Signed And Sent Back A Contract...Kind Of A Dream Come True

I've been at this writing thing for many years, but have only taken it seriously for the past couple. I remember when I first began attending writing conventions and comic cons, I met many authors and saw the books they were selling. I noticed many of my new friends had short stories in a couple of anthologies, Space Eldritch, and Space Eldritch II. 

One thing that I noticed about these anthologies in particular is they sold. People bought these books. I came to realize the reason they sold so well is because of the names on the covers and who wrote the stories inside. I know that's a very basic principle in marketing books--second nature stuff, really. 

But as I've gone to more and more of these events where books are sold, I know that fans of a particular author are loyal. If they like the author, they'll buy anything that person has written and when they see an anthology that they never knew existed, to quote Field of Dreams, "They'll pass over the money over without even thinking about it."

I hoped one day to be in one of Nathan Shumate's Eldritch anthologies.

Faster forward a few years and it looks like that hope, that desire has come to pass. I signed and sent in my contract as a contributor to the most recent Eldritch project. My name will be included with so many incredible writers and people might not buy the book because I'm in there necessarily, but if past is prologue, they will buy it.

It's kind of a dream come true--something I hoped would happen one day, and I can't wait to get a copy of this sucker and check it out! I'll keep you updated.

Your Name Printed On The Page...

I know it's real because my name's on the paper and it's not something I wrote on my own--it's from a publisher. It's kind of a surreal to see the contact come in the mail and you open it and it's your name printed on the page.

This is the second contact I've signed for a second story I've written to be published (actually, it's the third contact I've signed, but that's another story...). It came last week and I need to get it sent off as soon as possible. Tomorrow it's going in the mail.

The last time I did this, nothing seemed real--not that it was like a dream, but you know how it is. You do something and someone tells you of the consequences of your actions, then you wait a little while and other things happen because of those things you once did. 

It's still strange to me that there on contacts with a publisher with my name on it, that a book exists where my name is printed on the cover and in the pages, and that the Library of Congress has an item with my name on it. I know it's just one book (with another one on the way...), but it's still a bit surreal.