In the past week, I picked up another five rejection letters from small presses/agents. It’s racked up my total rejections for IGMAN to 34. I thought I had a lot more rejections than that, but I was counting the MIA queries that haven’t been returned. I shouldn’t assume.
A thoughtful individual who has recently read my first few chapters told me to stop trying to pare down the writing so the most people will like it: she said if I continue doing so, it will destroy the story. It was a nice gesture, and I felt a little empowered to continue doing what I’m doing.
That being said, I am planning a weekend ghost investigation with a group of people I know. I’ll be going to Buffalo, NY, and hopefully get some experience with the dead. It’s only my second ghost hunting investigation, but this group is pretty professional, and I’ve experienced the phenomenon my whole life (screwy childhood home with a screwy history). I figure I’ll be fine. Fortunately, I’ll also be writing about it here. Possibly even writing about it on the ghost hunting website.
Some UF writers LARP. Others play Diablo 3. Still others go on ghost hunts. Whoo. I’m excited. Hopefully it’ll take my mind off the rejection letters and the daunting task of the fourth rewrite.
I hope everyone is doing well
~Chris
Modern Fantastic 
Are you receiving any positive criticism from any of the agents/presses or are they just outright rejecting it?
What’s making you stick with traditional publishing over self-publishing?
Good luck with the ghost investigation! Try to film something spooky to show us kids when you get back.
Outright rejecting it, no criticism. Simply form letters.
Self-publishing requires 1) money, 2) time. Once I get one, I’ll pursue the other. Once I get both, I’ll seriously consider it. 🙂
Thanks. I’ll do everything I can to capture something unnatural. 🙂
You deserve more than a form letter.
You can self-publish on Createspace for free. You can pay for editing and cover designs and an ISBN and certain distribution packages if you want to but it’s not necessary.
I’m seriously looking into it. In fact, after the wedding, I’ll probably buy 10 ISBNs for that very reason. Very good idea.
Awesome!
When (yes, when) you get the acceptance and not denial, I really hope you are sitting down. 🙂
Ghost hunting – awesome! A definite pass time that I thoroughly enjoy. I’ll be looking forward to hearing about your experience upon your return.
🙂 Let’s hope I have a decent recollection: I’m already too short on sleep to focus well. Let’s see what happens.