Well, my "ugly" stories were of interest to others in a recent charity sale to benefit a local art gallery. I am pleased to see that they made more per book than they are being sold for online and in bookstores. The money willl go toward a continuing program to teach low-income children how to write.
And one of those stories has been chosen for another anthology to be out sometime this year. I am most proud of this collection of short stories.
The book may be found at Amazon.com, iUniverse.com, B&N, and from moi, the author. Leave a contact point at comments here and I will forward information to obtain an authographed copy of this book, or one of my others, "The Quilt Maker" or "Growing up Barefoot in the South (descriptions on Amazon. com).
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
AD REJECTION
For many years I have been writing (for free) for a lady who produces a small, home-computer-copied, quarterly newsletter. Half of it is typed and much of it is handwritten. It is a labor of love for the lady who sends it out, and I have come to enjoy both her, her publication, and the people who write for her.
My two past books, "The Quilt Maker" and "Growing up Barefoot in the South" have been advertised in her newsletter. Since I give my home address for buying these books, I know not one of her readers has ever purchased one of my books. I pay for an ad because I know from my own experiences with newsletter publications, it is a losing proposition for the samll guy/gal. I put the ad in to support her newsletter.
In today's mail, I received a check from her for the amount of my ad. She had requested that I send her a few of the stories from the book for her to read, and I quote from her letter: "Although I have admired your contribution of articles on the craft of writing, I do not approve of your current writing. I was not pleased with the stories you sent me. Too ugly and contrived. I just don't want to promote such a book."
That, of course, is her privilege. She "owns" the publication and can do as she pleases. As I said, her readers never purchase my books anyway. But I am sort of miffed at the idea of the censorship this rejection smacks of. I guess if all magazines/newsletters/bookstores had this ability, many authors would never see a book on a shelf anywhere. There is always someone(s) who doesn't approve of the subject matter, or the way the book was written, or the controversial topic.
I will be nice to her, however. I will accept her decision. The letter accompanying the check also seemed to be speaking of my articles in the past tense, so I am assuming she will not longer print those "free articles" by a writer who writes such "ugly" stories.
If you're read the book, you know that these stories are all done in fun or with a moral to the tale, showing how strong women, even those who didn't know they were strong, can make a place for themselves in this world by getting even, and striking out on their own.
Hey, Lady, it's fiction!
Onward and upward. Maybe this ad rejection will lead to an article accepted by a paying market.
My two past books, "The Quilt Maker" and "Growing up Barefoot in the South" have been advertised in her newsletter. Since I give my home address for buying these books, I know not one of her readers has ever purchased one of my books. I pay for an ad because I know from my own experiences with newsletter publications, it is a losing proposition for the samll guy/gal. I put the ad in to support her newsletter.
In today's mail, I received a check from her for the amount of my ad. She had requested that I send her a few of the stories from the book for her to read, and I quote from her letter: "Although I have admired your contribution of articles on the craft of writing, I do not approve of your current writing. I was not pleased with the stories you sent me. Too ugly and contrived. I just don't want to promote such a book."
That, of course, is her privilege. She "owns" the publication and can do as she pleases. As I said, her readers never purchase my books anyway. But I am sort of miffed at the idea of the censorship this rejection smacks of. I guess if all magazines/newsletters/bookstores had this ability, many authors would never see a book on a shelf anywhere. There is always someone(s) who doesn't approve of the subject matter, or the way the book was written, or the controversial topic.
I will be nice to her, however. I will accept her decision. The letter accompanying the check also seemed to be speaking of my articles in the past tense, so I am assuming she will not longer print those "free articles" by a writer who writes such "ugly" stories.
If you're read the book, you know that these stories are all done in fun or with a moral to the tale, showing how strong women, even those who didn't know they were strong, can make a place for themselves in this world by getting even, and striking out on their own.
Hey, Lady, it's fiction!
Onward and upward. Maybe this ad rejection will lead to an article accepted by a paying market.