Well... that sucks.

Been looking for a new title for the book. I wonder what happens when you type "Cancer Sucks" into Google? A lot of hits. Charities. T-Shirts. Bumper stickers. Ads. Interesting. Wonder if anyone has written a book with that title.

Amazon.com > Cancer sucks > search > books.

Wow are there a lot of books on Cancer. I mean, wow. Holy...Wow.

"Cancer Sucks" by ...
"Breast Cancer Husband."
"Chicken soup for the Soul: Cancer."
"I didn't order this pink ribbon."
"Help me survive:"

and on and on and on.

Which, should come as no surprise, but it does. I'm dumb that way. I guess that explains why a hundred query letters to agents resulted in so many rejections. Not that original a topic I guess.

Oh well, work continues. I know my writing will set my book apart. The current plan is to finish up Lena's suggestions, have Wendy read it and offer final suggestions, self publish it, have a proof sent to the house in Middlebury, hopefully approve it, order fifty copies for me, friends and the Vermont Bookstore and convince them to sell it in their store since so many people in Middlebury knew Marilyn and I. Then an ad campaign on Project Wonderful. A mass mailing to everyone in my address book advertising the book is finally done and available on Amazon in softcover and Kindle edition. Then the same on Facebook.

I'm thinking early August.

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 14, 2009 at 3:49 PM

    Jamie,

    You are a creative guy and knew her better than anyone...maybe try to get away from the "Courage/Cancer" angle and incorporate something more personal about her? If I recall from some of your writing she loved horses and blue armor. Might be a diamond in the rough somewhere in there. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tanya SousaJuly 14, 2009 at 8:30 PM

    How about "NightMare"--a play on the fact that it was a nightmare, but the fact that she was also powerful and even inspired such an image after her passing.

    Good luck!
    Tanya

    ReplyDelete
  3. DougJuly 18, 2009 at 9:02 AM

    I've been following your writing since the thedojo.com days. My, being a huge fan of green, was always entertained by your rants and similar, to me, ideas of deck building. (It's actually interesting that a lot of modern deck building has incorporated those ideas.)

    I remember openly weeping (my wife wondering what the hell was wrong with me until I explained)while you described Mare's fight for life and her eventual passing. I was not an especially emotional person but for some reason I was deeply touched.

    Last year my dad's lung cancer came back. And, by the time they detected it it had spread to the bones of his spine and ribs. I went through ALL the typical stages of grieve. I hated that they couldn't do anything but "keep him as comfortable as possible."

    They gave him weeks. He made 9 months. Fighting it every step of the way. Then they gave him days and he made it weeks. Finally, they said hours-when he was no longer conscionsness-and he fought for days. Such strength.

    Mare had that stength too. I will love to buy your book when you publish it. And you WILL get it published.

    If you ever need help know this... You have a friend and admirer.

    Doug

    ReplyDelete
  4. DougJuly 22, 2009 at 10:06 AM

    You still with us Jamie?

    ReplyDelete
  5. ChrisJuly 22, 2009 at 3:54 PM

    "I didn't order this pink ribbon."

    I think that is an incredible name for a book. Too bad that one is taken but bravo to whoever thought it up.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jamie WakefieldJuly 26, 2009 at 9:12 PM

    Thank you Doug.

    I am sorry to hear about your father and his fight, but I thank you for your comments. He sounds like an amazing man. Cancer is evil. Really, really evil. Fighting it as hard as he did and refusing to give in for so long shows amazing perseverence and courage. I think we all wonder how we would do in similar circumstances.
    Marilyn's courage and fighting was of a different kind but amazing in its own way.

    ReplyDelete
  7. DoomAugust 27, 2009 at 8:22 PM

    Having done 'the cancer thing', I got sent a few of those books. I'd recommend a title that gives some indication of who it's for. Personally, I hated the ones I got, never made it past a few pages of any of them (ended up reading Card's Ender books for the 12 weeks of crud I went through).

    Anyway, don't give up so fast on 100 rejections. It took me a year and a half to find a publisher for my book, and I know I went past 100. Hopefully my second, finished last week, will go easier, but definitely giving up isn't going to work for you.

    ReplyDelete

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