Yet another publisher rejected my manuscript. It is so very disappointing. My book is designed to be a very easy read giving multiple ideas for a real plan, the very things we talk about here, but very scaled back for the eyes of a brand new mom or expectant mom who is terrified and in shock.
Many main stream publishers rejected it saying that it was better suited to a special needs publisher. So I went that route. The rejection from the most recent special needs publisher said that the majority of the information in my book was described at length in 5 different books they currently publish. I can tell you each book is approximately 200 pages minimum, and one of them was the very book I was given as a new mom that lit the fire to put out a book worthy of being the first thing read by new moms.
Go back to the day you heard those words for the first time. What did you want to get your hands on? Were you about to track down 5 bulky books on gross motor skills worthy of a physical therapist's text book, a book filled with every conceivable thing that could be wrong with your baby for the rest of his life (including a chapter on special needs trusts and finding the right group home), a 250 page book on the importance of play, on and on and on?
Maybe I've missed the mark. Maybe I am the only one who sees the value in a doctor saying, "Your Baby has Down Syndrome." Go home, take a breath and read this. When she does, she finds a book written by a therapist and a mom who balances the unique understanding of that moment of time with the basic knowledge she needs to get her feet under her.
I'll not give up on that, I'll find more publishers.
Have you considered self-publishing through Amazon's CreateSpace program?
ReplyDeleteFrom one writer to another - I got my first book published through a regular publishing house. Not the best one nor the most popular, but one that did the layout, put the whole thing together and did some marketing for the book. Even so, they still expected me to do a lot of pavement pounding to market my book for them.
ReplyDeleteThen there's Lulu. It's a print-on-demand self-publishing company. You have to do the layout and put everything together (they make it pretty easy) and once ready it can be sold on Amazon, etc. Of course YOU have to do the marketing yourself.
So as a mother, it can be hard to find the time to do your own marketing, but you will be expected to do it either way. My suggestion is to go the self-publishing rout while you continue to approach larger publishing companies. Most good publishing companies WILL pick up good manuscripts that have been self-published so it is a win-win situation.
With Lulu, there is NO money out of pocket to put the book together. Books are only printed as they are purchased, and then shipped directly from Lulu to the buyer. No cost to you. It can also be made available as an ebook! - ever. How can you loose?
Get your book into the hands of the people who need it NOW. I can help you - I'm happy to do some editing and help you get it up on Lulu and then out on Amazon, etc if you want help.
Just do it! (http://www.lulu.com/)
If you do some of your own marketing from your computer, you will certainly be able to sell your book. If a lot of them sell, it's a great selling point when you talk to publishing companies.
Hi Geralyn, I am new following your blog and it has been very impressive to me all your boy is doing. I also have a child with T21 a little younger than Lucas. I am a graphic designer, so I can help if you need someone that put the layout together or if you need to design marketing pieces for your book I will be more than happy to help you.
ReplyDeleteI was going to suggest Lulu also (though from the perspective of a buyer). Personally, I'd pay whatever price today for your book (I just found your blog last week, love what I read, and with my little one being only 6 months old, feel we are at an amazing time in her growth and development).
ReplyDeleteThank you all so very much. This book has been sitting on desks of prospective publishers for over a year. I don't know how much value it would be to moms who already have their feet under them, it is a very positive perception changing book for brand new parents. I balanced giving too much info, so as to not overwhelm, with enough ideas to light the fire in them. I remember the first time mine was lit, Lucas was two weeks old and I found Kent MacKleod's book on vitamin therapy. Even though I didn't fully understand at the time and even though I wasn't sure I believed it, simply reading page after page of someone telling me certain things didn't HAVE to be in my son's future led me done a path of asking "Why Not?" to everything I heard. It was that moment I stopped waking up in panic, and started waking up with a notebook next to my bed because I would have lists of things to find out about the next day. That was real power and it changed our lives. Everyone who follows here has had that moment, not to say the doubts don't creep in, they do - but not anymore significantly than they do for our other kids. Isn't that the point? I love the lulu site, I think it would be a great way to get an e-book version and a print version quickly.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you are being so persistant - I'm sure this is the book that I would have love to have had 4 years ago! I would be happy to help at least a tiny bit by recommending your book to my readers.
ReplyDeleteHi Geralyn: Just wondering if this was ever published... I have a little guy with T21 on the way, I'm due in March... just got done reading naturally better and looking to get my hands on as much info as possible!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks!!!
Michelle
ajsamc25 (at) yahoo (dot) com