the review report was scathing in its critique. However, it also recommended that my book be published and used in Ordinary Level Literature. This level has been graced by writers such as Hemingway, Steinbeck, Gogol, Shakespeare, Soyinka, Laye, Achebe among others. Appearing beside them would be gratifying.
I made the adjustments as recommended. My younger brother worked as the peer reviewer in that period. He made other crucial comments and I worked as suggested. That was last year. I sent the manuscript to the publisher house earlier this year and have not heard as much as a sound from them. The editor I was working with retired late last year, but he told me my title was on queue for publishing, but his successor made and broke every promise to me in a matter of few weeks.
I have decided to contact a younger publisher house to bring out for the novel. I have no excuse. I have seen their work and I must say it is strong.
I have reconfirmed that the work is powerful. I will drop some passages into this thread. Yesterday I shared these passages among my contacts and two wanted to make orders.
This other publisher house I am contacting is capable of bringing out the novel in a matter of a few weeks.
All that I want to do is allow him some percentage of sales revenue and have him agree to the responsibility of participating in marketing the book.
Why am I going this?
This is giving away control, which is a CENTS commandment. I want to keep moving even when I don't have money to move.
I know this novel has huge potential. I believe it will cause some stir, however tiny, that will bring some attention and probably finances.
I plan to first get it into the hands of academics, reviewers and editors in my country. These people are capable of leading and influencing discussion in favour of the book's popularity.
My Alma mater is a friend and I am thoroughly convinced that they will be pumped to see that one of their former students has written something really strong. This alone may invite their critical blessing.
I plan launches in such a way that they are accompanied by some buys.
Fingers crossed.
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