Monday, May 21, 2018
Always Great to See Nancy Bo Flood
Well, once again it was just Nancy and me at our local writers' meeting, but it's always great to see her. It was especially exciting to hear that her book on the Navajo baby's first laugh, which I got to see in draft form, is coming out this summer! She is now revising a novel, and hoping an illustrator works out for another picture book. It makes me realize that, no matter where you are in your writing journey, there will be challenges ahead. Having a writer and friend like Nancy is such a blessing.
Sunday, May 13, 2018
Looking Back
Now that my agent (I love saying that) has my manuscripts, I'm no longer submitting. So, I decided to take a look back at my records from years past. My five easy readers with Continental Press came out between 1998 and 2003. I submitted a few things in the years after, but didn't get serious until 2011. All of the sales were to magazines.
2011--37 submissions, 5 sales
2012--50 submissions, 12 sales
2013--86 submissions, 4 sales and one contest win
2014--51 submissions, 2 sales
2015--82 submissions, 1 sale
2016--54 submissions, 2 sales
2017--44 submissions, 0 sales
2018--25 submissions, 0 sales BUT--Signed with my agent!
So, to total things up, in 8 years I submitted 429 times and sold 26 magazine articles! Here's hoping my agent can help my stories become traditional, hard-cover, beautifully illustrated picture books!
2011--37 submissions, 5 sales
2012--50 submissions, 12 sales
2013--86 submissions, 4 sales and one contest win
2014--51 submissions, 2 sales
2015--82 submissions, 1 sale
2016--54 submissions, 2 sales
2017--44 submissions, 0 sales
2018--25 submissions, 0 sales BUT--Signed with my agent!
So, to total things up, in 8 years I submitted 429 times and sold 26 magazine articles! Here's hoping my agent can help my stories become traditional, hard-cover, beautifully illustrated picture books!
Saturday, May 5, 2018
I am tickled pink--and blue!
Wow! What an incredible week! Sunday I walked past a corner in town that always reminds me of my writer friend and fellow cancer warrior, Maureen. It was here we had our photo snapped after we struggled to finish the Strawberry Days 5K a few years ago.
Maureen passed last fall, not long after she completed a triathlon at the age of 71! On this Sunday, the memory that came back so strongly was of her reading a rhyming story of mine out loud at a poetry group meeting. Her voice was so strong and expressive! She loved the story and encouraged me (she could be pretty bossy!) to keep sending it out. I did, and collected a few rejections, and decided to put it aside. But passing that corner and remembering Maureen, I thought, "Maybe I should send it out one more time..."
I looked on Manuscript Wish List for an agent and found one that looked like a possible match. I sent the submission to her on Sunday evening. I didn't check e-mail again until Monday, but the agent had responded within minutes! She loved the story, and wondered if I had other manuscripts. We e-mailed back and forth, and I liked her right away.
She called me on Tuesday and we chatted for a long time. She offered me representation and within hours we'd both signed the contract! A few more back and forth edits, and on Monday, she plans to send my story out to publishing houses!
I smile to think of my main character bopping through New York City. And I have to wonder if Maureen had a stern chat with the writing gods!
It's odd how the writer's journey can move as slowly as geologic time, and then, WHAM! One week changes everything. I realize that after a sale, stalagtites and stalagmites can grow again while I wait for the book to become a reality. (Well, at least two years.) But for now my head is in the clouds and I am tickled all the colors of the rainbow to be represented by Naomi Davis of BookEnds Literary Agency!
Maureen passed last fall, not long after she completed a triathlon at the age of 71! On this Sunday, the memory that came back so strongly was of her reading a rhyming story of mine out loud at a poetry group meeting. Her voice was so strong and expressive! She loved the story and encouraged me (she could be pretty bossy!) to keep sending it out. I did, and collected a few rejections, and decided to put it aside. But passing that corner and remembering Maureen, I thought, "Maybe I should send it out one more time..."
I looked on Manuscript Wish List for an agent and found one that looked like a possible match. I sent the submission to her on Sunday evening. I didn't check e-mail again until Monday, but the agent had responded within minutes! She loved the story, and wondered if I had other manuscripts. We e-mailed back and forth, and I liked her right away.
She called me on Tuesday and we chatted for a long time. She offered me representation and within hours we'd both signed the contract! A few more back and forth edits, and on Monday, she plans to send my story out to publishing houses!
I smile to think of my main character bopping through New York City. And I have to wonder if Maureen had a stern chat with the writing gods!
It's odd how the writer's journey can move as slowly as geologic time, and then, WHAM! One week changes everything. I realize that after a sale, stalagtites and stalagmites can grow again while I wait for the book to become a reality. (Well, at least two years.) But for now my head is in the clouds and I am tickled all the colors of the rainbow to be represented by Naomi Davis of BookEnds Literary Agency!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)