Like an Arrow
Howdy, folks.
I self-published HEPH on Amazon on November 25th, 2024. This was after months of hemming and hawing, trying to get a literary agent interested to no avail. I received many form rejection letters that couched disinterest in soft, useless language. That lack of genuine feedback—not knowing the specific, one sentence reason for rejection—might be the most frustrating part of publication. You cannot fix a problem without knowing what the problem is.
I have a reasonable guess when it comes to this book.
HEPH might not be a story they can sell. It might not be a story they know how to sell in today’s market. It’s a niche story about a bitchy little god and why he thinks the universe isn’t treating him fairly, written by a bitchy little man who thinks the universe isn’t treating him very kindly. It’s also a story about heroism, though, and a story about figuring out what’s worth fighting for. Maybe even more than those, though, it’s a story about conviction and seeing things through, even if doing so tears you apart.
Still, it’s published, irrevocably loosed like an arrow.
I don’t know if I can sell HEPH, either. I’m not sure I can get the number of eyeballs and reviews that will guarantee success. I do know I’m proud of the work that went into it, however. I know it’s an exciting story, and I know that if I shrugged and let the industry or marketing decide whether or not I offered it up to a broader audience, I would never outlive the regret.
That doesn’t mean I wasn’t nervous about debuting it. I’m confident in the work, but that doesn’t mean I’m thumping my chest, declaring it the king of novels and the blueprint for all future literature. Any time you put your work out there, any time you try to stand out, you are making yourself vulnerable to criticism, and that weighed on me as surely as it would anyone else. There are times in life when we have to shoot our shot, though, as scary and unprepared as we might feel about it in that moment.
Irretractable things always seems to have a sound. Bells can’t be un-rung. Words can’t be unsaid. A loosed arrow sings.
Thwip!
