BookingIt

I had some news and links I wanted to share. First, one of my best friends ever just recently sold her book to Abram's imprint Amulet !!! Anita is a superb writer who first guest posted here in 2008 . You can read Anita's Call Story Here . Woohoo, Anita! I know there are many more sales in your future! Secondly, one of my amazing critique partners Karla Akins just had a non-fiction book released. She's done a wonderful job with this book. If you homeschool or are Canadian, you may be interested in checking it out Here . So, E-Readers are becoming more popular . ACFW is so close! I'm going, are you? And...my line edits arrived. At first I felt intimidated but as I'm going through them, I'm really enjoying it and finding some great nuggets from the editor (thank you!). Do you use an e-reader? Are you going to ACFW?

When I first started writing, I did a lot of research. One of the things I began to notice was how long it took for authors to get published. The average, if I remember right, was 3-5 years from the point of starting to the point of contract. The numbers boggled me. Could I write for that long? With no guarantee? Of course, I could. It helped to think of the first few years as college. Still, I was overwhelmed by the thought of how long it took so I decided to stop thinking about it and just write, query, etc. About a year ago, I suddenly realized I'd been writing for three years. Somehow the time had flown by. How? Well, the best thing about publishing is that while there's a wait, there's also always things changing. For example, after I finished my first manuscript it took time to write the query. Then time to figure out who to send it to. And then I started a new story as I waited for responses. Between all that was editing and critiquing and contests. Basically, I'...

I'm heading toward third base! The journey to getting published feels like baseball to me right now. I cracked the ball and sent it soaring (sent out my queries). I reached first base. Then I got a request for a full. That's my second base. Some people go straight home from there, but I'm heading toward third. That's because I received a revision letter from an editor. *swoon* Remember I had a full out to a publisher? They've requested some revisions which I am only too happy to do! So right now I'm trying to get these done so the manuscript can go out for some reads. I've heard that some writers are discouraged by revision requests. Maybe they're overwhelmed (I was a little) and they step off the base and are out. DON'T step off the base. If you get a request, and it feels doable and you resonate with it, RUN like lightning for third base. This is pretty exciting for me. I could still get out but I know there'll be other chances for me to bat ag...

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?

When I graduated from high school I got a job at a bank as a teller. I was also waitressing at night so getting up early for a professional job exhausted me. One day during training I finished my workbook. The other tellers were doing drive-thru. The lobby wasn't open yet. To my eighteen year old mind, it seemed like a good time for a nap. That didn't go over well. I didn't have a professional mindset. I was still back in school where I always took a nap in the mornings during class. If you're writing toward publication, toward a career, it's important to find out what is expected of professionals in this industry. I read an interesting comment where a lady remarked that her husband was in sales, and in that industry, it's okay not to take no for an answer. But with the publishing industry, that can be a death knell for your career. What have you learned about being an author? What are the things required of you in your current job to be professional? How is it ...

I dipped my toes in the query ocean and noticed the changes. While the agents I want to query haven't really changed, some of their policies have. For the better, in my opinion. Two agents who have a no response policy (meaning no rejection letter, just silence if they're not interested) now send an automated confirmation that they've received my query. I love that. Two years ago I queried the same agents and had to hope my e-mail reached them. Now I can KNOW for sure that the agent got my query and just isn't interested when I don't hear back. Have you noticed any changes since the last time you queried? What things do publishing professionals do that you appreciate?

Congrats to Julie Jarnigan who just made her first sale! Nancy Parra did a great post on e-books and traditional publishing. Katie Salidas breaks down the steps to self-publishing based on her recent experiences. Interesting stuff there. Today my sisters and I are going tubing down the Rainbow River ! Pray we don't meet up with any hungry gators. *grin* What are your plans? Any dangerous adventures involved?

Here's a fascinating breakdown on how e-books are affecting the publishing industry's bottom line. The article includes a thought-provoking ending quote by Anne Rice . How much would you pay for an e-book? Will you ever own an e-reading device? If you do own one, does it "work" as well as a "real" book?

There are some changes in publishing. First, Christian publisher Thomas Nelson is partnering with Author Solutions in a new venture called WestBow Press . This will be Thomas Nelson's self-publishing arm. You can read some details at Writer Beware !. Now I've just found out that Harlequin is a part of a new press called Harlequin Horizons. There's some talk about whether it's a Vanity or Self-publisher. Lots of talk, actually. Check out Dear Author for a short post about this, and then in the comments a Harlequin representative answered some questions. As a capitalist, I think these publishers are innovative and smart to do this. As a writer, I'm concerned. These are new territories and it'll be interesting to see where publishing heads. What do you think about these traditional publishers using traditional names for their self-publishing ventures? How about agents receiving referral fees? Do you think these changes will really affect those of us who are aiming ...