So I go to hang out with my guy friend... · 11:14pm Aug 3rd, 2013
...and it was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be.
(Before I get into that, I got to almost 60,000 words on my novel a few days ago! It was by accident too-- editing and revising put in a lot more words than I expected. I have been working like crazy on that after seeing I reached the standard halfway mark for the genre it's supposed to be. According to everywhere I look 100,000 is the bare minimum for a fantasy novel and I's like to try and get it close to that, just in case I decide to go to a legit publishing house instead of KDP, even though I'm 90% sure I'll still do KDP instead. It's been consuming a lot of my time writing, but if anything, it'll help me with my fanfiction... I hope...)
So, it was the guy-friend of mine who kept peaking into my work. I went to hang out at his place.
We watched the first episodes of all the different anime he wanted to show me. They were a mix between the kawaii anime and samurai anime, the later one being closer to my taste in anime genre.
His two little brothers, one who was 12 and the other who was 17 knew I was there, but his mom kind of didn't.
Apparently when I went to the bathroom, his youngest brother came downstairs, wanting to introduce himself to me. I could hear my friend getting annoyed and dragging him back upstairs. He apologised about him, mostly because he "thought of it without consent, probably thinking was gonna be hot or something." While the other one with the 12-year-old kind of peaked at us every so often like they've never seen a girl before.
I went upstairs to meet his mom before we left. We barely started greeting each other when he literally took my hand and pulled me outside to get into the car. I wanted to get to know her better and she was very excited to meet me.
In the end, I suppose he was getting embarrassed by his family. I was looking forward to his family embarrassing him though, so I was disappointed that he sent me home when word got around the house that he has a female friend over. It makes me wonder if he doesn't have any other female friends or he told his family something, but I cannot say. Either way, I am determined to talk to his family long enough to hear something he did as a kid that'd make him want to run and hide!
Getting approved for print runs by a traditional publisher is very hard. But often that route provides the right amount of marketing lacking greatly in the realm of self-publishing. It is still worth the effort if the novel is accepted. So, go for it!
I could be wrong, but it seems like your friend is greatly embarassed by his family. Fathers and mothers usually comment quite a bit on their child's social circle. So, if he doesn't have any other female friends that'll probably be the topic of discussion at the family's next get-together. Dinner talk can be excruciating and painful, ya know
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1260229
. Then I usually remember some of the stuff being put out nowadays that sucks and I feel a little more original 
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Lol true that! My biggest reason for doing self-publishing right now is because I don't really have the money for what I might need like submission fees, editors, agents and so-on. Money isn't my goal, just doing what I enjoy doing. Besides, I doubt anyone'd want to publish what I can come up with
I have this vibe about me that gets a lot of my friends' parents to like me or even love me as much if not more than their own kids
. It's part of why a childhood friend kinda doesn't want to talk to me right now 
. I kind of wonder if culture-clashing is part of it since I'm white and him and his family are completely korean, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in the culture 
. If that's not what it is, then his mom must have a very juicy story of him doing something really embarrassing as a little kid or something that she tells everybody 
. I really want to know what that is now 
!
1261878 Well, traditional publishers look for solid statistics to show they'll get a return for their investment. That is very hard to prove without an established track record. Keep in mind there are still plenty of fees involved with self-publishing depending on if you want a hard cover/soft cover/e-book release (I know...KDB is for e-books) and promotional materials beyond that of the online community. Self-publishing is fantastic because it is easier (I use that term loosely) to get a book published. However, marketing strategies solely fall on the writer and their inner social circle. That fact about having to market oneself in self-publishing is very important to remember. All in all, it'll feel fantastic to have your very own book available to the world to see. That, in itself, will be worth it in the end.
Just a few things I know about.
It sounds like the family has already taken an interest in you. Only time will tell if you can hear the juicy gossip about their son.
#determinedtohearembarassingstories