What to do? What to do? What to do?

I’ve been pondering that question since my agent emailed to say the 4 Christian market publishers who had looked at See Jane Run! this summer had passed on the manuscript. This has happened before so I’ve had plenty of practice generating answers. They always boil down to these four options.

1. Abandon the project. In many ways this is the easiest option as it would remove something from my crowded plate. But every time I try to walk away from See Jane Run! and the rest of my ideas for The Tipperary County Mystery Series, I have no peace. An internal motivation compels me to keep at it. Until that motivation goes away, option #1 isn’t going to happen
2. Pitch to general market publishers. My daughter, who is a book coach and the proprietor of Novel Spirits Books, thinks this is a viable option. Mainly because See Jane Run! doesn’t quite fit into Christian publishing’s cozy mystery box. The problem is that my agent is not familiar with general market publishers and pitching to them without an agent is almost impossible.
3. Pitch to independent publishers. My daughter thinks this path is also viable, especially since we both know some indie authors whose brains we can pick. The problem is that my schedule is tight right now, which leaves little time to research and pitch to independent publishers.
4. Self-publish. If the most recent rejections had come before COVID, this would be my next step. But self-publishing requires cash up front, all my speaking engagements have been canceled due to COVID so I have no income. Once speaking engagements pick up again, this option will be more attractive because I’ll be able to afford to self-publish and sell See Jane Run! at speaking events.

So here’s what I’m going to do for now.

• Plug away at my fall commitments, one of which is to finish the first draft of Hear Jane Sing! With only 9 chapters out of 60 to go, that should be doable.
• Keep building my fiction platforms at downthegravelrd on Instagram and through my Facebook group, Down the Gravel Rd. Social media platforms are the first thing publishers consider when looking at new authors. You can help out with this part by following me on Instagram, joining the Facebook page, and by going to my homepage and subscribing to my newsletter right under the picture at the top of the page.
• Research independent and general market publishers once my schedule frees up and then create a plan for pitching to them.
• Consider self-publishing as a post-pandemic option.

What do you think of the plan? What am I missing? I’d love to hear your thoughts about what to do, what to do, what to do.

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