Such is the writing life!

I have submitted ELEPHANT CHARGE! VISHINDO VYA TEMBO!! to three publishers. Researching publishers to whom to submit a manuscript (ms) takes a lot of time. Many publishers do not accept manuscripts from writers without an agent and most agents deal only with fiction writers. Even editors with whom I have worked take a long time to respond. They are overwhelmed with the work load. Reading through a mountain of manuscripts to find one worthy of publication and then to get approval to move ahead from the publisher takes at least 6 months. I have friends who have been waiting to hear yea or nay from an editor for two -- 2 -- years!

Yesterday I received a letter from one publisher to whom I sent Elephant Charge on August 22, almost 3 months ago. A writer knows a letter is definitely NOT good news; with good news, most editors phone. This letter was not a rejection. Not quite! It said that the publishing house had been bought by another company and they are no longer publishing children's nonfiction books.

Now I need to decide if I send it out again or wait to hear from the other two publishers.

So the only good news this week is that THE LEAKEYS: A BIOGRAPHY will be published by Prometheus Press as a paperback. That will make it much more accessible to high school students and adults who want to find out more about how humans came to be and the family that has spent 3 generations seeking fossil evidence in the stark, arid, heat-scorching soil of East Africa.