JJ Anderson

Hello all! It’s been a while since my last newsletter post, so I thought I would update you on my publishing progress.

I’ve been sending out lots of queries to agents and publishing houses since about late July. So far, the only acceptance I have gotten was from a hybrid publisher, which I decided to pass on due to it not being a good fit for me at the moment. While I haven’t had many positive responses, I know this level of rejection is just part of the traditional publishing industry.

So my plan is to keep submitting to agents and publishing houses up until about a year from now. If I don’t have any pending manuscript requests or acceptances by then, I will either pursue self-publishing or look into getting more professional help for the book. I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I think that I could do a great job at many aspects of self-publishing, plus I would retain full rights of my artistic direction and royalties — all positive things that are lacking in traditional publishing.

But self-publishing would also be a very big commitment. I’d need professional cover design and accompanying art (I am just a hobby artist, after all), professional editing, and help with the marketing and promotion of the book. Despite this, I’m not worrying about any of that right now. I’m just submitting queries as I get the time and I’ll think about those details a year from now, when I know more about what publishing path I am taking. Who knows, I may design some book-related merchandise and print it on my CNC/3D printer too! Sending that out to fans and ARC readers would be pretty cool!

And speaking of fans, there has been a good amount of interest around my book (much more than I anticipated, certainly). Because of this, I thought I’d give you something to enjoy while you wait for the next phase of the book’s publishing journey: I have released the prologue, and chapters 1 & 2 on my website, available within the Writing Excerpts page or through this link.

Of course, this is just a teaser. As I still haven’t gotten a professional editor to look at my book, it may be subject to change. Regardless, do let me know what you all think of it by leaving a like or sending me a message if you know me personally!

For now, I will be querying away and working on my next big projects. I’ll announce what these are in another news post, so keep your eyes on your inboxes!