As I prepare Noah's Custodian for publication in some form, I've been looking at my options, learning about the various avenues I can try. Analog Science Fiction and Fact is one potential avenue that posts no restrictions on length or such, only that it be a strong story with believable characters against any science-related backdrop. The science must be integral to the story. They will serialize longer submissions, which would have to be the case for my book.
Other avenues include traditional publishing, but that remains a tough nut to crack for a first-time novelist. A good story should speak for itself, but you still have to cross all the T's and dot all the I's and get the right eyes on it. Plus- my book is barely considered a novel in terms of length. It may grow a bit more, depending on feedback, but I can't see it getting past 60,000 words; most publishers of traditional novels want 70,000+ minimum.
As mentioned previously, many publishers now offer digital-only imprints, and my novel is well-suited for that, but there are challenges with many of these new imprints.
At any rate, a first time novelist is likely to be rejected many times. Even JK Rowling still gets rejected, albeit writing under a pen name. Still, it pays to be persistent, if you know you have a good story, as evidenced by Irish novelist Donal Ryan's 47 rejections prior to finding a publisher.
As for my efforts of late, considering which project to work on, all have been started to various degrees: an unconventional fantasy novel (good start on this), a contemporary science-fiction series aimed at tweens and young teens (decent start), or my long gestating Christmas short-story (research, some sketchy plot ideas written out). I'm also kicking around an idea for a new series of sci-fi short stories with recurring characters. We'll see!
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