WishyWish Would Like Your Opinion/Input/Advice · 3:37pm Sep 19th, 2017
(This might be a little lengthy. I have linked it to my current hottest story in order to reach more readers for their opinions.)
So.
I've been writing on this site for something like three years now, and for the last of those three (one solid year) I've been taking commissions. Things have come a long way, and I have to say, I love you horses. What a wonderful community. I've been caught up in it for so long now that it occurs to me that almost no time in over a year has gone into my other author face.
That's right, I actually write original pieces (not fanfiction) under my real name. As it stands I have three works available on Amazon right now - two YA fantasy novels, and a horror short story in a traditionally published anthology. Beyond that, I know how to write a query letter, and I've gotten bites from agents before. I don't typically talk about that on here however (or vice versa), just because I'm a bit concerned that the general public wouldn't know what to make of a YA author also writing dirty fanfiction with My Little Pony characters.
But you know what? I keep doing this ficcing thing anyway. Because I really enjoy doing it. So here's the thing-
I have one unpublished novel that I've been shopping to agents for around a year or so now. Some have bitten, but in the end they always decide against representing it because they believe it would be a 'hard sell'. I had originally planned to self-pub this story on createspace as I did with my novels, to the point that I worked up a proper novel format for it and everything, but I pulled it and sat on it instead, thinking I would give traditional publishing a shot. So far that hasn't panned out, but I believe in this story and I think it has something to say, so I haven't given up on it.
Today something occurred to me. Instead of my other writer face...why not make it available to this lovely community instead? Why not put WishyWish's name on it? It's quite a decision, because once I do that and an ISBN number is assigned, that's it. There's no going back, at least for that one book. But then...it's not doing anybody any good just sitting on the cutting room floor, either. Suffice to say, WishyWish gets most of my writing attention these days, and she's a good deal more popular than the other author me.
So I'll ask you - would you be interested in a non-fanfiction, original novel published by WishyWish? Please understand that I am not asking anybody for any sort of commitment. Rather, I present it to you under this scenario - If WishyWish had a novel available, and assuming it were reasonably priced and you were interested in the story...would you consider buying it?
Thoughts are welcome, but please don't tell me that you think I should do whatever I think is best. I know that already. This is my decision and I will make it on my own no matter what anybody has to say about it. What I want is input and opinions. Would you do it? Are you interested in it? Do you think I should do it? So forth.
For your convenience, here's the catch I use for my query letters on the novel in question, so you can get some idea what it's about. It does not include significant spoilers - it's the kind of thing you might read on a dust-jacket if you were picking the book up off a shelf in a store-
It might be a mutation. It might be a disease. Swappers might even be cursed by God, but whatever the theory, sophomore and varsity shortstop Contessa Louise Albert is still a boy half the time. Everything will be fine, as long as nobody ever finds out.
If a broken home, a wallflower mentality, and a nosy little brother weren’t making life hard enough, Fate now has a personal vendetta against the girl who thinks she can cheat the gender system. The only kids to turn to are a motley crew calling themselves the “Belmont High Swappers Club”, consisting of a straight-laced young lady harboring deep acceptance issues, a flamboyant boy who brings too much makeup to school, and an embittered loner with a taste for gory movies. Learning how to tie a tie and shave strange places is helpful, but knowledge may not be enough against a tangled web of deceit and bullying that leads to burned bridges, shattered dreams, and the ultimate choice.
Tess just wanted to play baseball. Choosing a team may take her a lifetime.
GIRLS DON’T SAY DUDE is a whimsical yet sobering YA/science fiction journey through issues of gender identity, relationships, LGBT themes, and the ugliness of discrimination; set against the backdrop of a speculative reality where genetics develop along unconventional lines.
(So you know, this novel has no explicit content. If I were to apply the Fimfiction rating system to it, I would label it 'teen'.)
If you want my opinion, this kind of story sounds like something I've already read before, dozens of times. It's a tired concept with a transgender twist on it. There are hundreds of books based on transgendered issues and how they've faced discrimination and it just seems a tired, annoyingly common concept.
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Really? Most curious. I'm not familiar with any other specific titles of this sort. Transgender issues perhaps, but I figured the speculative reality part of it was a different flavor.
If I had the money, I most certainly would read it.
it sounds interesting.
I'd give it a try, seeing as it's a bit out of my normal reading genre's but I'm always open to trying new things.
I'm a novice author, never tried to get published and I have a few Books I've been i've been sitting on for some time. I never thought about what your trying to do and I must applaud you for your guts and ingenuity.
I wouldn't mind buying a book written by WishyWish, so you have my vote for yes.
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Thank you both for the encouraging words. I've no intention of giving up on my other author face of course. Just I figure that this book in particular might do better with WishyWish.
Definitely sounds like something I'd pick up and want to read! I hope everything goes well with the publishing, and that I see it in bookstores soon!
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Okay that is sort of different. Maybe I'll give it a shot.
Also can I just say that I can voice negative opinions without being shit on and I appreciate that like a LOT? Thank you.
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What? Of course you can voice a negative opinion. That's exactly what I'm asking for here, your opinion!
I prefer honest feelings to empty praise anyway. For example, if somebody genuinely doesn't like something I've written, I'd rather they didn't just tell me how wonderful they thought it was to spare the trouble. I can take it, I'm a big horse (though if I feel somebody misunderstood something about a story that led to a negative opinion, I will try to explain where I'm coming from).
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Oh my, bookstores, I wish. I'd be happy just to have it available online. But then, maybe that's what you meant. Thanks for the feedback!
Oh, I would gladly read it! It sounds interesting, to say the least, and I can offer critique if you want!
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The more of this I hear, the more tempted I am to go for it. Thank you for your input!
I mean... I come here for the animal stories? I LOVE animal stories. If you wrote a non-pony animal story I would be all over it like... pink on Pinkie?
Stories about children? Not really my jam.
That being said I'd like to give one of your 'professional' stories a spin at some point. Your words are charming.
I'd be interested to try your non-pony stuff but I must confess that one holds zero interest for me. I'd still vote try it.
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Not a problem, opinion appreciated. I can say that pretty much all of my original work involves humans or humanoids, though my fantasy novels do include a number of unique bipedal races. I have hotly debated linking them to this account as well in order to expand their audiences, but I'm still a bit hung up on the idea of connecting YA titles to, well...what I do here. It's possible I might be way overthinking it. I'm not sure.
4673194 I mean, it mostly comes down to how much you want your YA stuff to be associated with your fanfiction. Published authors I've seen tend to keep them pretty separate, especially if they're writing for wildly different age levels/genres.
I'd buy them all. You're a good author, your stories are interesting, and there is a shortage of good books that I haven't read in my collection.
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That's precisely the concern that holds me back. My problem is that I am a generalist author. Today I want to write horror. Tomorrow comedy. The next day fantasy. Next week, smut. I think readers sometimes don't know what to do with an author that's all over the place, and though I would really like to tap my audience here with my other works, the question of what that would do to my other author face comes up. I might be overthinking it - maybe it's not a big deal. But what would your mom say if the author of that totally innocent book you like also writes all that fanfic horseporn stuff :p
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And that's another reason I wanna do it, because I just suspect I might have readers here who would like to read my other stuff, and money or fame notwithstanding, I really like being able to provide a story that somebody ends up enjoying!