Rusty Strait

I received a note from a writer who wishes to remain anonymous. She has submitted her book to several agents who like it but can't find a publisher. "Too short" is their response. She insists that the book is a short novel and doesn't understand the rejections.

The question has come up many times in my writing career. Frankly, there are no specific answers. One day, fiction tops the chart; another day, non-fiction does. When "Gone With the Wind" was published, writers started clicking on their manual typewriters to emulate other sagas, and so it went.

Louise from Hemet asks “How do I find a publisher for my book?” Louise, that is a question every writer, especially newbies, would like to know the answer to.

Edna from Murrieta surprised me with the question: "Why would any sane person want to write? It seems so hard and depressing."

Hardly a day goes by without someone asking me, "Rusty, I'd like to write a book." That's how this column started a couple of weeks ago. I expected a couple of comments, but I received a dozen responses in just two weeks.