Outrageous thing
May. 9th, 2011 05:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabrinamariStill not writing about the new model. But...
...over the weekend one of my friends proposed that I do something truly outrageous. He has been reading my book, you see, and he is the kind of person who makes outrageous plans (clearly). While we were sitting around eating hummus and waiting for ritual, he suggested that I submit my book for a really big book prize.
Not, you see, one of those regular, quite excellent book prizes, but a really big book prize.
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, I was pretty much floored, and I explained that I couldn't submit for this prize, since I am an anthropologist and this is an ethnographic book.
But no, he explained, this really big contest has multiple submission categories that most people don't know about, and actually, my book fits one of them. He also pointed out that anyone can submit for this thing, not just a publisher. In fact, he said, he was thinking of doing it for me himself, but it requires a bio and a photo.
So I sat there for a minute and thought about it.
There really is no downside that I can think of. There are no adverse consequences for submitting it and not making it through to jury review. In fact, as near as I can tell, failure would simply mean that four copies of my book would be floating around to random people, some of whom might like it.
All I have to do is send in the copies, a small check, a bio and a photo.
Of course, I tend to get paralyzed when I am confronted with big, intimidating things like this. But I have lived with this for a long time and I know how it works from the inside, so here's how I'm gonna do this.
1. I'm not going to say the name. As long as I don't think about it as anything but "that thing I'm going to submit,' I am much less likely to get intimidated about it.
2. I am going to break it down into small steps. All I have to do today is print out the URLs he sent me and read them. He has already determined the category under which I should submit.
3. All I have to do tomorrow is tweak an existing bio for this thing. That's *all* I have to do on the project tomorrow.
4. The day after, I will put the four volumes in a package with a one-paragraph cover letter, a hard copy of the bio, a check and whatever else they want and send this thing off. Then I am going to forget all about it.
5. I have asked my friend to text me regularly and ask me if I have kept my commitments to myself.
Because the very worst case scenario would be to end up like this:
And I am someone very different.
...over the weekend one of my friends proposed that I do something truly outrageous. He has been reading my book, you see, and he is the kind of person who makes outrageous plans (clearly). While we were sitting around eating hummus and waiting for ritual, he suggested that I submit my book for a really big book prize.
Not, you see, one of those regular, quite excellent book prizes, but a really big book prize.
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, I was pretty much floored, and I explained that I couldn't submit for this prize, since I am an anthropologist and this is an ethnographic book.
But no, he explained, this really big contest has multiple submission categories that most people don't know about, and actually, my book fits one of them. He also pointed out that anyone can submit for this thing, not just a publisher. In fact, he said, he was thinking of doing it for me himself, but it requires a bio and a photo.
So I sat there for a minute and thought about it.
There really is no downside that I can think of. There are no adverse consequences for submitting it and not making it through to jury review. In fact, as near as I can tell, failure would simply mean that four copies of my book would be floating around to random people, some of whom might like it.
All I have to do is send in the copies, a small check, a bio and a photo.
Of course, I tend to get paralyzed when I am confronted with big, intimidating things like this. But I have lived with this for a long time and I know how it works from the inside, so here's how I'm gonna do this.
1. I'm not going to say the name. As long as I don't think about it as anything but "that thing I'm going to submit,' I am much less likely to get intimidated about it.
2. I am going to break it down into small steps. All I have to do today is print out the URLs he sent me and read them. He has already determined the category under which I should submit.
3. All I have to do tomorrow is tweak an existing bio for this thing. That's *all* I have to do on the project tomorrow.
4. The day after, I will put the four volumes in a package with a one-paragraph cover letter, a hard copy of the bio, a check and whatever else they want and send this thing off. Then I am going to forget all about it.
5. I have asked my friend to text me regularly and ask me if I have kept my commitments to myself.
Because the very worst case scenario would be to end up like this:
And I am someone very different.
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no subject
Date: 2011-05-09 09:58 pm (UTC)I'd say more, but I've got some scanning to do.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-09 10:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-09 10:14 pm (UTC)This will be good for you on *so* many levels!
no subject
Date: 2011-05-09 10:28 pm (UTC)No regrets!
Date: 2011-05-09 10:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-10 12:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-10 12:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-10 01:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-10 12:49 pm (UTC)But Sabrina, please consider this. Your book is so well written, so important for people dealing with HIV/AIDS and policy makers and so accessible, that it should be considered for an aware or 3
no subject
Date: 2011-05-10 03:26 pm (UTC)I excel when pushed. Pushing me to be stronger means loving me better.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-10 06:53 pm (UTC)You NEED to do this.
Today.
You do NOT want to ever have cause to make above graffiti. *I* don't want you to have cause to write the graffiti.
Don't make me come over there, missy! ;)
no subject
Date: 2011-05-10 03:31 pm (UTC)Ummm
Date: 2011-05-10 02:17 am (UTC)Re: Ummm
Date: 2011-05-10 03:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-10 06:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-10 08:35 am (UTC)In fact, I'd say that if you really want your book to do good in the world, sending it for consideration of judges of book prizes is pretty much a magical act and (not to put too fine a point on it) a duty. Because it won't get considered for prizes and free PR if it's never sent in, and if it does win any prizes and get free PR, you've brought your rather brilliant book to an even wider audience - including movers and shakers in local and national government, medical and social care professionals, community groups, and ordinary bods like me who will recommend it to their families and friends.
The potential for excellent results for people with HIV/AIDS of all orientations, gender identities and ethnicities. And all without pressure or down sides of any kind. Pretty damn sweet.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-10 11:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-15 08:15 pm (UTC)Love you, chica! :-)