Well, Shit

I really want you to read No Gods, Only Chaos. If that message gets lost in my recounting of its strange journey, please remember that much. I really want you to read it. Neil McRobert loves it, so does Johnny Compton, Laurel Hightower, Ai Jiang, Celso Hurtado and my mom. (Gemma’s hand below if you’re wondering)

You can do everything right within your power. You can write your little brown heart out, put together a visually appealing book, bribe your friends for blurbs. You can pay Neil McRobert to be a guest on Talking Scared. (That was a lie. He’s just very nice and seems to like my stuff) I believe the best words I’ve ever written are within these pages. But at certain point, you have to give up control.

Earlier this year, Cemetery Dance dropped this book. Within a week, a newish indie with a lot of momentum claimed it. I was wooed. It happens to the best of us, and even me. I’ll not burn bridges or speak ill of anyone, however I will share warning signs. Hopefully, if you find yourself in a similar position, you can get out before your book follows the sinking ship to the bottom. Because as of now, I have to view the launch of No Gods as a failure.

Trust your gut. Does a promise feel impossible? It probably is. Even if you’ve done your research and spoken to fellow authors, trust your gut.

Communication is professionalism. An author should not have to chase a publisher for information regarding their books. Is the communication professional? Is it comparable to the communication you would expect in an office setting? If days have passed with no acknowledgement, yet other functions of the business are running, such as social media engagements, you’re in unprofessional territory. What does that say about priorities?

A track record is more meaningful than a promise. Pay attention to botched releases. That could indicate problems behind the scenes. Do technical glitches happen? Yes. Do they typically happen with the same company for multiple releases? Well…

If not full books, at least read samples of the books your press releases. See typos and errors? Problems with the formatting? Your book will get the same care.

So here we are. No Gods recovered from the Cemetery Dance disappointment, found some traction, and died on the vine as DarkLit did. It’s a book reviewers and fellow authors seemingly love (except for that single, one-star review I re-read when I need an ego check), and it will have its third home in six months once that home is determined.

I vented to my wife (the beauty below) yesterday. A few readers have contacted me with very meaningful, validating feedback about my novella In the Valley of the Headless Men recently. I expressed sadness No Gods might not have the same opportunity to find its audience. She said, “It hasn’t found them, but it’s on the way.”

What does on the way look like? Well, the only way to go is up!