2013 - By the Numbers

Once again, it's time to crawl out of the trenches and look back at what I've accomplished writing-wise this year. Being a teacher doesn't leave a whole lot of time for my writing hobby while school is in session, but I do get a couple months off every summer, so I can't complain. My wife says this hobby isn't a hobby at all but more like a second career, considering how much effort I put into it. She's probably right!

So, what have I written in 2013? Thanks to my handy spreadsheet: 144,500 words -- 1 novel, 2 novellas, 9 short stories, and a dozen haiku.

Starting with the haiku, I've seen 38 accepted and published since January. Most were written last year, so it was great to find homes for so many. I was invited to be the featured poet in the May issue of Scifaikuest, and that was a very cool opportunity.

As far as the short stories go, I submitted 161 times this year. 18 tales were accepted for publication, and 18 were published online or in print anthologies. I received 143 rejection letters, and 27 stories are currently out on submission. Thanks to 3 of my published stories, I qualified for active SFWA membership and signed up posthaste. Haven't noticed it affect my "career" yet, but maybe it's too soon to tell.

Moving on to novellas, 2013 saw the publication of Immaterial Evidence, a future noir detective story. The sequel I wrote earlier this year, Yakuza Territory, was accepted by Musa Publishing and is scheduled for a mid-2014 release. My Captain Quasar novella is currently under consideration by Harlequin.

As far as novels go, I queried my adventure comedy Westward, Tally Ho! with 76 agents, and 4 have requested partial manuscripts. 54 declined to represent me, and 18 have yet to respond. I queried BackTracker with an agent who requested a partial; she eventually declined, so I sent a proposal package to Ace Books. Madame Antic's Hotel Grotesque started out as a novella but evolved into a novel over the summer. After polishing it up, I sent it to Tor Books. I haven't subbed to Ace or Tor before, and I appreciate the way they accept unagented submissions. I should hear back from them in the spring.

By far, the best news this year was my first book dealCaptain Bartholomew Quasar and the Space-Time Displacement Conundrum will be serialized by Every Day Novels, followed by an eBook and print release. I'm still super-stoked on this. Hasn't worn off at all.

2013 was a pretty good year for my Kindle venture: 614 copies sold, and 8 new titles released. My goal from the start has been to put my previously published stories in front of as many new readers as possible, and I've had a blast assembling the cover art.

What are my plans for 2014? I'm polishing up my thriller Waiting for You and plan to start querying agents by February. Of course, I will again be participating in the Write1Sub1 monthly challenge, writing and submitting 12 new short stories. A few may evolve into novellas -- or beyond. Hard to believe W1S1 is already heading into our 4th year!   Care to join us?

Thank you, dear friends and readers, for accompanying me on this incredible journey.

"May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord smile upon you and give you peace."
Numbers 6:24-26
All Content © 2009 - 2023 Milo James Fowler