i've been examining the workings of my mind lately and i tell ya, they're on to something when they say chicks are crazy. take me, for example. i've been going through a pouty, droopy phase lately (a-gain? i know!). it all started when i went into borders melbourne central and saw two copies of my book (spine out in fiction), then saw all these other australian authors, some who were published round the same time as me, all over the shop - on tables, on those special tiny shelves at the ends of the bigger shelves, in the 'borders reccommends' section. i know, i should just stay out of borders, right? maybe it's just *that* borders. anyway, i thought 'what's the deal here? do they not realise i'm also an australian first-time author? why aren't putting my book all over the place, too?'. and i toyed with the idea of finding a store manger and asking them these questions (politely, of course). i stalked round the store, keeping my eyes peeled for someone who looked manager-y, then i got this mental flash of michael douglas in falling down. so i made my purchases and left without making a word of query to anyone.
then i did what any well-adjusted, proper psycho would do - i made a couple other checks to see who was actually stocking the book. and i found out that angus and robertson aren't. and i went into a little tailspin. and i decided that no one liked me. and i went a bit mopey and droopy. and moped and drooped. and not long after i started, i realised what an idiot i was being.
firstly, i have a book out there. i should be mega-thankful for this. i should be focusing on the fact that this has happened, instead of who is (or isn't) stocking it. and i should realise that i am basing my mope-and-droop-inducing thoughts on, what, two bookstores in melbourne. get some perspective here, girl!
question: why are we so quick - nay, eager - to jump on our own negative-thought bandwagons? it's just not right.
so i'm getting off right now.
and i'll fight the urge to hop on it again, no matter how tired my feet get from trying my hardest to stay a few feet in front of it.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
don't mess with mr. in-between
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
I hope you at least moved the copies of your book into a more prominent position. And maybe picked off some of those "Borders recommends" stickers and put them on your own book. Nothing wrong with doing that.
You'e right... we're all too eager to jump on that negativity bandwagon.
I'm glad that you recognized the major accomplishment you made by publishing your book. It's easy to fall into that negativity trap, especially when we have such high expectations of ourselves.
Keep yer head up!
kathryn: i can't bring myself to touch them when i see them. at the least i stare at them from a distance, or at the most i run a quick couple of fingers across them as i walk past. as i have said before, i am a weirdo.
b.j: it's like we're programmed to believe the bad press by default. thats sucky! i'm definitely going to try and change that. thanks :o)
Take the negativity and turn it into a positive. It isn't on the table with the other Australian authors. You're perfectly entitled to educate the store manager. It may be a simple case of going in and saying - "Hi, I'm a first time author also. Not sure if you were aware I was Australian". A pretty simple way of easing or completely removing the negative feelings. And they may explain why it's not there - which could be either ignorance, or something to file away for future reference. One thing I do know is that in situations like this, it's very rarely personal.
thanks peter. of course, your advice makes perfect sense... but (as demonstrated in above post and countless others) me in a bookstore can turn out to be a logic-free zone :o). i appreciate what you're saying though, and know it's not personal - even *i* won't let my paranoia stretch that far!
Too true- it's always too easy to jump onto the negativity of "why dont they like me?!!". You did great to refrain from thrashing things out while you were still hot-headed. Perhaps revisit Borders now that you are calmer, along with a list of arguements (polite ones -haha) of why you belong next to the other Aussie authors.
And truly just getting your work published is amazing! I've been trying to write for a year now and dont seem to even get past my 4th chapter *sniffle*
You have so much to feel good about already.
Post a Comment