Of course it's good enough! We know how precisely and beautifully you write, and that's good enough. Saleable? Well, that's a fickle thing. Good? You know it's good.
This is so beautifully written! Hope you feel happier soon. As for your book? Self publishing is always a route. Or release a chapter or two (on substack?) and see what the reaction is. Or, tuck it away for some different climate. Who knows. That it exists is a measure of hope all by itself.
One agent turning down your book is not enough. Keep faith in your book and look at other options, agents, hybrid small presses! But I'm not saying give up your saddness, which is a vital human emotion. I have the same fears about my book in process, that it may not be good enough.
If you know your book is meaningful and believe in it you will find a way. The system, the market sucks. Knowing publishing as we do it has almost nothing to do with your subject or your writing. It is about the judgment of others and commerce. My memoir was acknowledged to be important, a significant contribution to the genre of the anti-conversion therapy. Yet despite this I had to withdraw it from my publisher because they did not like my fourteen year old voice. I shopped it around and was told it was too small a book to make money for agents, memoirs weren’t selling, etc. in the end I thought the book and it’s message for girls and young sexually fluid individuals important enough to take the very little hard earned money I had and self-publish the book myself. If you believe in the book you should do the same.
I concur! Get that thing out on Kindle! https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/ Your agent may be right in terms of the marketplace but that doesn't mean that there isn't a segment of readers (that would start with your fans) who wouldn't love to read it. Admittedly, I haven't checked in on the KDP situation in a couple of years now, but I certainly think it's worth at least feeling out. Good luck Donna!
I love this. And I love weird books.
Of course it's good enough! We know how precisely and beautifully you write, and that's good enough. Saleable? Well, that's a fickle thing. Good? You know it's good.
This is so beautifully written! Hope you feel happier soon. As for your book? Self publishing is always a route. Or release a chapter or two (on substack?) and see what the reaction is. Or, tuck it away for some different climate. Who knows. That it exists is a measure of hope all by itself.
One agent turning down your book is not enough. Keep faith in your book and look at other options, agents, hybrid small presses! But I'm not saying give up your saddness, which is a vital human emotion. I have the same fears about my book in process, that it may not be good enough.
If you know your book is meaningful and believe in it you will find a way. The system, the market sucks. Knowing publishing as we do it has almost nothing to do with your subject or your writing. It is about the judgment of others and commerce. My memoir was acknowledged to be important, a significant contribution to the genre of the anti-conversion therapy. Yet despite this I had to withdraw it from my publisher because they did not like my fourteen year old voice. I shopped it around and was told it was too small a book to make money for agents, memoirs weren’t selling, etc. in the end I thought the book and it’s message for girls and young sexually fluid individuals important enough to take the very little hard earned money I had and self-publish the book myself. If you believe in the book you should do the same.
I concur! Get that thing out on Kindle! https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/ Your agent may be right in terms of the marketplace but that doesn't mean that there isn't a segment of readers (that would start with your fans) who wouldn't love to read it. Admittedly, I haven't checked in on the KDP situation in a couple of years now, but I certainly think it's worth at least feeling out. Good luck Donna!