Publishing World Experience

Hi all, lot of great thoughts here. I see some of you are writing which is rad. I'm posting here with a book that might interest some MGTOW2s-- It's called Chicken 65. It's about a secret road rally race through SE Asia, kinda like Fight Club meets Cannonball Run. Lots of fun and tons of great thoughts about men and society and all that stuff. It's bro lit, dude's night out in a book-- not a girl in the story aside from some mentions. it's at www.chicken65book.com

In the interest of being something other than a shameless self promoter, I'm happy to answer any questions about publishing industry that people here might have. This book was repped by a top tier lit agent in NYC-- don't want to name him, but he's mega. He loved my book, but every publishing house in NYC rejected it for being "too brocentric" or "too man" or "too masculine." One editorial director flat out said they don't publish masculine voices anymore, and all men on his list have been replaced by women.

That was a six month experience, and I'm really pissed off. Partly looking for a community who might find the work interesting, and also some support. This was a three year project, huge investment, written mostly while living in SE Asia. It wasn't rejected because the writing was bad, or the plot was weak, or my craft wasn't dialed. It was rejected because I'm a man and I wrote about being a man. I'm really upset by that, but in a way, it's a relief to finally be out of the system and free to just work it myself.

I'm not a marketing guy, have no social media game, but thankfully I have a background in brand ID, so was able to art direct a great cover, produce a site, there's free samples and I'm currently having an audio book produced. I'm really happy with how it's come together.

If anyone has any questions about either the traditional publishing industry in NYC or my experiences in self publishing with the thought the info might help your progress, happy to reply.

Once more, book is at www.chicken65book.com- funny stuff with lots of thoughts I think will be appreciated within this community.

best to all

[–]iseehot 1 points 6 years ago (1 child) | Copy Link

[–]Freddiehubardskydive 1 points 6 years ago (1 child) | Copy Link

i didn't get that far-- just rejections from editors. With the agent, process went like this: I had worked with him on a previous project as a hired gun. (we conceived a project together, I wrote it; it was bought, never published) So years later, I had this idea for Chicken 65 and wrote a 20 page outline, with first hundred pages. He read it, said he really liked it and would rep it, but I had to write the book first. I was hoping to sell on outline and sample chapters, but decided to take the risk and write the book. I did. He read it, said he loved it, had only one very minor note about an element in the plot that was fixed in minutes. Then it was good to go. Having an agent of that level presenting the book publishers is a huge advantage. but not big enough. What followed then was six months of the publishing industry being lame. He told me that everybody was spooked because of Metoo and nobody was willing to pick up a Guys In Thailand book. He didn't fight for me at all. Just folded like laundry and that was that. I was disappointed that someone with his stature and power wouldn't/couldn't go to bat for me.

The moral of the story-- and interest to others who are writing-- is that I have worked within this industry lots, and I tried very consciously to craft something that would voice some unpopular opinions through humor, within a very plot driven commercial project, while at the same time respecting the limits of how far mainstream media is willing to go. I got real close, since the agent wouldn't have repped it if I was out of the ball park. But still, title wasn't allowed in the club.

probably I'm preaching to the choir here, but if there are other artists/writers/film makers etc working on projects with anything that has to do with positive masculine POV, I wouldn't try to angle it into mainstream channels. At least not now.

I wouldnt want to go so far as say "if I can't do it, nobody can" but it was a very strategized and polished effort to get some masculine consciousness into mainstream style product, and it didn't fly.

[–]Impossible-asset 1 points 6 years ago (1 child) | Copy Link

Title	Publishing World Experience
Author	Freddiehubardskydive
Upvotes	9
Comments	4
Date	September 8, 2019 4:26 PM UTC (6 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MGTOW2
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MGTOW2/comments/d1d3sw/publishing_world_experience/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MGTOW2/publishing-world-experience.812266 https://theredarchive.com/post/812266

Comments