(sigh)
Disaster strikes and I am not getting up quick this time. I've been collaborating with a friend for two years on a book series. It initially started with a basic short story we wanted to write out to get our creative sides working again. As we began to co-write it, it grew and grew and grew and before we knew it, we had an entire book on our hands, plus outlines and arcs for two sequels. So we sent it to her agent and he did the footwork, getting into the hands of as many people as possible.
Most recently, we got feedback from some of the biggies: Harper Collins, Scholastic, Walden, Amulet, etc. Some of it good, some of it saying certain parts need work. We were pumped. We started adjusting certain criticisms that we agreed with and then something even better happened. A friend of ours, whose father markets certain comic books and has a booth every year at San Diego-Con, got us a sweet connection to an editor. Yes, I just said sweet connection...eat it. Anyway, he arranged to have our book read by the top editor from Marvel Entertainment, who had volunteered to tell us what worked and what needs work.
We were jumping for joy and waiting, pens in hands. He just finished reading it and sang lots and lots of high praises. YAY! He then proceeded to tell us what needed adjusting. Luckily, we agreed with everything he said and started getting to work.
Until...
Just the other day, our agent sent us an email that pretty much crushed us. A book, due out in spring of 2010, pretty much mirrors 75%, if not more, of our book. It's actually disgustingly eerie how much this books synopsis mirrors ours. I'm not one to cry about the cards I'm dealt but this was a crushing blow. We've been working so hard on this (going to san diego comic con and talking with people and pushing the book and finding people to read it and submit it and buying webspace and...ugh...). It's just uncanny how similar this other book is. I'm hoping the synopsis is just worded to make it seem that way but there are so many similarities there, that it could almost be a synopsis for ours. What sucks even more is that, even if our book still gets picked up, it's always gonna be the one that came out second. Even if someone tomorrow, said, "yes, *** and ***, we'd love to publish your book" it would be at least 18 months before it was on shelves. AT LEAST.
So, we've become the VOLCANO to this DANTE'S PEAK. Sorry for the obscure 90's reference. I'm just ughhhh. Now we're gonna be that book that's "like that other book that came out first..."
Now I know there's a chance it might be terrible and actually be completely different than ours but, as of right now, it's devastating. I'm sure in the days to come, I'll stop weeping and start planning but for now, I just want to feel sorry for myself, ourselves.
Un-fucking-believable. I just...wanna sit in a corner in a ball and bawl.
Disaster strikes and I am not getting up quick this time. I've been collaborating with a friend for two years on a book series. It initially started with a basic short story we wanted to write out to get our creative sides working again. As we began to co-write it, it grew and grew and grew and before we knew it, we had an entire book on our hands, plus outlines and arcs for two sequels. So we sent it to her agent and he did the footwork, getting into the hands of as many people as possible.
Most recently, we got feedback from some of the biggies: Harper Collins, Scholastic, Walden, Amulet, etc. Some of it good, some of it saying certain parts need work. We were pumped. We started adjusting certain criticisms that we agreed with and then something even better happened. A friend of ours, whose father markets certain comic books and has a booth every year at San Diego-Con, got us a sweet connection to an editor. Yes, I just said sweet connection...eat it. Anyway, he arranged to have our book read by the top editor from Marvel Entertainment, who had volunteered to tell us what worked and what needs work.
We were jumping for joy and waiting, pens in hands. He just finished reading it and sang lots and lots of high praises. YAY! He then proceeded to tell us what needed adjusting. Luckily, we agreed with everything he said and started getting to work.
Until...
Just the other day, our agent sent us an email that pretty much crushed us. A book, due out in spring of 2010, pretty much mirrors 75%, if not more, of our book. It's actually disgustingly eerie how much this books synopsis mirrors ours. I'm not one to cry about the cards I'm dealt but this was a crushing blow. We've been working so hard on this (going to san diego comic con and talking with people and pushing the book and finding people to read it and submit it and buying webspace and...ugh...). It's just uncanny how similar this other book is. I'm hoping the synopsis is just worded to make it seem that way but there are so many similarities there, that it could almost be a synopsis for ours. What sucks even more is that, even if our book still gets picked up, it's always gonna be the one that came out second. Even if someone tomorrow, said, "yes, *** and ***, we'd love to publish your book" it would be at least 18 months before it was on shelves. AT LEAST.
So, we've become the VOLCANO to this DANTE'S PEAK. Sorry for the obscure 90's reference. I'm just ughhhh. Now we're gonna be that book that's "like that other book that came out first..."
Now I know there's a chance it might be terrible and actually be completely different than ours but, as of right now, it's devastating. I'm sure in the days to come, I'll stop weeping and start planning but for now, I just want to feel sorry for myself, ourselves.
Un-fucking-believable. I just...wanna sit in a corner in a ball and bawl.
VIEW 7 of 7 COMMENTS
you must have all been picking up on the same brain waves?
at least you can probably write something even better now with the experience of writing a whole book under your sleeve..