Some of you already know this because I've confided in you, and some of you may have guessed on your own, since there have been hints (for instance the user title "Woman of Many Disguises" which I've used on and off), but it was something my publisher asked me to keep quiet about, and I've only just been given permission to "out" myself.
I've been writing and publishing for several years under another name (my real one, actually). Yes, I'm one of those scarred and battered veteran midlist writers that publishers like to reinvent from time to time and market as brand-new writers.
Why, you may ask, do they do this? In fact, it's not meant to deceive the readers at all -- although it is necessary to keep the readers in the dark for a time, so that the people it is meant for don't get wind of it. It comes of an interesting publishing dichotomy, that while the readers prefer to buy books by authors they know, distributors and bookstore buyers would rather take a chance on someone completely new (who could turn out to be the next J. K. Rowling) than on a known writer whose previous sales have not been spectacular. More than that, as far as these people are concerned, you're only as good as your last book. So no matter how well previous books sold, if your most recent title went down the tubes, that's it for your career ... unless a publisher somewhere believes in you enough to give you a new name and another chance.
And this is what happened to me. I still think that my last book prior to The Hidden Stars was a good one. But it was a little too off-the-beaten-path for most readers, and not sufficiently so for those who usually go in for that sort of thing. Also, it was only published in trade paperback -- and that's a tricky format, which has killed other books besides mine. (And now you see why I was so relieved when THS came out in the mass market format last week!)
Of course maybe these are just excuses, and the book was a big mistake from start to finish. Anyway, it died, and after making writing my life's work for almost a quarter of a century -- and having some modest success with my early books, and gaining some loyal fans -- my writing career almost died with it.
But then came The Hidden Stars and the invention of Madeline Howard. And I really hope the book does well enough to breathe new life into my career, because frankly, at my age, I wonder if I would have the courage to try and reinvent myself a second time. (I actually know writers who are on their third or fourth pen-name -- and I'm not at all certain I could do that.)
Anyway, dear friends and fellow Chronicles members, that is my sad (or inspiring -- take your pick) story. If you are curious to know more about my previous writerly incarnation and the books and stories that came out of it, here is a link to my original website:
http://teresaedgerton.com/te-teresa.htm
I've been writing and publishing for several years under another name (my real one, actually). Yes, I'm one of those scarred and battered veteran midlist writers that publishers like to reinvent from time to time and market as brand-new writers.
Why, you may ask, do they do this? In fact, it's not meant to deceive the readers at all -- although it is necessary to keep the readers in the dark for a time, so that the people it is meant for don't get wind of it. It comes of an interesting publishing dichotomy, that while the readers prefer to buy books by authors they know, distributors and bookstore buyers would rather take a chance on someone completely new (who could turn out to be the next J. K. Rowling) than on a known writer whose previous sales have not been spectacular. More than that, as far as these people are concerned, you're only as good as your last book. So no matter how well previous books sold, if your most recent title went down the tubes, that's it for your career ... unless a publisher somewhere believes in you enough to give you a new name and another chance.
And this is what happened to me. I still think that my last book prior to The Hidden Stars was a good one. But it was a little too off-the-beaten-path for most readers, and not sufficiently so for those who usually go in for that sort of thing. Also, it was only published in trade paperback -- and that's a tricky format, which has killed other books besides mine. (And now you see why I was so relieved when THS came out in the mass market format last week!)
Of course maybe these are just excuses, and the book was a big mistake from start to finish. Anyway, it died, and after making writing my life's work for almost a quarter of a century -- and having some modest success with my early books, and gaining some loyal fans -- my writing career almost died with it.
But then came The Hidden Stars and the invention of Madeline Howard. And I really hope the book does well enough to breathe new life into my career, because frankly, at my age, I wonder if I would have the courage to try and reinvent myself a second time. (I actually know writers who are on their third or fourth pen-name -- and I'm not at all certain I could do that.)
Anyway, dear friends and fellow Chronicles members, that is my sad (or inspiring -- take your pick) story. If you are curious to know more about my previous writerly incarnation and the books and stories that came out of it, here is a link to my original website:
http://teresaedgerton.com/te-teresa.htm
