Shopping Cart

Recently my agent carted a few of my books on a shopping spree.  The idea was simple:  cart them off to Book Expo and let editors and publishers have a look-see.

I like the idea.  But my cart is getting full.  I feel like I've finished pushing buttons online and now it's time to "check-out".  Trouble is, no one's punching the "purchase" button.

There is a radical shift happening in publishing these days.  It's been taking place for some time, but the distances between digital publishing and traditional are growing at a breakneck pace.  And authors are bearing an increasing weight when it comes to producing the material that publishers are using for marketing and advertising, too.

My cart is loaded.  I've got books stuffed into the basket, but also underneath the cart (next to the wheels) and there are children riding in the front seat with their legs dangling over the edge.  These kids are wailing, and they are constantly reaching for candy bars at the check-out aisle.

Someday (soon and very soon) I hope to receive a good word.  I don't want to be driving a cart with a squeaky or loose wheel.  I want a straight-roller.

And it would be nice if, in the future, I could actually begin rolling downhill instead of pushing the weight to the top.  I feel like Sisyphus and his boulder.

I don't want to be crushed by my own cart.