When snugglebunnyjm asked me about Project Nelly, this set me thinking about a publisher’s rejection note that aurora_floyd got sent recently. It’s so utterly, completely wrong that publisher’s need there to be a story in an author’s life that make’s them marketable. It’s rediculous. It’s the book that needs to be special, not the author. Then again, there’s a lot that’s so utterly, completely wrong about today’s publishing industry. I should no, I work in it. I get the memos.
This said, there’s not much I can do about it unless I were to become the CEO of Random House, Bloomsbury or Penguin. So this got me thinking. What’s marketable about me? What’s the hook that will grab the Marketing Executive’s eye? Not much. I have talent, I’m a good writer, but there’s not much that’s remarkable about my life. Or is there…?
What is Project NellyTM, Jody asked. Project Nelly is the secret code devised by me and my then manager, Helen, for the project to help me with my aspergers and with succeeding in life. Feel free to shoot me down here for being rediculous (I would), but maybe that’s it, maybe that’s my thing, maybe that’s the hook with which to catch my Marketing Executive?
Part of me thinks this idea stinks. I don’t like to go on about my asperger’s, and I don’t wake up every morning and think that it’s against me, but it’s there, if mildly and it does effect who I am. I try not to let it effect what I do, and I certainly don’t use it as an excuse (I hope), so why should I try to use it to help me get published? That seems so wrong, doesn’t it? It probably wouldn’t even work anyway…
I understand where you’re coming from, in a way. I don’t talk about my depression unless I’m saying “Wow, it’s been awhile since I was depressed!” I can’t picture wanting to use it in any way (and what could I use it for anyway?)
Ultimately, I think you want to be a writer. So if you think you can use your Asperger’s to help your writing career, I say do it. I don’t think it’s wrong.
Could you do a semi-autobiographical/fictional novel about someone with Asperger’s, maybe? People always like to read about stuff that they’re experiencing, personally. I’m currently enjoying a book about a twentysomething woman with bad depression, myself.