Thursday 1 October 2009

Grim September

Sales: 0
Publications: 3 (Dead Souls; Every Day Fiction; Books for Monsters - plus 52 Stitches anthology)

Approx Word Count: 12,944 approx. plus 17,249 rewrite words
Total Word Count 2009: 180,065 words
Stories out in submission land: Not certain
WIP: Grim Glass Vein 17,249 (2nd draft); Theatre (rewrite - making a pretty plan and scribbling over old manuscript)

See the ugly '0' at the top of the post - first month this year that I haven't sold a story. Have I gone into panic mode? You betcha. I've a feeling the end of the year is going to be a bit quiet compared to the beginning (and the end of last year - which was a beautiful time). I'm deep in rewrite mode (both Grim Glass Vein and Theatre of Curious Acts) and as both are going to keep me very busy for 6 to 8 weeks, any short stories that are rejected between now and then will sit in my inbox until December.

Erm, what else happened last month. Olive sold out, I started a fan club, and Grim Glass Vein went from wondrous thing to less wondrous thing. And that's it.

23 comments:

Jamie Eyberg said...

Still, sales or not, it was a good month. Any sales would just be icing on the chocolate cake. I love the title, Grim Glass Vein. It brings to mind many dark ideas.

Cate Gardner said...

Oh no, we all know what I want now...

Unknown said...

CAKE!

That's a lot of words, Cate, and your sales record is impressive even without any in September. Congrats on all the pubs!

K.C. Shaw said...

I didn't make a sale in September either. Your year-to-date word count has me in awe!

Cate Gardner said...

Jenn, I know what I'll be buying for the weekend.

Kate, the universe must be wonky.

Unknown said...

i didnt have a sale in sept either! me you and kc should start a banning the month of sept movement.

and though you didn't make a sale, you did sell out. very good.

John Pender said...

I released my book in February and can count on both hands how many I've sold.

Aaron Polson said...

Cate, it's been a regular "red letter" year for you (what-so-ever that means). Three cheers for Olive!

Danielle Birch said...

Not such a grim month I think. You sold out! YAY!

Fox Lee said...

October snuck up on me, as well. Didn't get as much done as I would have liked!

Katey said...

Olive was one of the highlights for my recent reading, for what it's worth! So so lovely. As for sales, enh, you did just write an entire book not so very long ago. that kind of puts a little hold on the shorts, no?

Cate Gardner said...

Samantha, we need to get together and find a way to rule next September.

John, may you grown many more hands.

Aaron, no more applauding for Olive she's getting a big head.

Danielle, I think I love woe is meing... erm, it's early. :D

Natalie, we need men to whip us while we work. ;)

Katey, I have a whole paranoid 'I'll never write another short' thing going on, a bit like the, 'these thighs will never poke out of another pair of shorts thing'. As I said to Danielle, it's early. :D And I'm on a Friday high.

Cate Gardner said...

Samantha, we need to get together and find a way to rule next September.

John, may you grown many more hands.

Aaron, no more applauding for Olive she's getting a big head.

Danielle, I think I love woe is meing... erm, it's early. :D

Natalie, we need men to whip us while we work. ;)

Katey, I have a whole paranoid 'I'll never write another short' thing going on, a bit like the, 'these thighs will never poke out of another pair of shorts thing'. As I said to Danielle, it's early. :D And I'm on a Friday high.

Rebecca Nazar said...

Very, very respectable. I wish I was a quarter productive as you. :-)

Barry Napier said...

Yeah, September wasn't kind to me, either. Here's hoping October treats you much better.

Katey said...

I know that paranoia. Because I write them so rarely myself I get it fairly often.

And I definitely don't wear shorts.

I feel you!

Anthony Rapino said...

Still having sold something every month previous to this is pretty darn good! It'd certainly keep me going for the extra three months.

Cate Gardner said...

Rebecca, smoke and mirrors.

Barry, fingers crossed.

Katey, but when you do write them, they appear in the best possible places.

Anthony, I be greedy.


Darn it, forgot to buy cake.

Anonymous said...

Grim Glass Vein. I really need to hire you to help me with titles.

You're the Title Goddess!

-Mercedes

Brendan P. Myers said...

Not a bad thing to have a few stories backlogged. Each of them will, I am absolutely certain, find their correct and appropriate home when the time is right.

Ray Veen said...

Say, Ms. Gardner, you sound pretty big-time -- do you write full time for a living?

Ray Veen said...

No follow thing?

Cate Gardner said...

Brendan, we live in hope.

Big Plan V, in a way... That is my boss thinks I'm there to answer the phones but me and the computer have other ideas. ;) I haven't put the follow box on my sidebar because the poor thing is cluttered enough.