I am horrified — I am not ready. I feel like I am giving up a child for adoption.
Wow – what a lot of reading and research this week; all focused on one publishing company: Greystone Publishers in Vancouver. I began with Greystone for a few reasons: they publish one of my favorite writers: Wade Davis; I love the way he writes portraits of peoples and places and the stories both tell. Greystone also recently published a book by an acquaintance of mine from the past: Mark Leiren-Young: The Killer Whale Who Changed the World, it is a wonderful read. And, while studying Greystone’s website, I found a new writer, Candace Savage, whose memoir I read yesterday. A Geography of Blood is a captivating memoir laced with lyrical knowledge of the land she travels – that is indeed a bit like my writing style. And, finally Greystone is a good fit because they support unique Canadian voices writing literary non-fiction; that’s me.
The exciting news is that Greystone is accepting unsolicited submissions. The horrifying news is that Greystone is accepting submissions – I could send them a submission. I am not ready. I still need to do more hunting to see if I can find an agent that works with Greystone. This is a one shot-deal. I am thinking about hiring a professional, published writer, to read my manuscript. They cost about $40 an hour, I am worried about the length of my manuscript – it is short: 4500 words; a crisp 45000 words, it moves along at a fast pace, which I like.
Doubts and more doubts.
Following the advice from my research, and the instructions from Greystone, I have created a package for submission that is tailored specifically for Greystone. I had to change the name of the manuscript, well – I didn’t have to, but I change it all the time, so. Next Post: my submission to Greystone – maybe.
A Memoir of the Imagination in Three Parts 