I've spent most of my writer-life hurtling queries through the universe hoping to attract an agent or a publisher. Solving the puzzle of how to "break through" required five novels, twenty years, and more than a thimble-full of tears.
The day I signed with my agent, Jacqueline Flynn, I leaped from one step to another, like a salmon climbing a dam. I hadn't arrived, I had only moved closer to my goal. It was not a time to rest.
My book, The Winged Herds of Anok, went on submission. I watched as my agent did all the things to interest a publisher that I had done to interest her. She wrote a proposal, submitted it, and we waited. How odd it was for me to be on such familiar ground, yet in such an unfamiliar place. I had never imagined (believe it or not) anything beyond getting an agent.
We were fortunate. Jacquie not only sold the book, she sold four of them.
Time to breathe a sigh of relief? Yes! and No! I've landed the job, now the work begins. Here's what I know: I will sign a contract, I will receive an editorial letter, I will be consulted on the cover, an ARC of the book will sent to reviewers, the book will eventually be published, and I will promote it--but it's all NEW. What does it feel like? What do I do on launch day? How painful will the edits be?
These are the experiences I'm curious about and so I enjoy reading the blogs of published authors. I inhale their experiences and use them to map out the unknown territory ahead of me. Before my book deal, I used them to dream.
Because of my own Authorlife obsession, I've decided to share my experiences, mundane as some of them are, here. This is The Jennifer (Author) Diaries afterall.
Here are some past posts about my path to publication.
And now on to today's post:
I Signed My Contract!
The stats: the elapsed time from verbal acceptance to receiving the contract was ten weeks. This will differ for every author, contract, and publisher, but this is how long it took for me.
My agent negotiated and customized the boilerplate contract with Harper. I didn't have to do anything--and everyone can be happy about that because it's 17 pages of non-fiction, not my favorite genre. My agent filled me in on every detail and answered all my questions. Negotiations were amicable, just as I expected they would be. The major points of the deal had already been agreed upon back in January when we accepted.
The contract arrived at my house last night via email. This was a surprise. I expected it to come from Harper via Fed-Ex on thick cream-colored paper and perhaps bound. Nope. I printed it myself and posed for this pic shot by my eight year-old son.
I didn't sign at this moment though. I needed to send four copies back to Harper, so I decided to save my ink. I drove to Office Depot and made the copies there. I spread them out on the huge counter and signed them. The employee who made the copies saw I was signing a contract and offered me a special pen because it rolled smoother than the others. I thought that was sweet. I affixed my signature, overnighted the contract directly to HarperCollins, posted a celebratory note on Facebook, and sent my agent a text.
It felt similar to when I signed my marriage contract. I was hopeful, happy, a little nervous because now it's real, and expectant. I'm excited to perform my duties under the contract--write and edit the four books and promote them. I'm excited for my partner, HarperCollins, to perform its duties--direct my edits, design the cover, market, publish, and distribute the books. It all feels...right.
Next up--the editorial letter, where the red ink hits the page, but for now I will enjoy the honeymoon!
Where are you at with your book? Please share in the comments.
by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Author of The Guardian Herd Series
Fantasy novels for middle-grade readers
HarperCollins Childrens Books
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