Being a writer was never on the list of things I wanted to be when I grew up. I didn’t really consider myself a creative type, so it just didn’t seem like a good fit. Lawyer? sure. But a writer? I just couldn’t see it.
Maybe that’s why it took me 31 years to figure it out. 31 years! So making the decision 5 years ago to jump into the notoriously slow-paced publishing world didn’t seem like such a big deal. Yes, it can be mind-numbingly slow. 8 months to hear back on a manuscript kind of slow. But heck, it had taken me over THIRTY-FREAKING-YEARS to get here, so a few more years was not enough to scare me off. Patience is more than just a virtue in this industry; it is an absolute necessity.
And that is why the whirlwind that I experienced a few weeks ago came as such a shock. A wonderfully welcome, surprising-in-the-best-possible-way, shock.
I sold a book.
And I signed with a literary agent.
All on the same day.
Here’s the story:
Writer Lady sends marathon-themed picture book manuscript to editor. Interested Editor has 3 kids who run marathons and loves manuscript. Interested Editor offers contract to Writer Lady. Writer Lady freaks out (in a good way). Writer Lady decides she wants to build a career in kid-lit, and asks Interested Editor for time to contact agent. Interested Editor graciously agrees. Writer Lady e-mails Agent Wonderful (who already was looking at another story of hers). Agent Wonderful calls Writer Lady and offers representation. Writer Lady freaks out again. Agent Wonderful and Writer Lady e-mail Interested Editor and accept offer! Yay!
So keep your eyes peeled in Fall 2012 for a picture book published by Sky Pony Press titled, MARATHON MOUSE. It’s by me.
And check out my agent Karen Grencik and Red Fox Literary‘s website. She really is wonderful.
So yes, the industry is slow. And then it is fast. And then it is slow again. But it is, for this Writer Lady, an absolute perfect fit.
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