Wait, Wait, There's More (Waiting)

Because readers are still looking for Virtually Hers and writing me emails inquiring about it, I have to explained the current situation over and over again. I'm very blessed by the fact that I have very persistent readers, who keep coming back and asking, but this also has made me sent out a mini-newsletter several times this week. I apologize if you see double emails from me, explaining about Virtually Hers and Big Bad Wolf.

The second round of questions from readers are coming too, mainly, WHEN THEN is Virtually Hers coming out? When will you decide? Because I really, really, really WANT IT NOW.

I wish I could give you all a definitive date when I would decide/what is going to happen/how it's going to happen, but you see, in the publishing world, especially if you're an author, there is a lot of waiting. And waiting.

Let me give you a sense of what I've been through for most of last year:

1) I waited up to October of last year for an answer from my publisher whether Virtually Hers would be published/pushed back/moved to another line/anything. It was the longest wait of my life because, unlike when I was unpubbed, I wasn't free to submit any other romantic suspense while under contract, so my career was suddenly floating in limbo.

2) I waited for one year for an answer from my publisher about a FREE E-BOOK to give away to my readers. It would be FREE from me. Surely that would be do-able. I was even willing to format it into PDF for them. No answer. Not even a maybe. Just silence, despite several calls.

3) Finally, in August, after one year, a definite No. But by then, of course, I also have gotten the bad news about Virtually Hers' Walmart (retail number) problem.

4) When I came home from conference, I gave away Big Bad Wolf as an e-book while waiting for a final decree from on high as to just what would happen to Virtually Hers and Virtually One. Waited. WAaiiiiiiiited. October came around. Feeling the career thing flatlining without any work being sent out, I finally asked to be released from my contract.

5) Once that was done, it was back to waiting, WAITING time for an official contract release letter. Waiiited. Waiiiittttttteddddddd. I signed three copies and sent off in Nov. sometime.

6) Meanwhile, agent and everyone in the business knew that Nov and Dec are too close to the end of the year to submit. Editors usually "clear" their desks and then take a Christmas vacation, so it was best to WAIT till beginning of the year to get back into submitting.

7) An editor privately talked to and assured me she would be interested in any NEW submissions from me but not the dropped Virtual series. This was expected because as I've explained, most publishers don't pick up another house's dropped series. So while I was WAITING for 2008 to be over, I was also thinking. If I were to go the self-pub route with the Virtually series, I should at least do some research, maybe get busy with a project that I wasn't submitting.

8) So, I decided to try Big Bad Wolf as my fun Christmas project while I work on my other writing--the proposals for the manuscripts to be sent out after New Year. Meanwhile, because of holidays, NY publishers usually shut down, so no sign of my copy of contract release yet.

9) Spent over a week for Big Bad Wolf to appear on Amazon. Finally, there it was on the 24 of Dec.

10) NEW YEAR. Flood of unhappy readers emailing me regarding the whereabouts of Virtually Hers. Waaaiiitttttttting for release contract.

11) Most people are off till Jan. 5 and it takes one week to "settle" back into the job, so as of right now, agent and I are waiiiiiitttttinnnnng for this week to be over so she could get on the phone and start calling.

12) When this happens, guess what's next? Yes, more waiting. Because editors, bless them, will need time to read and consider the proposal(s) as well as do a hundred other things for which they're responsible. I'm thinking, optimistically, that I'll hear answers by the end of January, especially on the Virtual series, since that's probably a straight yes/no answer. HOWEVER, based on my last experience, who knows? Maybe there will be long silences while I try not to slit my throat (yes, I'm being melodramatic).

That's why writers keep writing. If we just sit and wait for answers, we'd all go even nuttier than we are already. To keep myself occupied, I'm going on with the "Viking Dude" writing and learning more about the POD self-publishing business. For instance, the last couple of days, I've been looking into making it available through Kindle. Once that's done, I'm looking at I-Tunes because I heard you can download books from there.

Also, if I'm still Waaaaiiiiiting by the end of the month, I'm going to have to consider selling a double-novella of two SEALs through GLOW WORLD CREATIONS, you know, my very own e-store. Why? Because while I wait, I'm one very, very poor writer since there aren't any roofing work to supplement my dream life (I had to let my personal trainer and masseuse go, wah!) I have stories ready and I know many of you will like a good short story of either Cumber baby and yet another Steve McMillan //big evil grinning forming//. Heck, if I'm kept waiting, there's always a short story about exactly what happened to Cam and Patty off-stage ;-). Aha! I knew I could get your little ears all perky.

But what I'm trying to say is, there is a lot of waiting going on when you're a published writer. It's not a one-phone-call-settles-everything business. Editors have to wait for approval from higher-ups too. And I haven't even gotten to the part about those Invisible Bean Counters, the Secret Mages of Conglomerate Profits.

So, please be patient with me. I know most of you are (and you know I love you for being there with me), so this post is directed to the many new visitors googling Virtually Hers and also to those who can't understand why I can have BBW out so quickly but not Virtually Hers.

Next month--Sexy Vegetables POD! ;-) Wouldn't that be a bestseller.

(***whistling. Because I know the posts about Cucumber and new Steve are coming)

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