Omg! Omg! Omg! My fingers are dancing across this keyboard as I write to you! Finally a bit of validation that the first of my three novels is as marketable as I hoped. After a concerted search and query campaign for a wonderful literary agent, one has asked to check out the full manuscript for Flamenco & the Sitting Cat — yay!!!

Much of the discussion over whether to self-publish or to go the traditional route does itself a disservice. Often, it mashes together anything involving words and pages. Seldom does the conversation distinguish non-fiction from fiction, and literary from genre, genre from niche.

To my inexperienced eye, self-publishing stardom belongs to non-fiction and narrow fiction genres. It’s easier for them to top of internet searches without authors having to spend truckloads on marketing. 

My novel falls into the category of upmarket, somewhere between commercial and literary fiction. To become easily findable by readers, those demand a heck of a lot of expertise, time and money, effort, then more time and money. How is that sort of writer to find enough time and focus to write more upmarket novels?

By the way, when I first queried this agent, I didn’t hear back for a while, so I nudged her. Thank goodness I did, because if I hadn’t, there’s a good chance that I wouldn’t be jumping up and down with glee right now. If you’re curious about nudging agents, here’s a link that explains.

I love good news! When I hear it in bad times, It reminds me that good things are possible. During good times, it’s win/win nirvana!…

Today’s guest blog post is by published poet, Jerrice J. Baptiste — yes! — Thunderous applause is due, because from what I’ve heard, poetry is the most daunting to find agents and publishers for. Originally from Haiti, she resides in New York. An educator and facilitator of poetry for healing and self-expression, she’s a Pushcart nominee for 2024 and Best of The Net by Blue Stem in 2022. Her writing appears numerous noted publications, from Artemis Journal to The Yale Review, and quite a lot in between. Moreover, Jerrice’s poetry and collaborative songwriting are featured on the nominated Grammy Award album, Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti. Check out her site for more on her and her writing…

Source: My Great Query News + Nudge DIY + Poetry by Jerrice J. Baptiste – Happiness Between Tails by da-AL