2013-03-04 – Writing a novel and selling a novel are two very different things. Not too long ago I would never have given a thought to selling a novel because I never would have thought I could write one.

But now I’ve written one. I’ve written it and rewritten it and rewritten it. Seven times over. And it’s now the way I like it. I did the research. I outlined my plot. I sketched my characters. I wrote the words.

So now it’s time to get out there and get it published.

The novel is called “Cain’s Mother-In-Law,” based on the biblical character Cain who slew his brother Abel. It fills in the sketchy biblical story about the aftermath of the killing: that Cain entered the wilderness of Nod, that he found a wife, fathered a child, and built a city. If you want to find out how all this came to pass, and what his mother-in-law had to do with it . . .

Well, you’ll have to wait. Because I now need to find a publisher for this story. That means researching agents — or self-publishing options. It means understanding the market for this type of fiction. It means preparing submission documents. It means working on a pitch. It means making connections.

Very different from writing the novel in the first place.

And I’ve already begun scoping out the next novel. I have a whole series of them in mind. Who would have thought?

Now, I’m not going to be posting a blow-by-blow of the process, but I expect to have updates here when events warrant.

But that’s all for now. I need to work on my pitch.

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