O! The travails of publishing!

December 9th, 2010

Random House has officially passed on Letter Off Dead. And, might I add, dammit.

According to my editor, the still-esteemed Abigail Samoun, they passed on nearly the entire Tricycle catalogue, which is a bummer for everyone, because the Trike folks consistently had high standards and delivered great books.

The only lining on this black cloud is that they’re paying me the rest of my advance. And Abigail has promised to shop the book around a bit, assuming RH gives her permission.

This is drag, to be sure, but it’s the most common status in the publishing industry and I’ve been there before. My plan is to keep plugging away on promoting this book and keep plugging away on writing the next one.

In the mean time, I’ve got a fully-edited book based on a popular blog that has been carefully edited by a talented, meticulous editor. It’s ready to go to galleys. If anyone’s interested in publishing it, let me know.

And, might I add, dammit.

Tom


5 Responses to “O! The travails of publishing!”

  1. RR Anderson on December 9, 2010 4:14 pm

    capitalist pig dogs!

  2. Erik Hanberg on December 9, 2010 4:46 pm

    I’m so sorry to hear it Tom!

    Hopefully someone else can pick it up and run with it.

  3. Andrew Fry on December 10, 2010 12:01 pm

    That is a shame. With so much complete on the book and your already an established author with a strong reader base, is there any self publishing option?

  4. Ed on December 10, 2010 5:40 pm

    Hi, Tom — Don’t be too discouraged! You’ve already experienced your first great success with The Tilting House, and this setback will only be temporary, because you are determined and don’t give up!

  5. Caroline Starr Rose on December 16, 2010 12:23 pm

    I’m so sorry to hear this!

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    About

    Letter Off Dead is an actual transcript of letters sent between a 7th grade boy and his dead father. It covers the subjects of life and death, faith and doubt, fathers and sons.

    The textual transcript has been edited and presented here by Tom Llewellyn, a writer from Tacoma, Washington. The illustrations have been edited and presented by artist James Stowe, also from Tacoma. None of the content has anything to do with Tom's or James' beloved and very separate employers.

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