Here's the first little bit of that article:
[I don't have permission to post the entire article, but I can at least post something more legible of what's in the teaser they prepared. The snip follows.]
When a Door Closes by Maggie Toussaint
Runners pace themselves. If they go out too fast, they won’t last to the finish line. They push through the burn and find their stride. Authors go through a similar pacing process throughout their careers.
We learn how to navigate the ups and downs of story crafting, submissions, rejections, contracts, edits, blog tours, booksignings, reviews, conferences, newsletters, and social media. When we hit our stride, we feel confident and think, “I’ve got this.”
Then something unexpected happens. For some, financial or health concerns take precedent over their creative journey. For others, their publisher drops their books or an entire product line.
One day everything was fine for them, and the next, it wasn’t. When my publishing world upended, I stumbled and couldn’t quite catch my breath. Here’s what happened.
In the fall of 2015, my publisher announced it was closing its entire mystery line. The books already acquired for 2016 would still be published, but that was it. On our author loop, shock and concern dominated our posts. Many said this was a career ender for them because no house would acquire an ongoing series.
Several authors quit. They couldn’t conceive of writing for another house. Others stalled in the complaining phase of this turn of events. The rest looked around and said, “What’s next?”
A few decided to change genres, a few started a new series to shop around. Some, like me, had a backlog of manuscripts in a current series. If we wanted to keep publishing, we needed a new house or the stamina to become indie-publishers.
Finding a new house with an ongoing series is difficult, but indie publishing is no cakewalk either. Another consideration crept into my decision making process. Many of the larger mystery conferences require that authors be with a Mystery Writers of America approved publisher to be eligible for panel consideration.
Concurrently with my publisher closing their mystery business, other big houses shut down their cozy lines. Suddenly the ground was thick with unemployed cozy mystery writers, which is my genre. I knew that I couldn’t delay making a decision.... more at Southern Writer's Magazine.
Dadgummit, my August 1 release from Camel Press is receiving exciting reviews. It's up for pre-order at all venues. Check out the early reviews at http://maggietoussaint.com/dadgummit/
That's it for now. I hope you're having a great summer!
Maggie Toussaint
http://www.maggietoussaint.com
