Everyone has an opinion about the ordeal of book publishing, but who can you really trust? Only the writers who have actually experienced it.
And that applies to Yi Shun Lai, author of the new novel Not A Self-Help Book: The Misadventures of Marty Wu (Shade Mountain Press), although "new" is a misleading term …. Lai is perfectly transparent on her blog about how long it's taken - agents queried, months spent querying, etc. - to usher her engaging, funny, charming fictional memoir into print.
At The Good Dirt, Lai provides us with the numbers that every writer wants to know about, as well as the lessons that she's learned in her post "How I Landed My Publisher."
One of her best lessons, for me, has to do with balancing your book project with the rest of your life … and that means not letting it consume the rest of your life.
As Lai says, "if you really want to make this a part of your life, get on it."
Visit The Good Dirt for more of Lai's insights into finding that balance in your own writing life … and to learn more about the writer behind the one and only Marty. She's a wonderful creation ... so funny and wise as she navigates between obstacles and her own soaring aspirations, advertising quotas and office tedium, and the steady nagging of an unforgettable Taiwanese tiger mom. You'll want to get your hands on a copy of this book.
My beloveds, you'll be so glad you did.