Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Lisa Genova is the author of Still Alice and has joined the ranks of publishing success after self-publishing. A rankling article in The New York Times, January 27, 2009, titled Self Publishers Flourish As Writers Pay the Tab, included Ms. Genova’s tale of self-publishing success, which follows. Please note that she ultimately needed literary representation to achieve her publishing deal, but she first created the product – her book.
When Lisa Genova, a former consultant to pharmaceutical companies, wrote her first novel, “Still Alice,” a story about a woman with Alzheimer’s disease, she was turned down or ignored by 100 literary agents.
Ms. Genova paid $450 to iUniverse to publish the book and sold copies to independent bookstores. A fellow author discovered the book and introduced Ms. Genova to an agent, and she eventually sold “Still Alice” for a mid-six-figure advance to Pocket Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, which released a new edition this month. It had its debut on the New York Times trade paperback fiction best-seller list on Sunday, at No. 5.
Ms. Genova likened her experience to that of young bands or filmmakers using MySpace or YouTube to attract a following. “It’s really tough to break into the traditional model of doing things,” she said.
Still Alice is ranked in the top 50 of literary and contemporary fiction at Amazon.com.
January 30, 2009 at 1:58 pm
There are a lot of good authors that write good books and that are are good promoters. That combo sells when given a chance. Trouble is they seldom are. This as the traditional pub. ind. (which I love) commits hari-kari. I guess that’s what happens when so much power gets vested in so few.
February 6, 2009 at 9:26 pm
The real maddening thing is that queries never get seen by agent eyes. Usually some overworked, bleary eyed intern’s desk is as far as it gets. Evidence:Genova queried 100 agents, and not one bit, yet she has a bestseller on her hands… ’nuff said.
BJ
February 11, 2009 at 3:59 am
Well, you’re right. I know many – okay probably most – of the rejection letters I’ve received came from an assistant. Yet there are many agents who pride themselves on reviewing as many of the submissions they get as possible. But this also points up how important it is for the author to research your target agent, follow their blog and, whenever possible, make personal contacts in online forums (like Backspace and Editor Unleashed) and writers conferences.
Hey, it’s a lot of work. But there are a lot of books out there. You have to work to make it work. But if you do, it will!