I wrote OK Stupid the book, rewrote it, and did it again. I sent it off to agents. The one’s that replied, declined. Fair enough. The last rejection had a note in it: “It could use some line editing.”
I agree and that’s also one of the reasons I sent it to agents, to get professional help. That feedback is equivalent to a record company telling someone that the their demo would be better if it were recorded in a professional studio.
I’m not an expert book polisher, that’s why I need help and an agent. Here’s another reply I got from another different agent.
“This is hilarious. I met my husband through online dating so I can relate. Send me a marketing and promotion plan for the book. I’ll need that before I can talk to publishers.”
What the fuck do I know about marketing and publishing books? What exactly does an agent do if not help with editing, marketing and promotion? From some of their Twitter feeds it seems like they spend a lot of time at conferences and tweeting. That’s sound worth 15%.
Anyway, people seem to be enjoying the podcast so I’ll keep that going until it’s done, but I need to figure out what to do about the book. That’s where you come in. I put the first chapter up on Amazon. Don’t pay for it. It’s just a chapter. If you’re some sort of Amazon user you can get it for free. I don’t know what type of user (Grande Prime?) and for everyone else I’ll have it up for free on a regular basis. Free. Like the podcast. Free.
What’s the catch? The catch is I ask you read it and then click the link at the end of it. What’s the link? Ahhh well you got to read it. If enough people click that link I’ll fund a line editor out of my own damn pocket and make the rest of the book available.
Sound fair?