I just blew my one and only chance of getting a book published...

Um....exactly HOW did you blow it?

And don't be so hard on yourself. If you can't eat something because of a food allergy, making yourself suffer over this won't change anything.

Dunno, Lantern Jack, perhaps you blew your one and only final chance of having that particular book published (though in a pinch, there's always POD or self-publishing), but what's to stop you from writing another book and getting that one published? And are there no other publishers you can send your book to?

And as Greenwolf said, don't be so hard on yourself. Take a deep breath, regroup, and figure out what went wrong and whether the situation is salvageable. If not, time to start the next book!

Lantern Jack said:

I'm not allowed to go into specifics. I've been sworn to secrecy. Still, suffice it to say, my going into specifics is exactly what brought about my downfall.
- L.J.

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The "not allowed" and "sworn to" part sounds like a PA contract. If so, you have a LOT of sympathy here!

If not, you still have lots of support around here. Lots of people blow it but you have to get past it. If you haven't signed a contract, get off the porcelain and start submissions. Good writing wins in the end.

well, you can at least give a hint - did you sign a bad contract?

no matter what you signed, you can at least give a bit more information - is your book going to be "published" or "printed" or is it literally gone with the wind? Did you burn the only copy? Did you sell it under another name?

enquiring minds want to know...

Whatever it is, give us a clue or at least something sufficient to perhaps warn someone else not to follow whatever mistake it was that you made. There's nothing new or shameful about making mistakes - we all make them, but if it's an avoidable one, can't you at least warn someone else?

Lantern Jack,

You blew it! And I can understand your pain, because I've blown it a few times, as well as most people here have. And I won't say you didn't deserve it, since you feel you did. I will say that "blowing it" is OK. It's part of our makeup to exist in life. It's what brings us to another step of taking care, because it's a lesson learned. For how long it takes you to get over it, we're here as supporters on the AW, to get you through. If it's something you can't fix, then just keep treating yourself to $45 chocolate bars until you feel good about it. More importantly, just promise that you won't let it keep you down.

Your one and only one chance to get published?


don't be so hard on yourself. there are plenty of publishers out there. and there are plenty of books you can write.

It Sure Sounds Serious

But you have nothing but friends here, and if I could have, I would have joined you with my own bar of (much cheaper) chocolate, and afterwards we could have wandered down the street until we found a dark pub sutiable for a wake and sing the sad old songs together.

And as sure as shooting, the world would still turn, tomorrow would still come, and the sun would still rise, and somehow we all buck up and go on. There is never any telling what's next around the corner.

I don't know if what you have done is irrevocable or not, all I can say is that you can and will go forward. Next time you see red, go self-destruct, reach for the knife, or whatever, come here first and try your thoughts out on the rest of us. You have nothing but friends here.

Doyle (Do the below

Blowing it

I know what it's like to "blow" a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I had the chance to show up for an audition for a movie but that was blown because of my inability to GET there. Repeat failure three years later, this time for a TV show.

As for writing? I blew my chance to get something to a national magazine. Twice.

My point is, you can't let "blowing it" hold you back. You just can't. You gotta keep going. Pick yourself up by your bootstraps, dust yourself off and get back on that horse!! Wallowing in your misery won't get you anywhere. Right now you feel bad, very bad. This is understandable. Go ahead and get through it -- BUT DON'T GIVE UP!!! You think your life is over, that you'll NEVER have this chance again. But how do you know that for sure? How do you know you won't get a bigger, maybe even BETTER deal later on down the road?? You never know. You just might.

When you're done torturing yourself, get back into the game and move on.

Hmm....

If you require duct tape applied to your mouth to prevent the loss of a publishing deal, you're with the wrong publisher, sweetie! If you haven't yet signed, run fast and hard for the exit.

sounds like a deal with some awful vanity press that does the "shut up or we'll sue you!" threats...

*shakes head*

Without prying....

Lantern Jack said:

I managed to smooth things over and everything's okay, now. I'd say more, but I cannot go into specifics. I love saying that. It makes me feel like a federal agent. Thank you all for your very gracious and kind words. I am now going to apply copious amounts of duct tape to my mouth, so I don't mess up, again.

Laters

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....Now I'm dying to know what happened. But it's really good to know it's all better now. Great Wishes.

It's kind of hard to receive support like this when you don't want to divulge that many details. I'm really curious about why you have to keep everything such a big secret. But all we were able to do here is give a sympathetic pat on the back.

Vanity press: you pay them to print your book.
As opposed to–
Real publisher: they pay you to let them publish your book.

In addition to reph's definition:


Vanity Press - doesn't charge the author, but instead charges the READER to publish the book by making the book more expensive than other books of the same genre and size. As you might guess, readers frequently don't buy it because of the cost.

Lantern Jack said:

What's a vanity press?

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With a vanity press, your book won't get into any of the national brick&mortar bookstores (WaldenBooks or B. Dalton, for instance) because there is no return policy in place for the nationals to get their money back if the book doesn't sell. Your friends and relatives can go in and order a copy (as a general rule, depending on the press I would guess) but it will not normally be stocked. Ergo, you have little or no chance of good sales numbers unless you are convinced Amazon.com will produce them or that a mere listing in Barnes & Nobel will do it. You can sometimes talk some of your local book stores into carrying the book but, there again, your only sales will come from your own efforts and mostly from your own friends and relatives. The publisher will get their money since they only produce what is sold; otherwise, they have little invested. You also need to read the Publish America thread on the Bewares board. If you haven't signed the contract yet, check and double-check before doing so. If you haven't already and it's not Publish America you are dealing with, do a check on whoever they are through the Bewares Board.

I wish you good luck with the project, whatever it is, with whomever.

I'm picturing some kind of a derivative work, where it can only be published through one source. I don't buy into the crazy conspiracy theories you guys are tossing out. ;-)

I hope you are right, Lloyd, but to pose the question - What is a vanity Press? at this stage strikes me as a tad worrying.

Bufty said:

I hope you are right, Lloyd, but to pose the question - What is a vanity Press? at this stage strikes me as a tad worrying.

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to me as well...

I've heard of one vanity press that literally has a gag order on all their authors that prohibits them from badmouthing the "publisher" in public... it may or may not be true, but it's a rather shoddy way of doing business.

if you have to ask, well... you've probably been taken.

Lantern Jack said:

...and, when I wake up, I won't remember a g***** thing. And I'll be somebody important, like an actor. An actor named Reagan.

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Anyone ever tell you you're a weirdo?

Lantern Jack said:

I contacted an agent. We'll call him Smith, Agent Smith. You see, I live in Buffalo and I'm tired of the war, of being cold and eating the same g***** goop every day and all those jagoffs and all of their b*******. So I made a deal with Agent Smith. If I get him the access codes to the www.absolutewrite.com mainframe, he's going to take my body back to the power plant and reinsert me and, when I wake up, I won't remember a g***** thing. And I'll be somebody important, like an actor. An actor named Reagan.

- L.J.

Free your mind: stay asleep!

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It's okay, Jack. Just remember, there is no spoon.

Perks said:

It's okay, Jack. Just remember, there is no spoon.

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Again with the missing spoon! Maybe Goldilocks took it when she was tasting all that porridge?

Signed,

The only person in the western world who hasn't seen The Matrix