Well, I finally did it. After prodding and poking my Sam the Bedlamite manuscript, I decided it was time to get it out there. By "out there" I mean submitting it to the publishers, 12 in total. I researched a bunch about all the publishing houses, and I hope that at least one of the 12 is a good fit for my little picture book. But I'll have to wait and see. This is my first time around the block, after all. I've decided to pretty much forget that I sent it off, and then be surprised and excited to hear back, if that happens.
So far, the whole forgetting that I send the book out is going pretty well. But that may be that it has only be a few short weeks. I mean, I know that the envelope needs to get to the publisher (3-5 days), get sorted (another 3-5) and then sit on the slush pile for who knows how long. So yeah, its pretty easy to stay cool about it right now. Ask me how many times I am checking the mail box each day in about 3 months.
Surprisingly, I feel a greater desire to get my butt in the chair to write now that I have a story floating in (and hopefully to the top of) the slush piles. I guess finally facing the fear and anxiety of rejection has made it a little easier to start getting my other not-so-perfect stories out. Don't get me wrong--I'm not looking forward to being rejected--and rejected I will be--but at least I'm giving myself the change to be rejected. Three cheers for fear facing!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
That Gut-wrenching Feeling...
Well, here it is 3:23 AM and I feel like that nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach has finally eased just a little bit.
Back in May of 2011, I finally typed up my first draft of a picture book named Sam the Bedlamite. It felt good to finally get it out on paper, and I have done 6 different drafts of my little 750 word story. The last revision I finished back in November.
The next step seemed like the largest, most daunting part of all: the dreaded query letter! I read somewhere that perhaps one of the reasons that agents/publishers require them is because it deters so many would-be writers from submitting, thus decreasing their slush pile. After having struggled for the last 10 months with how to even begin to write one, I completely agree with this statement.
My little query letter isn't very long, but the weight that it potentially carries is huge! I know I'll have to go back in a revise it a few times, at a more reasonable hour, but the worst part is over! I can start to move on in the submitting process. Hooray for me.
Back in May of 2011, I finally typed up my first draft of a picture book named Sam the Bedlamite. It felt good to finally get it out on paper, and I have done 6 different drafts of my little 750 word story. The last revision I finished back in November.
The next step seemed like the largest, most daunting part of all: the dreaded query letter! I read somewhere that perhaps one of the reasons that agents/publishers require them is because it deters so many would-be writers from submitting, thus decreasing their slush pile. After having struggled for the last 10 months with how to even begin to write one, I completely agree with this statement.
My little query letter isn't very long, but the weight that it potentially carries is huge! I know I'll have to go back in a revise it a few times, at a more reasonable hour, but the worst part is over! I can start to move on in the submitting process. Hooray for me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)