[NicWilson]

But I'm happy anyways!

I've had such a hard time bringing attention to my first novel, because it has a very dark and aggressive presentation, and dealt with some taboo issues. I've had a tough time finding places that are willing to advertise it, or persuade people to offer opinions on it, because of my discussion of very uncomfortable topics such as domestic abuse, abortion, and torture.

Anyways, I've gotten a few reviews, but this is the first one that's genuinely surprised me.

"Aside from the solid writing, what impressed me most was how convincingly the author portrayed this world. It's hard not to be moved by the personal accounts of the women in the story who suffer horrible atrocities in its telling. There is one scene in particular that gives me the chills every time I think about it. Even more noteworthy is how real this all seems, as if it would only take a little nudging for our own society to mirror the one in this book. In some ways, it already does."

I've been beating my head against a wall for weeks, trying to figure out how to connect with readers who might "get" this story, wondering if I'd hamstrung myself(and it) by picking an aggressive title and presentation, wondering if I should just stop promoting it and hope that it got some attention when I have more accessible published work to attract readers...  So it feels like finally, someone GETS it!

 

[Dustin Metzger]

I don't know if I'd call that something minor to be happy about. If I get a review like that after I publish my novel I'd be shouting it from the rooftops. Now, my chances of getting a review like that are doubtful considering I'm writing a male-lead urban fantasy with violent military-scifi inspired combat scenes, so I guess I'll just have to settle for being happy for you instead.  Congrats.

 

[Becca Mills]

That's awesome, Nic. I bet we all know and understand your feeling exactly. 

 

[Bruce Blake]

Take the happiness anywhere you can get it. Congrats on a great review.

 

[NicWilson]

Yep, I'm enjoying the rush while it lasts. It's been so discouraging; I'd actually been wondering whether I should shelve any promotions for the thing, and hope that once I have other books out, readers might give it a chance because they like my style, even if the concept is very polarizing. I still may be better off doing that, but I'd feel bad if I didn't at least give it a shot.

I've written for years, though all of the rest is still being revised, but this project was so personal to me. My girlfriend helped with research, keeping an eye out for the topics I'd mentioned. Writing this dark story shook us both; we spent so long on edge with each other, just because the societal tensions affected us so deeply. At the end of the first draft, I sent it to her for feedback with a marriage proposal in the back. I'm still a little bit shocked to see myself write something like this.

 

[Cheryl M.]

Don't knock it; it means something special. Go, you! 

 

[Becca Mills]

Yep, I'm enjoying the rush while it lasts. It's been so discouraging; I'd actually been wondering whether I should shelve any promotions for the thing, and hope that once I have other books out, readers might give it a chance because they like my style, even if the concept is very polarizing. I still may be better off doing that, but I'd feel bad if I didn't at least give it a shot.

I've written for years, though all of the rest is still being revised, but this project was so personal to me. My girlfriend helped with research, keeping an eye out for the topics I'd mentioned. Writing this dark story shook us both; we spent so long on edge with each other, just because the societal tensions affected us so deeply. At the end of the first draft, I sent it to her for feedback with a marriage proposal in the back. I'm still a little bit shocked to see myself write something like this.

I think you should stick with it and see how it goes! If the book's out there six months and still isn't finding any audience, you might try a completely different cover. Don't get me wrong -- I like the cover you have. But sometimes a really different look will jog loose some interest.

I wonder, also, if you've tried seeking reviews from sources other than book bloggers. Since the book is a gender-based dystopia, you might find some feminist or gender-identity-oriented publications or blogs that don't usually do (or at least don't restrict themselves to) book reviewing who would nevertheless be interested in this particular book, in interviewing you as an author, etc.

 

[60911]

The most powerful desire in a writer's soul is to feel like people out there understand; there is no greater compliment that a fan can levy but to tell us that they "get it" on the deepest level that we hoped for when we put the words to paper. Good for you, that's the greatest feeling.

 

[NicWilson]

I think you should stick with it and see how it goes! If the book's out there six months and still isn't finding any audience, you might try a completely different cover. Don't get me wrong -- I like the cover you have. But sometimes a really different look will jog loose some interest.

I wonder, also, if you've tried seeking reviews from sources other than book bloggers. Since the book is a gender-based dystopia, you might find some feminist or gender-identity-oriented publications or blogs that don't usually do (or at least don't restrict themselves to) book reviewing who would nevertheless be interested in this particular book, in interviewing you as an author, etc.

Becca: I'll keep that in mind. I've been thinking about tweaking the cover a bit anyways. I'm hoping to release another novel and a short story collection by the end of February, so it might not be bad to completely change the cover feel of the first novel.

I've contacted some more topical blogs. I'm still waiting to hear back, and not holding my breath much. I'm a bit behind on that, truthfully. I sent out review copies, focusing on book bloggers, when I first released it, but stalled out on following up or forwarding it to new contacts. I've sent off a second and third round of promotional contacts, but it's a bit too soon to have heard from most of them. So maybe we'll get lucky, and it'll do well in the hands of bloggers/reviewers with a more political audience.

 

[Becca Mills]

Becca: I'll keep that in mind. I've been thinking about tweaking the cover a bit anyways. I'm hoping to release another novel and a short story collection by the end of February, so it might not be bad to completely change the cover feel of the first novel.

I've contacted some more topical blogs. I'm still waiting to hear back, and not holding my breath much. I'm a bit behind on that, truthfully. I sent out review copies, focusing on book bloggers, when I first released it, but stalled out on following up or forwarding it to new contacts. I've sent off a second and third round of promotional contacts, but it's a bit too soon to have heard from most of them. So maybe we'll get lucky, and it'll do well in the hands of bloggers/reviewers with a more political audience.

Good luck with it. Yeah, sending out for reviews is incredibly time-consuming.

 

[NicWilson]

Good luck with it. Yeah, sending out for reviews is incredibly time-consuming.

The time aspect doesn't bother me so much, but I think I was still a little sore at some other stuff that was happening. It made it harder to actually put a good presentation forward, without being defensive. There's only so many times you can say "Look, I know the title is aggressive, and there's a lot of dark material in it, but there's a lot of poignant discussions to be had about the issues involved." My lady affectionately joked that I'd have an easier time selling it if it actually was pornographic. Really, it's just a strange niche for writing. I was a comics kid, so I've always had an undying love of the outlandish and macabre. My written tone and violence level is in line with many other comics writers, but it's taken years of practice to translate into long-form prose.

It's made finding an audience a bit difficult. I'm sure it's just a matter of giving it time though, and putting out more writing in the interrim.