Holding pattern aka I’ve published the first one - now what?

At the moment I feel like I have the same luck as the guy on FreeCreditReport.com. lol How could that be? Didn't I have a new release in May? Why yes I did. (Pssst - it's called Sofia's Lobo and it's available from Red Sage http://www.eredsage.com LOL)

Now what? I have a new release. I have the web site, the Myspace, the blog. I have a Yahoo group and with all four I've met some of the neatest people around. All of you are wonderful!

But what I really need is a followup. Am I a one hit wonder? I've written more than one story. I have two more shorter works in the can and waiting for a good home. They're both under consideration at the same publisher at the moment. One has been there for four months and the other I sent about two weeks later. I've tried to just join this publisher's MySpace with no luck for months. I wonder if that's a bad sign. LOL

The first one was rejected by a NY publisher who has branched out into ebooks - the same form rejection that several people have gotten from what I understand. It was thrilling to submit to them but the rejection... it wasn't as disappointing as much as I felt talked down to. I can handle a rejection. I have many from years before when I tried to publish before. "Thank you for submitting your work to us. Unfortunately, it's not what we're looking for." No problem. I get it. Yet this one made me feel like "Well, we know you're seriously crushed and will probably need therapy since we've rejected you, but your story was just lousy." LOL Again, not what it actually said, just what I came away feeling. And I'm a very upbeat person. I usually send a thank you note but I wasn't sure what I'd get back so I decided not to. Oh, well. LOL

I guess the only thing I can do is try to write something else. I may never hear from the publisher where my two next works are. A friend of mine sent them something last August and hasn't heard yet. She's a multi-published author with strong name recognition. If that's the case, what chance do I have? But I'm afraid to pull them until I get the rejection and try somewhere else because I'm still hopeful.

Hence the holding pattern. I'm stuck. I've written two more works, they're in limbo. Now to write number four.

Then there's another serious temptation that I know has to get to other authors. That all evil siren song of submission calls. The publisher I've got two stories in with put out one and I'd love to do it. But why? I saw another call I'd love to submit for but I just heard about it yesterday and there's no way I'd have something to submit by 6/30. Not and have it polished enough.

See all of these quick easy ways - we think - to get in with a publisher. Write a short - 10-15k. So many out there, dangling in front of us plump with the promise of a contract, a foot in the door. I've done that now. I'm just afraid if I keep doing that, I'm not going to advance in any direction.

Okay, so now what?

I've got ideas. I think it's time to search for that story that tugs at my heart strings and write it. Then, once I've written it, I'll toss it out there and see what happens. Maybe I'll get an answer. I hope so. Sometimes "no" is better than the no man's land of the holding pattern...

Lauren