Serving Up Amusement: Hold the Lofty; Keep the Change

“What is your goal for this book?” my publicist asked me.

What would other authors have answered? Fame? Money? Best-selling status? Social change? In the right time, place, and attitude, there is nothing wrong with these things, but none of them were the goals for Bryony.

Because of the recession, many people are finding life hard (including me), which makes entertaining distraction attractive. What a perfect time to yank a two-decades old story from my head and copy it on paper (okay, a computer screen).

“I want to have fun,” I said, “and I’d like to sell enough copies to make publishing the next one worthwhile.”

I think my publicist is glad I'm not expecting her to create a blockbuster. Although her marketing background includes corporate and not-for-profit work, she does accept selective creative projects. She has an interesting “artsy” side to her and a natural ability to think outside the oh-so-proverbial box. It makes her a good match for Bryony.

So why do I eschew traditional goals? My "regular" freelance features writing provides the reader information and, at times, inspiration. And yes, I thoroughly enjoy the work. With Bryony, no one assigned it, so there's really no way of perfectly knowing how large or small a market exists for it until it's released.

Of course, I do hope some people buy it, read it, and like it, but I know individual tastes run rampant, and the storyline, characters, or my writing style will not appeal to everyone. Besides, when I first sat down at the keyboard, I wrote to please myself, a very different experience for me.

Still, as we move through the editing and publicity planning stages, more people are reading and enjoying Bryony than I had ever dreamed might. The feedback, good and bad, is delightful to hear. I didn't write for an audience of one, after all.

For me, as a writer, to capture another’s imagination with a story I composed is rather breathtaking. However does one top it?