Rejection Isn't the End
For a while Superluminal has been waiting for approval. In the mean time, I've been editing up a storm with AlliterativeArts and at the same time I've tackled the challenge of finding an illustrator for either possible path.
The road of the author who beats a path with only the tools they possess or the road of the one that has the support and backing of that publisher.
Our feet have been firmly planted on the road of self-publishing. Regardless of that fact, I'm determined to make it.
I've been told that the most popular book in the series (The Dream) is the most unnecessary, simply because it lacks action, that it doesn't further the plot. The interactions between Leona and Quinn are excellent, but lack an element of true spite.
It's been said that if they published this series, it would be transformed to a form that you wouldn't recognize and may not support.
Therefore, it wasn't worth the year it would take to restructure and eliminate unnecessary parts.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have some questions for you, the readers:
1. Which parts throughout the whole series are the most unnecessary? Elements that you think readers who don't have your taste might point at. But, we can't write a story that's meant for everyone, something that everyone will like, so should we tear ourselves into pieces and the story in the process for the sake of making everyone somewhat happy?
2. It has been suggested that I double down on the LGBTQ agenda (that I don't have). Do you think I should? I personally think this would bore people who aren't interested in that agenda. I do want to make sure that important things are said that express the challenges transpeople face. Persecution, the special healthcare, the feelings of the person.
3. Is there something that Superluminal lacks?
4. Do you think there's a market for the story on Amazon that the publisher doesn't foresee?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have general advice to share, I'd love to read it in comments below.
My commitment to succeed is not diminished. Some of the most famous people were people who didn't give up in the face of adversity. They got right back up and kept trying. Sometimes they lost their faith for a time, but when that happened, they pulled the pieces together and moved forward and became a success.
My regards,
My thoughts are that books 1 and 2 get released as a combo. It might mean that potential readers pay a bit more to purchase them, but it's absolutely necessary to set up the backstory without having to rewrite everything to include the same info.
Naturally, you'll refer to the bits throughout as it shapes who Leona is and it helps readers to understand her thought process and decision making. Removing to make the publisher happy only makes things more complicated later on. I'd also disagree on doubling down on any kind of message.
This is literature, not politics. Is the LGBTQ message important? 100% yes, but it's not the most important message. What Superluminal is is a story about personal growth. We go from seeing a timid, non-conforming young boy in the beginning of "The Dream" to seeing a confident young woman finding out who she is and everything she could become. If you follow the publisher's advice, then it's not your work, it's theirs. If they are making this suggestion, then did they even read it as a reader would or did they just see the "main point"?
Because it's a story of growth and it's a (superpowered) slice of life story, I think you could see a lot of people wanting to get it and read it as long as the synopsis did it justice. Without bringing gender and gender politics into this, we could ask ourselves how many of us would sit in-front of the tv on the weekend and watch shows like "Sailor Moon" or "Cardcaptor Sakura" just to see how they would beat the bad-guy/gal of the week? It's really not much different than what you've written: Leona watches the superheros fight against the bad-guys/gals. And, just like the shows we grew up watching, we know that she's ultimately going to end up in a fight against the same villain that killed her mom all those years ago. It won't be the final fight she faces, but just another step in her journey towards who she wants to be.
This means that the only think lacking from the book is really the confidence of the publisher. I won't say that it's perfect, because nothing ever is. Much as Leona has learned, there is a light and dark side to everyone and everything. The important thing is that we learn to find the balance between the two and stick to our morals.
Thank you for this amazing posting. I'm very happy that you think so much of Superluminal. You're RIGHT! This is indeed an opportunity, their having said no doesn't destroy 'The Dream!' Having said yes may have.
*smiles* I'm feeling very nya-y thanks to this amazing advice.
=^.^=
Well it isn't really unnecessary but I did mention the part at the pool. It was also bit strange that after rescue her friend she vanished. Maybe more time/romance with Sarah and not mistal
And we need more info about the void ;)
But as far as the story is now I would buy it
Thanks for that advice, Mimms! I'll consider adding more romantic time between Sarah and Leona! <3 More heart warming parts with less of the tension early on. Already, the manuscript for The Dream has transformed markedly. We'll transform it some more until it feels like it'd most optimally grab the interests of new readers! <3
What even is the LGBTQ "agenda"? Human rights and decent treatment for everyone?
Sadly, people who believe conversion "therapy" can fix being gay still exist. Let alone people who thing being gay is something that needs fixing in the first place. Other than that (and the repercussions), I don't really remember too much LGBTQ "agenda" in this story, mostly just LGBTQ people existing.
I am not an author and I have no idea how the whole self-publishing via Amazon works and how profitable it is, but if a publisher wants you to change your work to accommodate some vague idea of a mass market, I'd say its an alternative worth looking into, if you haven't already.
Btw, where do you take the info that The Dream is the most popular book in the series from?
Exactly so. People wanting to be who they are. And some who haven't come out of the closet (IE: Sarah early on until Xevolve)
It isn't anymore the most popular, but when the story started, the story was #1 many days on Scribblehub. It was quite the phenomenon! That exposure led to the stats it's been enjoying. *grins* If you could see it today, you'd be amazed. We topped most every metric. I'll never forget the gratitude I felt at the moment it started happening. The popularity reduced during the release of An Ill Wind, but we're still going strongly! Not as strong as if I hadn't taken a few months to myself after Saucery finished while I was writing the framework for Elodie Elegy.
After that, people started convincing me that now was the time to pursue publishing the story. IE: consolidate everything and get it up on Amazon. <3 I still believe it's time.
For me, the primary reason to publish is that once it's up on Amazon, it'll be immortalized. There will be physical copies made (I'll figure all that out), and thus some people will always have the story and maybe it'll be another virally popular series! You never know! I want this story to be remembered and well-loved by as many as possible. Free sites will disappear, but Amazon isn't likely to vanish for a long time.
Regarding point #2, I think that readers would able to tell the difference between a message inspired by the author’s vision, vs. a message inspired by sales/market demographics. The first can teach and inspire; the other—at least, in this reader’s humble opinion—degrades the message by turning it into a product to be monetized.
I think that the best way I could put it would be to borrow the words one author wrote when trying to explain why people have compared Sauron’s One Ring to everything from nuclear weapons to a generic greed for power: “When a work of fiction accurately portrays the nature of man and the universe, it becomes applicable and relevant beyond the author’s largest dreams.”
Commercializing one aspect of a literary work focuses on one aspect of the world, at the risk of excluding all other aspects. In the end, that’s your call as the author to make, and I for one would not think less of you either way (not that my opinion should have any weight; you’re an excellent writer and don’t you ever let anyone tell you otherwise
).
Awww thank you! That's very encouraging!
So far the best plan AA and I have is to read Volume 1's manuscript and come up with any problems that anyone aside from us two would be able to see in it. And if it's worth the trouble, try to fix it.
*warm smiles* Calling me an excellent writer fills me with extra determination!
I sure hope my story is able to show people something about the nature of people, even though it's a fictional piece. Even in these, we can hope to explore and expose them.
<3
Welcome back, Curly! <3