Submission Update

A publisher has had my full for three months now. Knowing I could get a rejection, revision or a call any day is so nerve-wracking!

What would happen with my life if I got published? How would it change?

It's a new year. Many of you said you'd like to start querying this year. Have you began yet? How is it going? How would getting published change your life, and do you think you're ready?

Comments

Katie Ganshert said…
So exciting Jessica!! The wait is definitely nerve-wracking! I'm not sure how my life will change yet. I don't think much will change right away...and then when I get closer to release, it will get busier!
January 26, 2011 at 5:53 AM
Tamika: said…
What an exciting and nail-biting place to be! Praying that you find a wonderful publishing hoe for your story.

This is my year to keep writing and honing my craft. I have a bit more ladder to climb:)
January 26, 2011 at 6:33 AM
Jessica Nelson said…
Katie, LOL, yes, I think your life will definitely get busier! But hopefully in a good way. :-)

Good for you Tamika! It's better to hone and climb before jumping off that ladder and onto the next.
January 26, 2011 at 6:49 AM
Sarah Forgrave said…
I'm in the same boat as you, waiting for word. I think I'm ready, but honestly I don't want things to get too crazy right now with my sister in the hospital. I guess God knows the perfect timing, so I'll keep trusting in Him! :)
January 26, 2011 at 7:06 AM
Unknown said…
So nerve-wracking! I have a contract, but I still get just as nervous over every proposal I send. I'm waiting to hear about one right now. Eek! Good luck!
January 26, 2011 at 7:19 AM
jdsanc said…
Three months... This writing thing is so NOT for the feint of heart. Just when you think you're over the hump, got another hill to climb. In my dreams, when I'm looking at my own book, I cry, drink champagne, and breath. Just breath.

Best to you! Hope to be toasting you soon!!
January 26, 2011 at 7:33 AM
Terri Tiffany said…
I didn't realize one had it!! Hurray!!! I can't wait for you to announce great news.
January 26, 2011 at 7:42 AM
Kara said…
So happy your book is with a publisher. I'm not ready to be published, but when I do get there I imagine my schedule will have to take on some major rearranging;)
January 26, 2011 at 8:30 AM
Lisa Jordan said…
Waiting, waiting, waiting. Everyone in the publishing industry waits from editors to agents to writers. It's all a part of the game.

Fun? Oh, absolutely not!!

I hate waiting.

Getting published will change my life in that I will have to change my view of writing from a hobby to a career choice, so that means saying no to potential commitments in order to write on a daily basis in order to meet deadlines.

I hope you receive the response you're hoping for!! Keep us posted.
January 26, 2011 at 9:08 AM
Linda Kage said…
Ugg. WAIT is a four letter word for sure. It's the worst part of writing if you ask me.

I think I space out a lot more since publishing one book...trying to think up a good plot for the next. Okay, scratch that. I always spaced out way too much. Maybe I haven't changed. dunno!
January 26, 2011 at 10:12 AM
Jessica Nelson said…
Sarah, I'm sorry to hear about your sister. :-( Trusting God is the way to go. I hope everything works out well for you. Who has your full, btw?

Julie, your book should be coming out any day now, right? I've heard that it's just as stressful for pubbed authors. Guess nerves go along with being a writer. lol

Toasting sounds like a great idea! :-) I like your dream.
January 26, 2011 at 10:18 AM
Jessica Nelson said…
Oh Terri, I SO hope I have something good to share....

Kara, yeah, I think there'd need to be some rearranging. LOL

Lisa, I will definitely post either way. My schedule would have to change too, similar to yours.
January 26, 2011 at 10:25 AM
Jessica Nelson said…
Hahaa, Linda, you can always blame it on baby brain. *grin*
January 26, 2011 at 10:25 AM
anita said…
Here's hoping you get some AWESOME news soon! And am I ready to be pubbed? Hmm. As far as craft, I think I've been ready for about two years, but it seems that the publishing biz has other ideas. HEH.

As far as being emotionally ready to be have reviews posted about my work? Not sure any of us are EVER ready for that. ;-) But I'm willing to suffer for the greater good of having a career to begin with. Ha!
January 26, 2011 at 10:54 AM
Keli Gwyn said…
Jessie, I hope your wait is over soon and these knee-bouncing, foot-tapping anxiety-filled days forgotten in the thrill of big news and enthusiastic happy dancing.
January 26, 2011 at 11:24 AM
Jaime Wright said…
I'm waiting too - but I have my coffee - so the world is well and good ;)
January 26, 2011 at 2:43 PM
Karen Lange said…
Excited for you! Isn't it fun being in a place where you're building character? Okay, maybe not exactly fun...:) Cheering for you!
January 26, 2011 at 3:09 PM
Diane said…
It's coming and I can't wait! Let us know the minute you get the contract!!! :O)
January 26, 2011 at 4:00 PM
Lauren F. Boyd said…
I submitted my first novel manuscript three weeks ago. I guess if you've been waiting three months, I have a long way to go! How long after you queried did you get a request for a full? Best of luck to you!
January 26, 2011 at 4:52 PM
Cindy R. Wilson said…
That's great news that a publisher has your manuscript. I hope you hear something good soon.

I am waiting a bit right now but mostly making plans for the next steps and trying to write a manuscript that will blow agents away.
January 26, 2011 at 6:01 PM
Wendy Paine Miller said…
Waiting makes us strong, right?!

Funny you should ask. I need a big sign that says, I am here!

Praying about a decision.
~ Wendy
January 26, 2011 at 6:08 PM
Stephanie Faris said…
Would your life change? You'd probably be surprised how little. That's what I hear from authors. Most authors aren't Stephenie Meyer overnight...they have a quieter success so it happens slowly and gradually. I think it's better that way...you have time to get used to all of it. Of course, there's also the fact that there's such a HUGE lag time between selling that book and seeing it hit the shelves...but during that time hopefully you're selling the second book!
January 26, 2011 at 7:23 PM
Janna Leadbetter said…
How exciting, Jessica! And just want to say this--I know you know it--whatever is supposed to happen, will. Keep us posted!

I think either way, your life will be enriched. Because if they do call you, wow! And if not, you'll be all the stronger for it.

Hugs!
January 26, 2011 at 8:44 PM
Melissa said…
Good luck! I hope it works out for you!
January 27, 2011 at 12:20 AM
kah said…
Stop biting your nails! It will be okay. :)

I'll prob be back in Queryland buy Spring or Summer.

I can't wait to see you published. We can meet up and celebrate :)
January 27, 2011 at 8:38 AM
Dara said…
How exciting!!

Not querying yet. Working on a different story/first draft. And I'm trying to write a short story for the Writer's Digest writing competition and it's exercising muscles I haven't used in awhile. :P I want to try to get some short fiction written and try and get some published. But I'm also still working on the novel.

Publishing would change A LOT--I'd have to really be focused on marketing myself. I'm not sure I'm ready for it--still need to get the stories written and polished!
January 27, 2011 at 11:44 AM
Glynis Peters said…
I queried, took advice from the lovely rejection letters and stripped my novel apart. It is a nerve wracking business, the waiting.

Good luck.
January 27, 2011 at 2:14 PM
Susan J. Reinhardt said…
Hi Jess -

Oh I hope you hear something positive soon!

I'm considering querying a particular agent and a particular publisher, but don't have the timing nailed down. I want a couple of beta readers to give me an opinion first. It's been a long time since anyone read my book.

Blessings,
Susan :)
January 27, 2011 at 3:30 PM
Mary Curry said…
Hi Jessica,

I hope your wait ends in terrific news!

I don't have anything out at the moment because I'm in the process of revising the current project.

I used to think my life would change magically if I received a contract, but now I tend to agree with Katie - it would just get busier. I imagine I'd be exchanging one kind of waiting for another.
January 27, 2011 at 5:23 PM
Nancy said…
Hope you get "The Call." You would do just fine. Let us know how it all turns out.
January 27, 2011 at 5:30 PM
CMOM Productions said…
Very exciting! Wishing you the best!
January 27, 2011 at 10:11 PM
Jessica Nelson said…
Thanks for all your comments and encouragement, ladies! I love reading about where you're at too!
January 28, 2011 at 6:10 AM
Tabitha Bird said…
Yes, I am querying. I have come very very close to a yes, but in the end it was not to be.

I wish you all the best with the publisher. Be sure and shout that new loud if/when you find out it's a yes.
January 28, 2011 at 7:02 AM
Jill Kemerer said…
Oh, I'm biting my nails for you! Exciting stuff! I can't wait to be able to walk into the store and pick up one of YOUR books!!
January 28, 2011 at 12:39 PM
Angie Muresan said…
I'm so happy for you and wishing the best will come out of it. I can't wait to read your book, Jessica.
January 30, 2011 at 1:16 AM
Emily Conrad said…
I'm doing the same thing - waiting for responses from publishers for about the same amount of time as you! I like that I'm not alone... but I hope we both find homes for our novels soon :)
January 30, 2011 at 6:34 PM
Caryn said…
Oh, that wait is so tough! Good luck with it.

I'm waiting, too. I have a full out with an agent, and she sounds fantastic. I'm hoping for a 'yes', but she said it could take several months before I hear back. In the meantime I'm addicted to my email.
January 30, 2011 at 9:22 PM
Jennifer Shirk said…
The waiting is the worst, but I'm SO excited for you!!!!!
January 31, 2011 at 8:14 AM
Caryn said…
Thanks! You and I will be crossing our fingers together.
January 31, 2011 at 10:02 AM
Jeanette Levellie said…
It's like sitting on a precipice with a bed of petunias on one side and a cliff on the other, huh?

I feel your angst. Going through some of it myself, when I found out an editor we thought had my proposal, never received it. Sigh. We'll try again, since he's showing some interest.

Thanks for asking!
January 31, 2011 at 1:24 PM
Georgiana Daniels said…
I can SO identify with you. As long as there is no response, hope abounds ;) At least that's how I view it for myself. I have one out right now too, and it's a nail biter, indeed.
February 1, 2011 at 1:53 PM
Jessica Nelson said…
Georgiana, nail-biter is the right term! lol

Jeanette, I'm so sorry to hear that! That's my worst paranoia, that someone didn't get my work. Eeek! I hope you he loves the proposal! ;-)
February 1, 2011 at 7:53 PM
Rita Gerlach said…
I know you've worked so hard, Jessica. The waiting is difficult. Even after publication, there is the wait on other proposals. I was biting my nails waiting for word on the book series I am now contracted to write. It took months for the fiction committee to get to it and my editor was frustrated. The key to all of this is keep the fire burning to write, and then patiently wait for the right doors to open.

Let us know how things go.
February 6, 2011 at 12:18 PM
Jessica Nelson said…
Thanks for your encouragement, Rita! :-)
February 7, 2011 at 5:54 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We All Got to Learn to Do It Sometime

*grossness alert* We all have to learn to deal with doo-doo eventually. Consider me a newbie mom, but it never occurred to me that my son should be wiping himself until about a month before kindergarten. And then the flashbulb went on and I scrambled to teach him. One problem. He didn't want to. He's fastidious and doesn't like to make mistakes, so the thought of taking care of this daily chore literally reduced him to screaming and crying on the toilet. Basically, he didn't trust himself. He was afraid. Scared to get his hands dirty. Afraid he'd miss something. This is probably weird, but it made me think of us as writers. There comes a point where we have to "grow up" and trust ourselves. We can't always rely on a crit group, agent, or editor to wipe up our mess. I think this should be a part of maturation for every writer, that we can look at our work and be confident in our ability to clean it up. Not saying we'll make it perfect or that we won...
Read more

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Oh Vanity of vanities.... In preparation for the conference I'm going to put my body through some painful things. Eyebrow pluckings, teeth whitening and mustache removal. Anyone else interested in adding to my confession of vanity? Have you ever gone through a painful experience in order to look good? What's the craziest thing you've ever done to yourself?
Read more

Just Straight-up Say It

When it comes to writing an interesting character, I think the best ones are those who go verbal places we're afraid to. Sometimes they use subtext, sometimes speak the truth, straight-up. Or maybe your characters break some rules you would never dare to even imagine breaking? Maybe they expose themselves, make themselves vulnerable to other characters? Or do they demand things we've learned to only wish for? What's the wildest thing one of your characters has done? Would you do it?
Read more