Angel's First Sale Party!

“We’d like to offer you a contract.”

After 10 years of writing, I thought I’d prepared myself for hearing those words. I’d honed my craft, listened carefully as the Playfriends, Mavens, and chaptermates discussed the business side of publishing, and handled quite a few phone calls about contest finals, including the RWA Golden Heart(R).

But on August 27, 2012, I learned that nothing could prepare me for hearing those words. They came when I least expected it.

I’d been working with Shana Smith, Associate Editor for Harlequin, on a submission for the Desire line. This was a book that Smarty Pants had read for me and loved. When Senior editor Stacy Boyd put out a request on Twitter for submissions, SP insisted I get it in. Ms. Boyd liked it and passed it along to Shana Smith. I completed a full revision and received another detailed email from her that I opened just knowing it was a rejection. I kept searching for the line that said, “But this just isn’t right for us…”

It wasn’t there!

She requested another set of revisions on the proposal and I found myself almost paralyzed. What if I screw this up? The Playfriends and my sister, Ella Sheridan, assured me I wouldn’t and we brainstormed some changes to fit the request. I received great editorial suggestions, too – Shana’s notes were thorough, encouraging, and spot on. I turned in the revisions just shy of my self-imposed two week deadline.

Now Shana had told me she’d read it “quickly”, so I was thinking a few weeks at the earliest. Imagine my shock when she called a mere 4 days later. 4 DAYS! I think my brain short-circuited when I heard, “This is Shana Smith from Harlequin.” But I know it did when she started talking about a contract and release date.

August 2013 – I’ll actually have a book with my name on it in August of 2013, exactly a year from now. Amazing. I think my exact words were, “Oh, wow.” The rest of the conversation was sparkling on Shana’s end and only halfway intelligent on mine. Definitely in shock.

The reality hit me as I told family and friends. I’ll never forget the Playfriends and Mavens excitement, thanking my sister for all her help, my husband’s hugs, and most of all, my children bouncing all over the car on the way home from school, squealing with joy. That was the moment I first teared up.

It’s been an exciting ride ever since. Lots of celebrations! My family even got to celebrate with me because they just happened to be visiting the following weekend from out of state. The flowers below were from the Mavens. So much fun!

And today I get to have even more fun with y’all! I’m pretty sure there will be cabana boys, massages, and all manner of alcoholic beverages in cyberspace today, but I’ll start us off with Krispy Kreme donuts (my fave!) and chocolate martinis. LET’S PARTY!

Angel

writing as Dani Wade

www.DaniWade.com

PARTY TIME!

Massages? This guy would be great, I think.

Pigs Do Fly

You all have no idea how long I've waited to write this post. How many times I imagined how The Call would go. How I would react. Who I'd call. And yet, in my wildest imaginings, it never went down anything like last Tuesday.

We will start with some backstory. I'd been working closely with Shana Smith at Harlequin Desire. I'd gotten good feedback. Things were going well despite the first book not working out and having to start over. But I was so close. Agonizingly close. But I wouldn't let myself believe it until I heard the words. I dream big, but I'm not one to get my hopes up and be disappointed. At the same time, I was doing everything in my power to seal the deal. I wrote a new book from scratch in 3 weeks. I revised it in a week. I wanted to do everything I could to sell before conference.

After I finished revisions, I mailed the book, nauseated. Maybe I hadn't spent enough time on it. What if I'd worked too fast and blew it? Either way it was too late. I started work on another book and worried about my upcoming vacation. DB's niece was graduating high school and his brother was retiring from the Navy after 25 years. We were flying to Baltimore for a few days with his parents. I figured it would be a while since Shana had to read it, the senior editor had to read it and whatever magical editorial mojo had to happen. The office was closing for a couple holidays. No big deal. I tried to forget it was even out there and headed to the airport with my family.

I was none too pleased to find out that our flight was 4 hours delayed when we reached the gate. We'd arrived early, so I was due for at least 5 hours in the airport with DB and his parents. While gearing up for a game of spider solitaire on my iPhone, a NYC number called. I figured it was a telemarketer. I'd gotten a lot of those calls lately. But what else did I have to do? So I answered. Not once did it register until I heard the woman introduce herself as Shana Smith. Not really even then. I figured she was calling about her guest blog or something. It could possibly be that.

Then she said she had great news and wanted to buy my book. This was the point in time where the universe slowed to a crawl. I was stunned. I didn't know what to say or do. I was dumbstruck. I couldn't yell or cry. Not only was it not cool, I was in an airport terminal and didn't want security called on me. I think my first words were "oh my god, I'm in the airport." That was followed by a lot of 'wow' and 'that's great' while she talked about contracts and revisions. I think she knew not to say too much given I was reduced to muttering those two phrases over and over. I wrote things down on the back of my boarding pass so I wouldn't forget. I tried to think of intelligent questions and failed. I was a spacey mess. But the message came across - my first book was tentatively scheduled for spring 2012.

After about 10 minutes, I hung up and turned to DB. He smiled and hugged me, having heard my stupid rambling and knew what had happened. I sat back in my chair for a good 15 minutes. I knew I needed to tell people but I wasn't ready yet. I needed to come to terms. It just didn't seem real. Finally I told my inlaws, who were very pleased for me, but really didn't understand what a big deal it was. So I called my Mom and cried. Then I called each of the Playfriends and squeed. I had to leave a message for PM because she was at the doctor. Then I called the Mavens and a couple others. I ended up sitting on the floor in the airport near an outlet so I could charge my phone while continuing to call everyone who had supported me and kept me writing when I wanted to stop. They deserved to hear right away. Then I texted a slew of people. Posted it on Twitter and Facebook, and went back to waiting for my flight.

Of course, my call story had to be weird! It all went down in an airport. I couldn't leave, couldn't fully celebrate. I was in a damn airport. The bottle of champagne I've neurotically kept on hand for just this occasion was in my fridge at home. And I'm at the airport. Then I was in Baltimore, with more family celebrating other people's big life events. Family I love, but still people who don't get it, really. No Playfriends or HOD people to dance around and squeal with. I was trapped in a LaQuinta Inn with nothing but my iPhone to connect me to the people that understand.

But now, now I am home! And I'm ready to celebrate with my peeps. Grab some cyber champagne and a cupcake! I've sold my first book! Check the news because pigs are flying around the world this week.

SP

PS. The picture at the bottom is me in my "sale" shirt. I bought it 3 years ago at a RWA conference and put it in the closet. I hadn't even let myself try it on in all that time. On Tuesday, I pulled it out of the closet and wore it. It fit, thank goodness! :)

PSS. Kira is blogging over at the Blaze Author's blog today. Pop on over and say hi.

Guest Blogger - Diane O'Brien Kelly

I first met Diane when I attended a fabulous workshop about writers and taxes she presented at the RWA national conference. Then she graciously agreed to let us use some of her tax articles on the Playground website. When I got her newsletter last week and found out... well, I'll let her tell you what I found out. Please welcome Diane O'Brien Kelly to the Writing Playground blog!


Sneaking in the Back Door

I did it. I beat the odds. I sold to a major New York publisher and I did it without an agent. Maybe you can, too!

After winning or placing in two dozen RWA chapter contests and taking home the Golden Heart in 2009 for my manuscript “Death, Taxes, and a French Manicure,” I felt confident. Not only did the contest wins prove that my manuscripts had broad appeal, but I’d had two requests for fulls from editors who’d judged my work in contests. I was sure agents would engage in hand-to-hand combat for the right to represent me.

That’s not quite what happened.

Several agents I queried asked for fulls and one even approached me unsolicited with a request to see my Golden Heart manuscript. One of the agents worked with me for several months on revisions. Unfortunately, even after the revisions, she still wasn’t convinced I had a marketable project and didn’t offer representation.

There were no takers.

Was I devastated? Of course! I thought that, without an agent, the chances of being taken seriously by a big house were about the same as the odds of winning the Powerball. After all, the submissions guidelines for many houses state that only agented submissions will be considered.

Since the contest requests had given me an “in” through the back door, I sent the manuscript directly to the editors who’d requested it. And I kept hustling. I attended yet another conference and pitched my work directly to an editor at St. Martin’s, who requested a full.

Months later, with yet another round of requested submissions sitting in agents’ in-boxes, I got the call. In fact, I got two calls. The first was a two-book deal based on two completed manuscripts the editor had judged in a contest. The other deal, which was the one I decided to take, would be a three-book series beginning with my Golden Heart book. The editor who made the offer was the one I’d pitched to in person at the conference.

Yep, I’d snuck in the back door and got a deal on my own.

What did I learn from this experience? To take advantage of any and all opportunities to get your work in front of editors. Agents are not the only way. Enter contests. A lot of contests! Attend conferences. Lots of conferences! And, above all else, believe in yourself and your work.



For right now, you can see more about Diane at her website, which will soon be changing. And because her book won't be out until next year, she's graciously agreed to give one lucky commenter copies of her critique partners' books, "Operation Afterlife" by Angela Cavener and "Do Over" by Celya Bowers