After a lot of consideration and debate, I have decided to unpublish Iwishacana/Acanawishi indefintely.
Why?
Well, as you guys know, I've been getting a lot of negative reviews. The first couple of reviews were lovely, but as I continued to get more and more bad reviews, I've realized that they are absolutely right: This isn't the right time to release this novel.
Therefore, I have unpublished it.
And, if you guys have noticed, I have also removed it completely off my indie wall on the right. I've also decided to keep that book on the back burner and not look at it until the fall of my first year of teaching.
I've tried over and over to edit it and I even hired an editor to go over to. Actually two. But if I really want to get this book in shape, I have to hire an editor that they can actually do their job correctly.
And yes, you read it right: I partly blame the editor (who will not be named) who screwed me in the first place.
I'm not going to rant and rave at how horrible he is (my poor friends have heard enough of that) but I will say that he didn't do his job. I asked him specific questions about the plot, characters and dialogue and unfortunately, those problems have not been fixed or addressed by the editor.
Therefore, they continue to be a huge problem in Iwishacana/Acanawishi.
I know the big elephant in the room is, "Why can't you just hire an editor, fix the problems, and republish it? You did it before!"
Yeah, I certainly did, but I seriously cannot stand to look at my book right now. I know that sounds weird coming from an author, but it's the truth.
I can't look at it.
I'm so tired of editing it and all of the drama behind it, just makes me sick. So I have to just take a step away from it and give it a rest. Besides, I need to reconnect with those characters and that's going to take some time.
I'm so sorry for the readers who love the story as it is, but I can't stomach anymore horrible reviews. I can't. And the saddest thing of all: I know they are right.
I tried to fix those same problems all on my own but I realized that I simply can't. I'm the creator of this world. Iwishacana/Acanawishi is my baby. I can't look at my book from a clear standpoint, therefore, I will wait for the right time when I don't feel like chucking it down the street and let a car run over it.
Anyway, stepping away from the bad news.
And yes, there is some good news: I have decided to publish Angel Diaries a bit early.
I thought I would spend this time editing and writing Angel Diaries 2 but since Iwishacana/Acanawishi tanked (again), I had to consider what I could do about my current situation.
At first, I thought I didn't have the resources (a.k.a. money) to publish Angel Diaries, but after looking at my bank statement and looking at the editing costs (which is WONDERFULLY cheap thanks to Ricki!), I have decided to publish Angel Diaries instead.
Angel Diaries is the book that actually got me a publishing contract, so I know it's in great shape. I'm still hiring an editor since let's face it: The book was written back in 2007.
A lot of things have changed since then.
Therefore, I hope to publish Angel Diaries by early March. So be on the lookout for it!
And unlike Iwishacana/Acanawishi, this book is ready to be out in the spotlight. It is. I promise! :)
I just have this gut feeling that a lot of people will like it. Even when it is in it's rough stages (and I mean ROUGH), people wanted to buy it.
Yes, I'm dead serious. People really enjoyed therefore, I have all the confidence in the world that it'll be fine.
I won't lie, there is one thing I am worried about: The cover.
It's not what I expected, especially since Angel Diaries is considered a paranormal romance (and you know it's a requirement for the cover to be GORGEOUS), but we'll see.
I can't wait to share it with you. Anyway, sorry for the depressing news, but I think I owed it to everyone who helped me along this journey to know.
Thanks for listening!
You know... First let me apologize for not re-reading what you had fixed. And second, my first book was published with Publish America. Google it, read the "scamtalk". My first book was published through them and it was a horrible experience for me. They left out a chapter, they didn't do the book cover like I hoped, they didn't even READ it to give me any sort of feedback. I know now that PoD is what you make of it, but I had rose colored glasses on. I was in a 7 year contract and I absolutely hated looking at my book. I cried and cried about it, seriously. Then I quit. I quit writing it, I didn't look at it, I put it down verbally, bashed my own work!! Then, one day I had an epiphany and rewrote the whole damn thing and it is better than before AND is being published by someone I have researched.
ReplyDeleteYou'll get there with your book, too. You are making a smart decision to walk away rather than beating it beyond glue. You can't work on something you don't love. I'm still here if you need a review of something new and you know I will be honest with you but I won't be harsh. *hugs*
Thanks for being here to support me Caledonia! :) Nice to see you drop by once and a while.
ReplyDeleteFirst, it's all right. Life can get in the way. So I totally understand. I know my TBR pile is just ridiculously high. So don't stress about it. Maybe it's for the best. :)
Second, wow. I'm so sorry you went through all that. That's every writer's worst nightmare, but thanks so much for sharing that. I know if you made it through that much turmoil and heartache that I can make it too.
Thanks again! :) I know I'll make it, I just have to take the right steps to do so.
i can imagine how you must feel... my first book the septavalent stone is currently undergoing critique on a site,while i'm prepping my new book. it only gets better okay?
ReplyDeleteHey J.O. Jones! Thanks for stopping by and dropping a comment.
ReplyDeleteOkay. Thanks for your support.