August 4, 2009
One of the hazards of writing and marketing fiction (or anything, I guess) is when you make a precious sale, and for one reason or another, it goes away. This just happened to me again, with a short story sale to a web and print journal. I sold my story to the journal, signed a contract, got a check, cashed it, and was waiting on publication…when I suddenly got an e-mail notifying me that the journal was shutting down for good. I get to keep the cash, but I miss out on the publication, which stinks.
This has happened to me several times, mostly with bigger fish than this journal. Just part of the writing career, I guess. Other writers have told me they’ve experienced the same thing, and it’s not uncommon. Still hurts, though. Then again, I once lost a deal to write weekly fiction at an excellent rate for a high profile website, which really hurt. So I guess I shouldn’t complain.
Still, vanishing goodies are no fun whenever they hit. And I think some more might be headed my way soon, in fact. It’s never a good sign when an editor who’s bought something from you or made some kind of arrangement or promise stops answering your e-mails. Or maybe he’s just busy. Yeah, that’s the ticket! I recently resolved to be more optimistic, so let’s run with that. Think positive thoughts.
I wish all of us plenty of non-vanishing goodies in the dog days to come. See you soon!
