I know it might seem weird that I'd be submitting to a large publishing house, rather than to my current publisher, and I want to make something absolutely clear:
I adore working with Renaissance Press. They've been nothing but supportive and kind, with a really good ethic behind their publishing choices. I would recommend them to anyone.
But I'm hungry.
I'm hungry for that big break that will let me live off the work I'm doing. I want to see my book in book stores. I want to go in and sign them at events. I want to go on book tours, and meet readers, and hear their stories (seriously, though, it's important to me. I have the opportunity to meet one of my favourite authors and I'm freaking out about it. I know how much it means to people, and I want to be available for that). I want to things that are infinitely harder to do with a small press. And it's not fair to expect them to drop everything and spend their limited resources on my shit. They have other really awesome authors to look out for, too.
These are things that can't really happen all that well with a small press, no matter how wonderful that small press is. They're still limited in what they can do; they simply don't have the same resources.
And if someone does hit it big, then there will likely be an uptick for the small press that signed a different book from that author. Say someone really loves a book someone wrote, and goes in search of more titles by that author. Boom. Increase in sales.
I think that's called tail-end or something similar.
Part of me feels badly for not sending Skylark to Renaissance first. They really are a wonderful publisher, and in all likelihood, I'll end up sending it to them regardless.
It's hard getting published, yo. And it's likely that the novel just isn't a good fit for this publisher I've sent it too. And Renaissance is absolutely and always will be at the top of the list of small publishers. It's them first for small press submissions.
It is equally possible that it won't be a good fit for Renaissance, either. In which case, I'll self-publish this one.
I'm getting to the end of my rope with this submission. I honestly believe that Skylark is a great story, and it deserves to see the light of day. It will get there, one way or another.
And that's my guilt-ridden rant.
I love you, Renaissance, I really do! I'm just really, stupidly, probably undeservedly ambitious.
And on that note, I'm off to learn Welsh.
Ciao.