Sometimes He’s Happy, Sometimes He’s Sad

Today? Well you work it out.

I just got an email from Bernadette saying Orbit won’t be publishing Time and Tyde. She didn’t give a reason (except it ‘wouldn’t suit our Orbit list.’)

Strangely, I’m not too despondent. I still like the book enormously and the one I’m writing at the moment is also good. One of them will find a home one day, I’m sure.

Besides, Time and Tyde got me into the Bribie Island gig, it got me noticed by one of Australia’s leading publishers, and I got to meet all you guys! Not bad going, really. It also got me started on seriously trying to sell my stuff. A mixed blessing, perhaps, but I have been writing more and (I believe) better than ever since Bribie Island. I have certainly become better networked into the world of writing and I certainly know a lot more about who and what is important in that world than I used to. These are all good things.

And, of course, Orbit isn’t the only publisher in the world – or even Australia. The good news about Bernadette’s rejection is that it ends the ‘option’ Orbit had on Time and Tyde. I was beginning to realise that an option like that could be quite constraining. (Imagine trying to sell a book to another publisher while Orbit still had an option on the previous one.) Now I’m free to go where I like.

On the other hand…

Ah well.

I really hope someone among us has more luck than I did.

Graham.