Staying Published

While staying current on the blogs that I follow is not a high priority, I did see something this morning that seems worth repeating from Janet Reid's blog. Janet Reid is a literary agent.

 

The post is:
http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2016/10/can-publishers-see-my-sales-numbers.html. In one of the comments someone wrote, "It is one thing to get published and another to stay published."

 

Just like anything else we jump into, looking at the big picture is essential to 'correct' first steps.

 

Writing is on a spectrum, although some people see it as an end point. While writing itself is satisfying to most of us, beyond that euphoria we need to have a serious conversation with our self about where we want to go with this 'writing stuff.'

 

Bang away on your laptop with the TV blaring, take writing classes, walk the isles of the bookstore with glazed over eyes, but find a bit of quite time to think of this craft as a business.

 

The only way to succeed in any business is to do your homework and understand the industry inside and out. Plus, to some extent understanding the ebb and flow of the economy helps build a strong business.

 

The point is, of course, identify your goals, and then develop a plan on how to achieve those goals.

 

There is a lot of advice, mine included, on the Internet and in print books. The work is to distill all of that into a working model that fits YOU.

 

Write your best work and make time to understand the industry. Cheers!

 

 

 

What We Like

It is a lazy beautiful day in Arizona, USA. The drizzle of the monsoons tap a soothing sound on the patio cover above me as I think about the mystery of Cactus Rain Publishing. A few years ago, a close friend told me that CRP would never work.

 

It does work. What is the secret? It is hard to say, and it is probably more than one thing that works. We don’t advertise – at all. Maybe we have passed on some mss that we shouldn’t have passed. However, we have done well with those we selected.

 

I think that Irene Watson nailed it when she wrote about my novels that, “Nadine produces works of social relevance.”

 

That is also true of the novels we publish.

 

Of course, we look at writing ability and style. Though, the social message of our books is what speaks to me as I read the submitted manuscripts. For me, it is probably the tipping point.

 

What does anything matter if we don’t continue to evolve into better people, better societies? Though there are many others who do more and larger than our small voice, I believe we quietly and gently contribute to the betterment of all of those who read our books, without being preachy and forceful.

 

Our books, and those under contract, speak to critical issues and in the end, good wins over evil in the characters.

 

Check out what Steve Mwase says in this interview. http://www.cactusrainpublishing.com/dunia.html or here  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOSXZIfrIbw