Dreams: My Writing Journey to Success, Part 2 of 2

How I wrote and submitted my Book of Mormon fiction was discussed in the previous post. Well, the condensed version anyway. Let's start at the point of me moving on to other projects (because, yeah, I'm serious about this and that's what writers do) while playing the waiting game to hear from publishers. I get beta reader feedback from a new source during this time, and it's significantly thorough. Great suggestions that I both begin to implement and regret not having the publishers see. I'm feeling like the copy I sent out is not good enough, so I gear myself up for rejection. I still figure I will improve upon this manuscript and self-publish if need be. After all, I believe I have a worthwhile story to share and I can get it to the level it needs to be.

One publisher sent back a rejection. Two weeks later after a long day, I remembered I hadn't checked my email. I quietly slipped into bed and grabbed my phone. My husband needed to get up early and had already gone to bed. Scrolling through the emails, I see one from the publisher that I most hoped would accept my book. My breath caught with excitement before I remembered to expect rejection. To my surprise, the publisher loved my character and wanted to publish the book! Hooray! 

If I had been on my feet I would have done the happy dance and let out a squeal. But I was flat on my back, trying to be quiet, and stunned. My tired mind wondered whether to wake hubby. My energized body didn't want to relax. A minute or two of indecision went by, and then hubby rolled over. I whispered, "Are you awake?" He was now, and I shared the good news. Not the way I imagined this milestone.

The book was slated for about fourteen months out. More waiting while working on other things. I'm beginning to realize how new authors may have their second books ready to come out shortly after the first. During this time, I see the actual contract and wonder if this is really best for me. I'll start with requesting a few changes. More time passes as the request may or may not have been sent to the correct person. They finally let me know they are working on a new company contract. 

In the end, my choice was to sign the new contract and go with the publisher. The current target date could be as early as February 2015. Covenant is attempting to push it through the channels as fast as they can. We shall see how the round of edits goes, but at least my editor will start with my current changes. Don't worry, I'll keep you updated. It's an interesting process.

Where are you in your writing journey to success?