Losing Face - my first novel

'Has your book been published yet?' 

I must be asked that about three times a week.  My eagerly awaited novel has been round quite a few publishers now, with many requests for the whole novel.  Have you been in the same position?  It's so exciting to send it all off, freshly printed, or even with the tap of a computer key.  Then the wait, and wait, and wait . . . until, in my case, I receive the inevitable response.  'Thank you . . . we enjoyed it . . . sorry it does not fit our list.'  Sometimes there is even a very long letter telling me all the things the readers loved, before letting me down, quite gently.

The question can be slightly different.  'Have you got your book published yet?'  This implies I should get on with it!  Maybe I should self-publish?  Then what?  Five hundred pristine copies under my bed and an empty bank balance.  Or maybe I could market them myself?  But that would take away precious writing time.

So how do I keep the balance and keep positive about the finished novel?  Poorly, I think.  The rest of life jostling for attention and filling up the days I have allotted to work on my other started novels.  The only solution I have found is to go and hide somewhere - away for a few days in a small hotel, or even on a writing retreat to really knuckle down to it.

And speaking of writing retreats, I have always fancied running one.  Watch this space . . .

Annie