Saturday, April 9, 2011
I'm Baaaaaack!
Sorry for the long silence--I had to ask for a tiny extension on my revisions due to a surprise root canal. I love surprises. Just not when they're root canals... Soooo. About the revisions (which are offically completed and turned in). I know I mentioned before about the 4 page editorial letter. I thought it was mostly minor issues, tweaking, re-touching. But when I went back through the MS with fresh eyes, I realized it was major revisions, and some of those not even in the editorial letter. In a way, I performed a root canal on my MS. It was still mostly my original, but I gutted it and re-made it, only better and stronger than the original. I cut 18k words and wrote 17k words to replace those. I cut scenes I loved, but they did nothing to move the plot forward. Then I replaced them with scenes I loved more, scenes that worked like a donkey for the plot. And I'm really, really excited about it. I wanted to share something I found very helpful in this process. I created an excel spreadsheet to document my revisions. The left colum indicated the chapter number. The middle column told a short synopsis of the content of each chapter. The right one indicated what needed to be changed in that chapter, if anything. As I went through and revised, I replaced what needed to be changed with a description of what actually changed, and I notated the page numbers for reference. This will help you when you turn in your revised MS--outlining all the changes for your editor saves him/her a big chunk of time for the re-read. What about you? What editing advice do you have? I'd love to know!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Progress Check
Sorry for the long silence. Though I intend to keep this post short and sweet (and you'll see why in a minute), I want to thank everyone for cheering for me and for all the congratulations. In keeping true to my word in blogging about the process, here is what I've learned about the publishing industry so far: It isn't always slow.
I've already received my first editorial letter (four pages, single spaced!) and I've already had my first pow wow with the editors about it. My silence is because I'm working to get the revisions done by April 1st. This will likely be my last post until then.
For those of you new to writing, you need to be prepping that rhino skin right now, so that it's fully developed when you hit this stage. So that when you receive a four page, single spaced letter telling you everything that DOESN'T work about your book, you'll be able to look it objectively. I'm not saying I didn't fall out of my chair, and partly because of a certain comment made about a certain scene which still has me blushing, but I'm just saying that you need to have skin thick enough to open the document without crying or being rushed to the ER. That's all. You need to collect some critique partners so that your wounds are calloused over by the time you hit this stage in the game. (BTW, it's a lot to take in at first, but really truly all of the editorial input I received was so on-point that I could hardly argue how much better it would make the book. By the end of the phone conference, I felt this overwhelming sense of appreciation for landing in such good hands with Feiwel and Friends, not to mention Lucy!)
Okay so, since my last post, this has happened:
1.) Mom back in the hospital.
2.) Editorial letter.
3.) Meeting with editors about said editorial letter.
4.) Computer crashed.
5.) Got the stinking flu.
6.) Got a new computer.
7.) Mom out of the hospital.
8.) Revisions, revisions, revisions.
9.) Beginning this week, I will be tranporting my sister to cardiac rehab 3xweek, for at least the next month.
10.) Editor needed author bio and author pic RIGHT AWAY for promotional packages to sell international rights at Bologna Children's Book Fair THIS MONTH!
Also, did I mention I work full time? And so, that is why I haven't been blogging. Please forgive me! But please don't blog flog me for not posting until after April 1st!
Thanks again for all the support, and I hope my erradic posts are still encouraging.
I've already received my first editorial letter (four pages, single spaced!) and I've already had my first pow wow with the editors about it. My silence is because I'm working to get the revisions done by April 1st. This will likely be my last post until then.
For those of you new to writing, you need to be prepping that rhino skin right now, so that it's fully developed when you hit this stage. So that when you receive a four page, single spaced letter telling you everything that DOESN'T work about your book, you'll be able to look it objectively. I'm not saying I didn't fall out of my chair, and partly because of a certain comment made about a certain scene which still has me blushing, but I'm just saying that you need to have skin thick enough to open the document without crying or being rushed to the ER. That's all. You need to collect some critique partners so that your wounds are calloused over by the time you hit this stage in the game. (BTW, it's a lot to take in at first, but really truly all of the editorial input I received was so on-point that I could hardly argue how much better it would make the book. By the end of the phone conference, I felt this overwhelming sense of appreciation for landing in such good hands with Feiwel and Friends, not to mention Lucy!)
Okay so, since my last post, this has happened:
1.) Mom back in the hospital.
2.) Editorial letter.
3.) Meeting with editors about said editorial letter.
4.) Computer crashed.
5.) Got the stinking flu.
6.) Got a new computer.
7.) Mom out of the hospital.
8.) Revisions, revisions, revisions.
9.) Beginning this week, I will be tranporting my sister to cardiac rehab 3xweek, for at least the next month.
10.) Editor needed author bio and author pic RIGHT AWAY for promotional packages to sell international rights at Bologna Children's Book Fair THIS MONTH!
Also, did I mention I work full time? And so, that is why I haven't been blogging. Please forgive me! But please don't blog flog me for not posting until after April 1st!
Thanks again for all the support, and I hope my erradic posts are still encouraging.
Monday, February 21, 2011
HOW IT HAPPENED
I know I've been saying I'd post the whole story here, and I'm sorry for the delay! I love reading success stories of other writers, so hopefully you'll enjoy mine. And hopefully it will motivate you to keep going:
I wrote my YA Fantasy OF POSEIDON (title subject to change, as many of you know) in a pretty short time frame, considering I work full time and have a young daughter, and help to care for my elderly mother. Anyway, with the first book I wrote, (OF POSEIDON is my second attempt at writing) I completely screwed up my query letter and closed the doors to a lot of agencies I thought would like it. How did I screw it up? Well, for starters, it was over 1,000 words long!
So the first novel was a learning experience. But I wrote OF POSEIDON with a purpose, armed with much more knowledge of the industry. They say you should always test your query letter on agents on your "B" and "C" list before sending to agents on your "A" list--the ones you really, really want. So, before the manuscript was actually finished, I shot off a first draft test query the beginning of January. Within two days, she asked for the full. The word 'Panic' was invented for this situation. Also, the word 'Idiotic' comes to mind. Anyway, I scrambled to get that draft out to her within a reasonable time frame. She passed, of course, because it was a first draft MS.
Then, I figured maybe her response time was just a fluke, so I sent out a few more queries while I edited. And received a few more bites. I decided my query letter was ready to go, so I began to query everyone on my list. And continued to edit.
I found an agent who I thought would really love it, and queried her with the first chapter. Within 45 minutes, she emailed me back with: "If only you could see my smile. Please send the rest and I look forward to reading it!" So, I squealed appropriately and then did as I was told. Within a week, she emailed that she would like to offer representation if I'd be willing to make a few revisions. Since I was about to leave for an all-girls cruise with my sisters, we agreed to get together when I got back.
Then, Lucy Carson of the Friedrich Agency emailed and asked for the full. She also wanted to know if other agencies were looking at it, which I did tell her I had several fulls and partials out. I also let her know I'd be out of touch for a few days because of the cruise. She promised to read quickly so I would know where I stood with her before I left. I emailed her the full, and within a few hours, she emailed me back and said she peeked at my first page and could tell I had a voice that was confident, so she'd try to get through as much as she could before I left.
The morning we were supposed to board the ship, I'm eating breakfast in the hotel with the rest of my crazy sisters and I get a call on my cell with a NYC area code. When I answer, it's Lucy! She tells me she only read about 75 pages so far, but that she absolutely loves it and doesn't want me to sign with anyone else before I talk to her. I clam up. Maybe it's just me, but what would you do in that situation? We all dream about the "call", and even though I already had a contingent offer of rep, this agent called to catch me before I left after reading only 75 pages! Lucy can sense that I'm a little overwhelmed, so she tells me to call her once I board so we can have a more in depth conversation.
I board the ship in a daze. I'm glad my sisters were keeping up with my 9 year old daughter for me, because I wasn't acting like Mother of the Year just then. I couldn't enjoy the Jamaican music or the fruity drinks laced with liquor they started passing out immediately. My mother was in emergency surgery at the moment back home, and we were all waiting for an update on it. And now, I've got two offers of rep on the table for a work I'd only begun querying a couple weeks before.
When I call Lucy from my cabin, I try to be more outgoing, and fail obnoxiously at it. Lucy is a good sport and explains all the pertinent information. Then she starts pitching to me about what a great agency the Friedrich agency is, and how I'd be very well-cared for if I'd join their ranks. I tell her that I've been working with another agent who'd like to see some revisions, and express my concerns that she has only read 75 pages, and what if she wanted even more revisions? She said she didn't care, and that she never offers representation based on a partial, but that I should consider this an official offer and I should notify other agents immediately to let them know. Then I clam up again, because does this ever really happen??? We end the conversation agreeing to touch base when I get back.
Then our ship leaves New Orleans, heading for Cozumel, and what I really want to do is jump ship and swim back to nurture my budding new writing career. On board, I end up buying one of their expensive internet packages so we can touch base with my hubby. When I check my email, I almost fall out of my chair--Molly Friedrich, the founder and president of the agency, has personally emailed me! She says that she personally read the manuscript as well, and that if she needs to throw Lucy on a plane to come down here and convince me to sign with them, she will absolutely do it. She said my manuscript would enjoy the full backing of the agency, and she also outlined their success in launching debut authors. So now, this cruise has become my own personal hell, a prison keeping me from starting my dream immediately.
On the last day of the cruise, my sister suffers a heart attack. When we port, she's taken straight to the ER, where they perform tests and inform her that she will need open heart surgery. She ends up getting a room on the same floor of the hospital as my mother, who is still recovering from her own surgery. So now, I'm juggling family emergencies with family life, and returning to my job the day after we port. Meanwhile, I'm emailing other agents that I've received an offer (which makes me feel guilty because I already know in my heart that it's Lucy, period), and within twenty minutes of sending them, I get an influx of requests for fulls.
I end up getting two more offers of rep--one contingent on major revisions, such as changing the whole thing to first person POV, and the other with minor revisions and both from very good agencies. I accept Lucy's offer, amid all this, plus my sister developing pneumonia and my mom falling twice in the hospital, breaking her foot, and losing a tooth. Then my niece, who had flown down here from Arkansas to help care for my sister during her recovery, ends up in ICU herself with diabetic ketoacidosis. I visited each family member in shifts; one in the morning, one on my lunch hour and one in the evening.
After reading the rest of my MS, Lucy did have some minor revisions as well, but they were easy fixes and I submitted them quickly. Within days, she submitted it to editors and within days of that, we received an outstanding offer, which we promptly accepted.
Now that my sister is out of the hospital, my niece is out of ICU, and my mom is recovering in rehab, I can breath and actually be excited about all of this. I know this blog entry sounds like a whirlwind, but I told it like it happened. Now that life has calmed down, I'm excited to begin the next steps of my writing career.
And I intend to share those steps with all of you who kept me motivated and supported me and will some day be in this position, although I hope not in as chaotic circumstances! So, stay the course, DON'T EVER GIVE UP. NEVER ever never ever.
Rejections do suck. The day after Lucy sold my manuscript, I received a rejection from an agent on said MS. When agents tell you that this business is subjective, believe them. Keep submitting. It will happen. It really, really will.
I wrote my YA Fantasy OF POSEIDON (title subject to change, as many of you know) in a pretty short time frame, considering I work full time and have a young daughter, and help to care for my elderly mother. Anyway, with the first book I wrote, (OF POSEIDON is my second attempt at writing) I completely screwed up my query letter and closed the doors to a lot of agencies I thought would like it. How did I screw it up? Well, for starters, it was over 1,000 words long!
So the first novel was a learning experience. But I wrote OF POSEIDON with a purpose, armed with much more knowledge of the industry. They say you should always test your query letter on agents on your "B" and "C" list before sending to agents on your "A" list--the ones you really, really want. So, before the manuscript was actually finished, I shot off a first draft test query the beginning of January. Within two days, she asked for the full. The word 'Panic' was invented for this situation. Also, the word 'Idiotic' comes to mind. Anyway, I scrambled to get that draft out to her within a reasonable time frame. She passed, of course, because it was a first draft MS.
Then, I figured maybe her response time was just a fluke, so I sent out a few more queries while I edited. And received a few more bites. I decided my query letter was ready to go, so I began to query everyone on my list. And continued to edit.
I found an agent who I thought would really love it, and queried her with the first chapter. Within 45 minutes, she emailed me back with: "If only you could see my smile. Please send the rest and I look forward to reading it!" So, I squealed appropriately and then did as I was told. Within a week, she emailed that she would like to offer representation if I'd be willing to make a few revisions. Since I was about to leave for an all-girls cruise with my sisters, we agreed to get together when I got back.
Then, Lucy Carson of the Friedrich Agency emailed and asked for the full. She also wanted to know if other agencies were looking at it, which I did tell her I had several fulls and partials out. I also let her know I'd be out of touch for a few days because of the cruise. She promised to read quickly so I would know where I stood with her before I left. I emailed her the full, and within a few hours, she emailed me back and said she peeked at my first page and could tell I had a voice that was confident, so she'd try to get through as much as she could before I left.
The morning we were supposed to board the ship, I'm eating breakfast in the hotel with the rest of my crazy sisters and I get a call on my cell with a NYC area code. When I answer, it's Lucy! She tells me she only read about 75 pages so far, but that she absolutely loves it and doesn't want me to sign with anyone else before I talk to her. I clam up. Maybe it's just me, but what would you do in that situation? We all dream about the "call", and even though I already had a contingent offer of rep, this agent called to catch me before I left after reading only 75 pages! Lucy can sense that I'm a little overwhelmed, so she tells me to call her once I board so we can have a more in depth conversation.
I board the ship in a daze. I'm glad my sisters were keeping up with my 9 year old daughter for me, because I wasn't acting like Mother of the Year just then. I couldn't enjoy the Jamaican music or the fruity drinks laced with liquor they started passing out immediately. My mother was in emergency surgery at the moment back home, and we were all waiting for an update on it. And now, I've got two offers of rep on the table for a work I'd only begun querying a couple weeks before.
When I call Lucy from my cabin, I try to be more outgoing, and fail obnoxiously at it. Lucy is a good sport and explains all the pertinent information. Then she starts pitching to me about what a great agency the Friedrich agency is, and how I'd be very well-cared for if I'd join their ranks. I tell her that I've been working with another agent who'd like to see some revisions, and express my concerns that she has only read 75 pages, and what if she wanted even more revisions? She said she didn't care, and that she never offers representation based on a partial, but that I should consider this an official offer and I should notify other agents immediately to let them know. Then I clam up again, because does this ever really happen??? We end the conversation agreeing to touch base when I get back.
Then our ship leaves New Orleans, heading for Cozumel, and what I really want to do is jump ship and swim back to nurture my budding new writing career. On board, I end up buying one of their expensive internet packages so we can touch base with my hubby. When I check my email, I almost fall out of my chair--Molly Friedrich, the founder and president of the agency, has personally emailed me! She says that she personally read the manuscript as well, and that if she needs to throw Lucy on a plane to come down here and convince me to sign with them, she will absolutely do it. She said my manuscript would enjoy the full backing of the agency, and she also outlined their success in launching debut authors. So now, this cruise has become my own personal hell, a prison keeping me from starting my dream immediately.
On the last day of the cruise, my sister suffers a heart attack. When we port, she's taken straight to the ER, where they perform tests and inform her that she will need open heart surgery. She ends up getting a room on the same floor of the hospital as my mother, who is still recovering from her own surgery. So now, I'm juggling family emergencies with family life, and returning to my job the day after we port. Meanwhile, I'm emailing other agents that I've received an offer (which makes me feel guilty because I already know in my heart that it's Lucy, period), and within twenty minutes of sending them, I get an influx of requests for fulls.
I end up getting two more offers of rep--one contingent on major revisions, such as changing the whole thing to first person POV, and the other with minor revisions and both from very good agencies. I accept Lucy's offer, amid all this, plus my sister developing pneumonia and my mom falling twice in the hospital, breaking her foot, and losing a tooth. Then my niece, who had flown down here from Arkansas to help care for my sister during her recovery, ends up in ICU herself with diabetic ketoacidosis. I visited each family member in shifts; one in the morning, one on my lunch hour and one in the evening.
After reading the rest of my MS, Lucy did have some minor revisions as well, but they were easy fixes and I submitted them quickly. Within days, she submitted it to editors and within days of that, we received an outstanding offer, which we promptly accepted.
Now that my sister is out of the hospital, my niece is out of ICU, and my mom is recovering in rehab, I can breath and actually be excited about all of this. I know this blog entry sounds like a whirlwind, but I told it like it happened. Now that life has calmed down, I'm excited to begin the next steps of my writing career.
And I intend to share those steps with all of you who kept me motivated and supported me and will some day be in this position, although I hope not in as chaotic circumstances! So, stay the course, DON'T EVER GIVE UP. NEVER ever never ever.
Rejections do suck. The day after Lucy sold my manuscript, I received a rejection from an agent on said MS. When agents tell you that this business is subjective, believe them. Keep submitting. It will happen. It really, really will.
Friday, February 18, 2011
BOOK DEAL!
Well, I know I promised to give you details about how I came to land awesome agent Lucy Carson (it really truly is an interesting story), but now I have a little more news. She has negotiated an outstanding two-book deal for my young adult novel with Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan specializing in children's fiction (in case you didn't realize, and my story about how we came to be a team will further convince you, Lucy is a bit ambitious).
I'm extremely excited to work with editor Jean Feiwel (anyone ever heard of the Goosebumps series and The Babysitters Club? Yeah, that's her, and now she has her very own imprint!) As this process unfolds, I promise to update regularly, but as you can see, things have been happening a teensy bit fast, and I've hardly had time to catch my breath. But do check out the Feiwel and Friends website; you'll see why I'm so excited to join the ranks there!
I'm extremely excited to work with editor Jean Feiwel (anyone ever heard of the Goosebumps series and The Babysitters Club? Yeah, that's her, and now she has her very own imprint!) As this process unfolds, I promise to update regularly, but as you can see, things have been happening a teensy bit fast, and I've hardly had time to catch my breath. But do check out the Feiwel and Friends website; you'll see why I'm so excited to join the ranks there!
Friday, February 4, 2011
I HAVE AN AGENT!!!
I've signed with Lucy Carson of the Friedrich Agency for my YA Fantasy! More details later, but I just couldn't contain myself any longer! I am super excited to work with her!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS PLOT AND DRIVE
And you know exactly what I mean by that. One second you're putting on your sunglasses and backing out of the driveway. The next, you're pulling into work without any recollection how you got there--or if you even drove. Your daughter is no longer in the back seat. You wonder if you dropped her off at school, or if she was ever in the backseat to begin with. The only thing you know for sure is that you figured out that snag in your plot. The one you've been losing sleep over. In that moment, your delight overwhelms any embarrassment or shame you should feel about minding speed limits, stopping at red lights, or transporting your daughter to a safe place.
You turn off the car, grab the keys, and walk in the building as if you're a normal person. You wish, sucka! You're not normal. You're a writer. Welcome.
You turn off the car, grab the keys, and walk in the building as if you're a normal person. You wish, sucka! You're not normal. You're a writer. Welcome.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
REVISION REQUESTS
I've been working on revisions of my first novel, a romantic suspense, requested by an editor of a small press. I've got no problem with the revisions requested; in fact, I was excited to make the changes, as I wholeheartedly agreed with them. I'm finished with the revisions and have turned them in, and I should know by Dec 20th whether or not I have myself a contract.
But I wanted to share this experience with everyone: My voice changed! It had been a while since I even opened this manuscript to look at it. Since then, I've been working on my new YA paranormal (no fangs, claws, or wings, thankyouverymuch!) and I'm writing it in present tense teen-voice. So when I went back to make the revisions on my adult romance (where the main character is a doctor) I felt like a stranger in this world I'd created. Seriously, I felt it would be easier to cram into my nine-year-old's tights than re-create the original voice of the manuscript.
Plus, I kept writing it in present tense, no matter how many glasses of wine I drank. In the end, it took me and my critique partner combing through the manuscript as if looking for present-tense lice. When we both agreed it was good, I submitted it.
Is it good enough? I don't know. Am I nervous? You bet your sweet aspercreme I am! Still, we all know that writing is re-writing. Revisions are to be expected. And I'm thankful to have added "Revision Request" to my writing experience, even if I'm not offered a contract.
My question to you: Have you ever disagreed with a revision request and why?
But I wanted to share this experience with everyone: My voice changed! It had been a while since I even opened this manuscript to look at it. Since then, I've been working on my new YA paranormal (no fangs, claws, or wings, thankyouverymuch!) and I'm writing it in present tense teen-voice. So when I went back to make the revisions on my adult romance (where the main character is a doctor) I felt like a stranger in this world I'd created. Seriously, I felt it would be easier to cram into my nine-year-old's tights than re-create the original voice of the manuscript.
Plus, I kept writing it in present tense, no matter how many glasses of wine I drank. In the end, it took me and my critique partner combing through the manuscript as if looking for present-tense lice. When we both agreed it was good, I submitted it.
Is it good enough? I don't know. Am I nervous? You bet your sweet aspercreme I am! Still, we all know that writing is re-writing. Revisions are to be expected. And I'm thankful to have added "Revision Request" to my writing experience, even if I'm not offered a contract.
My question to you: Have you ever disagreed with a revision request and why?
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