A year ago, I set out to write about my middle grade novel, RESCUING IVY, having been led to believe by my editor that the book would be published in late 2014, early 2015. My goal was to blog about the novel in the year prior to publication, from getting the original idea to actually holding the book in my hand for the first time.
The first half of the Year of Ivy went swimmingly, I thought, as I wrote about how I got the idea for IVY, the fun of researching the book, the surprises that enriched the book, and how history can inspire your writing. I hadn’t heard anything from my editor since I did the final revision for her in October 2013, but didn’t expect her to contact me until probably the second half of 2014.
When she did, I was then going to spend the second half of the Year of Ivy blogging about the steps in the actual publication of the book. Since I had never had one of my books published before, I had no idea what these steps would be. So I thought I’d write about them in my blog and we’d learn together.
However, the second half of 2014 year proved to be a time-stopper. Not to mention a blog- stopper. I heard nothing about my book. Absolutely nothing. And consequently, there went my writing plans.
But hope springs eternal, the old saying goes, so with each coming month, I was sure I would hear something about IVY and I’d start blogging again. The month would then pass and I’d be proved wrong. I kept thinking I should be writing something for the blog, but I was so frustrated that I had no inspiration at all.
I did, from time to time, contact my editor, who assured me all was well and to just be patient. And so The Year of Ivy passed.
We are now well into the third month of a new year and I believe that things finally might be starting to move along for IVY, “though slowly,” cautions my editor. So I still wait, though not nearly as naively hopeful as a year ago.
What I’ve described here is pretty much the life of writers in today’s publishing world. You send a manuscript to an editor or agent with high hopes, then you wait. And wait. And wait. And wait some more. Sometimes you never get a response at all.
But once in a great while you do. Like the response I got last December from an agent to whom I had submitted a couple of manuscripts the previous month. “I like these stories,” she said. “Could you send me another one.” Of course, I did. And she liked that story, too.
And then came this email. “If you’re still looking for an agent, I’d like to represent you.” I was and she is.
Once more, hope came back into my life. Once more, I have things to blog about. So check back next month and find out what they are.
The first half of the Year of Ivy went swimmingly, I thought, as I wrote about how I got the idea for IVY, the fun of researching the book, the surprises that enriched the book, and how history can inspire your writing. I hadn’t heard anything from my editor since I did the final revision for her in October 2013, but didn’t expect her to contact me until probably the second half of 2014.
When she did, I was then going to spend the second half of the Year of Ivy blogging about the steps in the actual publication of the book. Since I had never had one of my books published before, I had no idea what these steps would be. So I thought I’d write about them in my blog and we’d learn together.
However, the second half of 2014 year proved to be a time-stopper. Not to mention a blog- stopper. I heard nothing about my book. Absolutely nothing. And consequently, there went my writing plans.
But hope springs eternal, the old saying goes, so with each coming month, I was sure I would hear something about IVY and I’d start blogging again. The month would then pass and I’d be proved wrong. I kept thinking I should be writing something for the blog, but I was so frustrated that I had no inspiration at all.
I did, from time to time, contact my editor, who assured me all was well and to just be patient. And so The Year of Ivy passed.
We are now well into the third month of a new year and I believe that things finally might be starting to move along for IVY, “though slowly,” cautions my editor. So I still wait, though not nearly as naively hopeful as a year ago.
What I’ve described here is pretty much the life of writers in today’s publishing world. You send a manuscript to an editor or agent with high hopes, then you wait. And wait. And wait. And wait some more. Sometimes you never get a response at all.
But once in a great while you do. Like the response I got last December from an agent to whom I had submitted a couple of manuscripts the previous month. “I like these stories,” she said. “Could you send me another one.” Of course, I did. And she liked that story, too.
And then came this email. “If you’re still looking for an agent, I’d like to represent you.” I was and she is.
Once more, hope came back into my life. Once more, I have things to blog about. So check back next month and find out what they are.