Liza, so glad you shared all this! Please do not self-publish; as you probably know, that doesn't really work so well for literary fiction and throws 100% of the marketing burden (and all expenses) on your shoulders. Have you reached out to the agents who are especially interested in Jewish-themed fiction (and I think that can be broadly defined)? There are several good ones; some in the U.S., some in Israel. If you haven't already, I would pitch a couple of them and be explicit about how Jewish themes are present in the story. You might also do some reverse-engineering research to figure out which agents represent fiction authors published by Schocken Books (a Knopf Doubleday imprint), which publishes a lot of literary fiction, including some specifically around Jewish themes. Happy to discuss further.
Survival in the corporate world, including moral survival, is really a theme in itself.
I admire Dan Brown who is able to unwrap the subtleties of a topic in a exciting treasure hunt. Alas, at least in every second of his books he does it with success.
An interesting theme is the connection of "great" meaning (history, nation, science) with "small" meaning, i.e., personal lives.
The deepest theme is the world view / religion / meaning of life and death. And the search and westling with it. Because you never come to terms with it. You have to settle somehow with preliminary answers, and how you settle, is crucial for your personality.
Most novels don’t sell, as nobody knows better than you. I am pretty sure, however, that you’re not in the literature business in order to make tons of money.
Congratulations on your books and on your determination to get them published. And thank you for sharing your books with us. That takes a lot of confidence and courage. As a Catholic who grew up in a strongly Jewish neighborhood, I think I'd choose to read The Brodsky Sisters. First...
You already have a significant reader base with your Substack readers and subscribers. So you could probably sell a lot of self-published books or find a reputable literary agent with time. Based on what you've already accomplished, it will happen. So the most important thing is to succeed on your own terms which is incredibly rough in these times but doable. Just takes so much more time and effort than it should. And most everyone wants you to be gain representation by a quality literary agent.
Lilac Room speaks to me the most. But they all sound like they've been invested with a lot of quality development. The Brodsky Sisters is my second choice; especially if it has any minor characters named Gorbunov and Gorchakov!
Leverkühn Quartet, Lilac Room, the others, in that order. I think the classical music theme is the hardest to write (that is, it is hardest to imagine writing) so could be the most interesting. The Lilac Room pitch sounds salacious, so might sell the best. The Brodsky Sisters runs the danger, it sounds like, of falling into the pit you have pointed out with Christopher Nolan's "Odyssey": recognizable template, warped into serving a theme that is at odds with the original.
These comments are just based on the summaries after a single quick reading. I may have misunderstood everything.
Have you tried the YA (young adult) genre? The trick is getting people who actually know writing to read your stuff and help you promote it. Publishers are in a business that has to make a profit. Let's be real, there are really only five publishing houses left. The cost of bringing a book to market is considerable and taking a flyer on a new writer can be costly if the bet is wrong. Try showing success in short story publishing, Many journals still accept "over the transom" submissions. Good luck
Couldn’t you self publish on Amazon? Isn’t that what Andy Weir did?
Andy weir published the Martian FOR FREE on his blog, then an e book on Amazon for $0.99! The rest, they say, is history.
Forget agents. Forget trad. Publish yourself. Never a better time.
Leverkühn Quartet. For my daughter who's a cellist.
And I agree with others here: yes Andy Weir tickles our inner Horatio Alger fantasies, but self-publishing is still a very bad idea.
Liza, so glad you shared all this! Please do not self-publish; as you probably know, that doesn't really work so well for literary fiction and throws 100% of the marketing burden (and all expenses) on your shoulders. Have you reached out to the agents who are especially interested in Jewish-themed fiction (and I think that can be broadly defined)? There are several good ones; some in the U.S., some in Israel. If you haven't already, I would pitch a couple of them and be explicit about how Jewish themes are present in the story. You might also do some reverse-engineering research to figure out which agents represent fiction authors published by Schocken Books (a Knopf Doubleday imprint), which publishes a lot of literary fiction, including some specifically around Jewish themes. Happy to discuss further.
Liza,
Thank you for your youthful energy and creative input into discussing literature.
Your Pens & Poison has been a refreshing find, and is proof that “not all is lost“ in our culture today.
Your conversation with Andrew Klavan was great.
You’ve inspired a middle aged guy like me to slowdown and think about thinking through fiction.
Get published, whatever it takes!
Ultreïa!
Survival in the corporate world, including moral survival, is really a theme in itself.
I admire Dan Brown who is able to unwrap the subtleties of a topic in a exciting treasure hunt. Alas, at least in every second of his books he does it with success.
An interesting theme is the connection of "great" meaning (history, nation, science) with "small" meaning, i.e., personal lives.
The deepest theme is the world view / religion / meaning of life and death. And the search and westling with it. Because you never come to terms with it. You have to settle somehow with preliminary answers, and how you settle, is crucial for your personality.
Most novels don’t sell, as nobody knows better than you. I am pretty sure, however, that you’re not in the literature business in order to make tons of money.
Congratulations on your books and on your determination to get them published. And thank you for sharing your books with us. That takes a lot of confidence and courage. As a Catholic who grew up in a strongly Jewish neighborhood, I think I'd choose to read The Brodsky Sisters. First...
You already have a significant reader base with your Substack readers and subscribers. So you could probably sell a lot of self-published books or find a reputable literary agent with time. Based on what you've already accomplished, it will happen. So the most important thing is to succeed on your own terms which is incredibly rough in these times but doable. Just takes so much more time and effort than it should. And most everyone wants you to be gain representation by a quality literary agent.
Particularly liking the look of The Lilac Room and The Brodsky Sisters. Will really look forward to reading. Good luck!
So … how do we buy copies?
Lilac Room speaks to me the most. But they all sound like they've been invested with a lot of quality development. The Brodsky Sisters is my second choice; especially if it has any minor characters named Gorbunov and Gorchakov!
Leverkühn Quartet, Lilac Room, the others, in that order. I think the classical music theme is the hardest to write (that is, it is hardest to imagine writing) so could be the most interesting. The Lilac Room pitch sounds salacious, so might sell the best. The Brodsky Sisters runs the danger, it sounds like, of falling into the pit you have pointed out with Christopher Nolan's "Odyssey": recognizable template, warped into serving a theme that is at odds with the original.
These comments are just based on the summaries after a single quick reading. I may have misunderstood everything.
Have you tried the YA (young adult) genre? The trick is getting people who actually know writing to read your stuff and help you promote it. Publishers are in a business that has to make a profit. Let's be real, there are really only five publishing houses left. The cost of bringing a book to market is considerable and taking a flyer on a new writer can be costly if the bet is wrong. Try showing success in short story publishing, Many journals still accept "over the transom" submissions. Good luck