Justice for writers may lie in our own hands and minds. That is what I hope this blog will prove. I hope it will be a bracing reminder for me of what the individual writer can do to control his/her own fate, and to be treated like a professional. I also hope that, when I reveal it to the public down the line, it will help many others.
I have published several books. Good books, but niche stuff. I am very proud of them. And I have come to them from years of writing--and being paid for--other things, chiefly magazine and newspaper articles.
So that you understand this. I am a professional writer, who has been paid for almost nothing BUT writing.
But my last book fell into an abyss. I do not want to tell more of this story than I have to, since I want this blog to be about recovery from a bad move, and about well-deserved success in the end.
Suffice it to say, though, that, because of the state of my health when I was looking for a publisher, I let it be taken by an organization which treats neither it nor me--nor, as far as I know, anybody else--with respect. At the time I made my choice I didn't think I'd live long. I have lived long enough to deeply regret my mistake.
But what to do about it? Almost all the advice I received was, "Swallow it. Your book is gone. Let bygones be bygones."
Anyone who knows me knows that is not my style. In my next post I will outline what I decided to do instead. Beyond that the blog will follow my progress in doing what I set out to do.
So come along.
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