Monday, January 3, 2011

An Introduction

Hey world! Today a new writer, Megg Jensen, was born.

Okay, I'm not new. I've been around the writing block a few times. I'm a successful freelance parenting journalist, but I'm about to embark on a new adventure - e-publishing a YA fantasy novel.

Why e-pubbing? Well, two of my books have been shopped around to agents. For those who requested to see my  book, I've had nearly the same response each time: "Your book is amazing." "Such an intriguing plot." "You're a great writer."

Ultimately many of their responses came down to the same thing: "It doesn't fit on any list."

After hearing that more times than I care to remember, I decided that maybe my book doesn't fit in to the traditional publishing box. These agents admitted I was a great writer, and let me tell you, agents are known for rejecting writers without saying a word, much less a compliment. Did the rejections hurt? Sure, but they didn't have to tell me I was a great writer or that my book was well-written. Those tidbits bolstered my confidence. But where was I supposed to go from there?

My most excellent friend, Karly Kirkpatrick, e-pubbed her first book, Into the Shadows, in 2010. It's an amazing book - a book that went through the same wringer mine did. But guess what? People are reading and buying her book, which is all she ever wanted.

It's all I ever wanted too. I write because the voices in my head won't shut up. I publish because I want to share those words with you, the reader. If I can't fit into the traditional model, fine. I'm not really a traditional girl anyway - I'm accustomed to being the oddball.

I hope you come along with me on this journey (OMG, that sounds so like The Bachelor - *vomit*). I'm guessing it will be a wild ride. What's coming up? Posts on why I'm using a pen name, a teaser for my first book and info how to start the wild e-pub ride.

4 comments:

  1. Good luck with your book! Looking forward to more posts about this process, as I've thought about taking this route, too.

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  2. Thanks Dawn! I plan to document as much as I can. I wouldn't have gotten this far without Karly and I'd like to help as many people as I can too. :-)

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  3. *blushing* Thanks girl! I'm so excited for you! It will definitely be an exciting ride!

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