by R. S. Mellette
I'm a Laker fan. It's one of the things in my life that has nothing to do with writing, filmmaking, theatre, or any of my other artistic pursuits. It's important to have a sanctuary like that or what else will you do when you need a break? So as I drove home from my day job on Wednesday, March 11th, I had ESPN on. I joined them as they waited for more news about the Utah Jazz vs. Oklahoma Thunder Game. Apparently, it had been postponed just before tip-off and no one knew why. The arena announcer told everyone they had to leave the building. "You're all safe," he said, "but you have to leave."
FYI – telling a stadium full of people, "You're all safe," does not make them feel that way.
I stopped to get gas. When I got back in the car, ESPN reported that Tom Hanks and his wife had tested positive for COVID-19. A few minutes later, they explained that the game had been cancelled because of COVID. The next day, the NBA shut down their season. Eight days later, California went on lockdown. That's how COVID started for me.
I'm kind of proud of the fact that I didn't think about my book right away. It was scheduled to come out later in 2020 – the year that has become an adjective, meaning "completely messed up crazy" – so I knew in the back of my mind it would probably be delayed. I was aggravated that it wasn't out already because lockdown seemed like the perfect time to sell books. But then again, I first wrote this story in 1996 or so. I turned it into a novel in 2008. Got an agent in 2010 – she sent it everywhere with some very near misses. It went on the self until 2016, when I got back with my agent to send it out again. Still didn't sell to one of the Big Five, so my agent dropped it and me (again). I decided to take it to Matt Sinclair at Elephant's Bookshelf Press. He offered to publish it and set 2020 as the year.
So, postponed by pandemic? Looking back, I should have expected it.
What to do? What to do?
Let's look at how I was preparing for publication prior to the lockdown.
I love EBP. Matt is the perfect release valve that all major leagues need. If you look at books like Battery Brothers, Lost Wings, or dare-I-say-it my own Billy Bobble series you'll find great (or, in my case, not bad) books that major publishers would never take. They are dark, or hard to pin to an age, or too difficult to sell – not to the public – but at the acquisition department. This is why small, traditional, publishing houses exist. They are the farm leagues of the majors, and Matt is one of the best team owners.
The trouble is, very few people go to minor league games, and even fewer people read small press books.
In going with EBP, I knew I'd have my work cut out for me in trying to turn the book, Kiya And The Morian Treasure, into something other than just another cover on Amazon. Matt and I were (are) planning on an old-fashioned, offset, hardcover, print run. I was (am) biting the bullet and hiring a publicist – knowing full well they don't sell books and that I'd have to do much of the work. My neighbor is a professional audio book narrator. I was (am) lining her and a sound editor up to make an audio book. I was in touch with podcast hosts services to do some cutting-edge tech stuff with the audio version. I was laying the groundwork in Facebook groups, posting for fun, but also to ready the members for when pre-orders opened. I'll need their help to create some buzz. I planned contests, give-a-ways, articles, networking opportunities through SCBWI. I was ready to storm the beaches of Normandy.
Then New York shut down completely. Ain't nothing happens in publishing what don't go through New York City.
So… what to do?
Luckily, I haven't spent any money yet. Every 4 weeks or so, the publicist e-mails to see how it's going. She wants my business. I e-mail Matt to see how it's going. His plate is full thanks to schools being closed and a host of other things. I see my neighbor on occasion to say I still plan to hire her. I've sent the manuscript out to some people for final notes, possible film production companies, etc. Yeah, it's still good. No, I don't have a movie deal. I did a final pass on book 2 and stand at the foot of first-draft-mountain on book 3 – just in case.
I also spend a lot of time putting it in perspective. I'm healthy. Everyone in my life is healthy. I can do my day job from home, so I'm employed. I've learned that I actually miss the commute I used to hate so much. I never realized how I needed that 20 or 30 minutes to transition from the tedium of my job to the excitement of my imagination. Like the man says, "I can't complain, but sometimes I still do."
Life will get back to normal. The Lakers will play again. Kiya And The Morian Treasure will, eventually, be in a store near you. My loved ones and I have our health. I hope you and yours do, too. Am I upset about the delay? Kinda, but in the end… it's just a book.
P.S. I've driven so little during the lockdown, that I'm still on the same tank of I bought on March 11th – which was before the crash in gas prices!
What do you remember about the beginning of the shut down? What was your last day of freedom?
R.S. Mellette, lives in Sherman Oaks, CA. He created and wrote The Xena Scrolls for Universal's New Media department. When an episode aired based on his characters, it became the first intellectual property to move from the internet to television. Mellette works and blogs for the film festival Dances With Films.
