Thursday, May 30, 2013

Book update

Five weeks ago, I sent my completed proposal and polished chapter to an editor who had expressed an interest in it. I haven't heard anything and I've essentially lost hope for that outcome. I know, with fiction manuscripts, it can be months before a response comes back, but I have been told that things are much quicker with non-fiction proposals. So, what's next? I'm going to rework the proposal a little and look into getting an agent.


Problem of the day: One part of the proposal that I need to improve is the biography, which should be approximately the same text that will be used on the book's dust jacket. I have a really lame biography. I have no relevant credentials or experience and no publications. Even claiming I've been interested in mammoths for a long time is a bit of a stretch. I have a small plastic mammoth that I've carried around since kindergarten, but mammoths have only been a big deal for me since around the time I started blogging ten years ago. I am confident that I know more about my topic--history of mammoth knowledge--but, how do I demonstrate my authority. Suggestions?

3 comments:

Gav said...

There's been no end of reasonably successful books on the lines "X in human history and culture, with a bit of science too" where X = cod, squid, spices, you name it, and where the authors don't claim any particular expertise. Hey, one of the most useful books on musical history I've ever read was written by an economist, once he stopped apologising for the fact. If the book is well researched and well written (like, er, the relevant bits of your blog) and it's given a fair wind, it should go.

theodora said...

www.unn.edu.ng

Paul said...

John McKay has made a living as an author for X years, and has been writing about mammoths for over a decade.