I was talking on the phone to my critique partner, Erica Vetsch, several weeks ago, after I signed the contract and announced the news on my blog. She asked, “Does it feel real yet?”
My response? “I don’t think it will feel real until I see a cover.”
She laughed. “Or when you get your first round of edits.”
Wise words from a woman who knows.
Anyway, I thought I’d give you all an update.
What’s been happening in my writing world since signing the contract? And does it feel real yet?
Two big things have happened.
I got my first paycheck.
I’m not going to lie. It was bizarre. I would have taken a picture of it and edited out the amount, except it wasn’t from Random House (like my contract was). It was from my agency. Which makes it no less exciting, just less fancy.
So, did my first paycheck make this whole publishing thing feel real?
Nope. Not really. Don’t get me wrong. I was super stoked (yep, I said it), and depositing the check into our savings was all kinds of fun. But for some reason, there was still this disconnect. Which leads me to the second thing that has happened.
I found out which book is getting published first.
My agent submitted three books to Waterbrook Multnomah. They contracted two, but hadn’t decided on which two. I think this is where the disconnect came from. I didn’t know which book I’d get to hold in my hands first. I was trying very hard not to set my heart on one book over the other.
On Tuesday evening, I got word from my agent that we will officially start with Beneath a Velvet Sky (title might change). And a little bonus? My editor (who I’m super excited to work with) left a comment on one of my blog posts.
Both of which made me a little giddy. Both of which made everything feel a lot more real. If things can be more or less real.
Now I have about a month to read through the manuscript one more time before I send it to my editor.
How do I feel about this?
Um…a little nervous. I’m going to read through this book, knowing that other people are going to read it too. Not just close friends, or my agent, or my critique partners – but strangers. People I don’t even know. This book will be in Barnes and Noble. The Christian Book Store. Amazon. And holy cow…even as I type this I start to hyperventilate just a little.
Yep. It’s definitely starting to feel real.
Let’s Talk: If you’re published, when did it start to feel real for you? If you’re not there yet, at what moment do you think it will start to feel real? What part are you most excited for?
I knew you got contracted but I can't remember if I congratulated you yet.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
I will so enjoy reading your updates on this, Katie
I love this post. 🙂 It still hasn't felt "real" to me yet that I'm getting published… mainly because it all happened so quick. I've been telling the same thing to my family, it won't feel "real" to met until I see the cover – or maybe not even until I have the book in my hands.
I'm most excited about seeing the cover and getting a package in the mail with copies of my book. It's crazy thinking that the dream I've had my entire life is now coming true… I'm getting a book published. Not just stapling papers together like I did when I was seven. But I'm actually getting a book published.
It's crazy.
No where near being published…but I think it may feel real as I start seeing cover art. Or it could happen before that. I just don't know. Yet.
Super excited for you!
It's fun traveling this journey with you! Thanks for sharing bits of your experience. My brain won't even take me that far. I'm pretty much a step-by-step girl, much like I travel with Map Quest: travel the distance and then zero out the mileage and start on the next phase. (It gets me where I'm going.) Katie, may everything become real enough that you are able to experience each mile on the road ahead!
I agree- the moment when you get the author's copies is when it feels real.
I wrote a play and have had a table reading and an exerpt from it as a stage reading. That felt so real, I thought I was going to burst. Enjoy the ride!
In January and when I got my first call it didn't seem real. Then it sunk it and life got on as usual. Then I signed the contract. Little more excitement. Then life returned and I got my first check. More real. Then saw my book cover…get the point? It feels a little more real each time something happens, but then for me, it also feels a little more routine. A natural progression after seven years of working and waiting for this moment. I always expected to be knocked off my feet by the excitement. Hasn't happened yet, but those butterflies in my belly act up every once and a while!
Congrats to you! Thanks for sharing your blessings with us. I wish you the best as your writing career takes off. I hope you soar!
Katie, I love hearing your story. It's fascinating how each person's story differs, and I'm intrigued by the way your publisher chose one of your three novels to start you off.
I just had a further step toward reality in my own journey: my first call with the publicity department. They are lovely people and extremely knowledgeable, but it is a very weird feeling to start learning about publicity when my real job is writing! You'll see what I mean when you get to that stage. And I may blog about it on Monday.
Have a great weekend!
Reading about your experience is like reading a novel and living in the characters' heads. It's a wonderful story so far and keeps getting better. I'm sure every chapter will leave you wondering what the next one will bring. Congrats on that cheque!
I remember receiving my first cheque for a magazine article and thinking how cool it was to get paid for something I loved doing. But I didn't get that giddy feeling until I saw the magazine on the stands with my article's title noted on the cover. I'm a long way from getting a novel published, but I imagine it will be a similar experience — it won't hit me until I see a book bearing my title and name sitting on a bookstore shelf.
Ooh! I got the chills reading this post! How super exciting!!!! I think my husband would be thrilled if we saw a single dollar from all my efforts! HUGE congrats to you Katie!!
Katie,
My journey has been a little bumpy. Seeing my cover gave me goosebumps alright. Unfortunately, not the good kind.
As silly as it sounds, it didn't feel real to me when I signed the pub contract or signed with Rachelle. The most giddy I've been was actually yesterday when I discovered they would be putting my book in e-reader format with Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Sony.
I'm starting to get a little nervous now. All those words I threw up on the pages…I can't take them all back. Yikes!
Can't wait to read your book. I would LOVE to interview you for my blog and I'd be happy to FB and Twitter too. Us authors need each other! You can count on your Wordserve-sister to help!
When people started sending me pictures from their phones of places they'd seen my book for sale, it started to feel real. My favorite was in the Boise Airport.
Other than that, at times it doesn't feel real yet. Another huge moment is when you see your cover and get all goose-bumpy!
How exciting.
This is a great post… and it makes me SO excited for you!! I can't WAIT to read your book. For me, it started to feel real once I finished my book… since I write non-fiction, I hadn't written a MS when I got the contract so I had to spend two months writing frantically to get an MS done by the deadline. When I pressed send and sent it to my editor, that's when it felt real. And, then, when I saw the cover, saw the book at B & N, saw it on Amazon, saw edits, those made it feel even more real.
Thank you for sharing this with us! I hope they keep the title–it's lyrical.
Even though I'm not published, sometimes it already does feel real. Other times, I'm sure it won't feel real until I've sold my 15th book!
Katie, I'm excited all over again reading your publication dream unfold! The check in the mail would be a big Glory shout!!
I'm hoping to relish each milestone- I'd like to start with booking a fabulous agent, and watch the story unfold from there:)
I think going through the editing process has made things seem real. To go over a book again and again knowing someone else is working to make it as good as can be and trusting I can make it that way is thrilling.
All the best!
Still feels surreal over here, too. Seeing the contract, signing it, mailing it, helped. I've got the book cover pinned to my bulletin board, and it has MY name on it (along with the other authors in this anthology, but still, mine is there, lol). That has really helped me focus on getting the first draft complete–yesterday, yay!
Haven't seen my advance yet, but it'll show one of these days. Is all good.
Woohoo! You found out which book!
As I'm working on content edits like a crazy woman this week, it's feeling pretty real. 😀
Having just secured an agent (who is AWESOME, by the way), and working on my first book, this post made me giddy. It provided some insight as to the various stages of excitement/nervousness that I'll experience. Thanks for being transparent and allowing us to travel this journey with you! Congratulations!
In the run up to publication of my first book I asked a friend, who is a long-term, highly successful author if the excitement ever stops. His reply, "It hasn't done so yet." Now, with book 4 out this month and book 5 due later this year, I know he was dead right.
For me and Saltwater Taffy, it will feel reel when I roll cameras on the feature adaptation! Can't wait. Summer 2012 will be here in a minute….which is why I have already started writing the script. WRITE ON!
Oh, Katie! This is so exciting to read. I'll bet there are many moments it doesn't feel real, and many moments (yes, like when you get your edits) where it will feel all too real 🙂
I'd say seeing that cover will make it quite real, but holding that book in your hands after it's all finished will bring it home. Can't tell you how excited I am for you!
How exciting to find out which of your books will hit shelves first, Katie. And a comment from your editor is totally awesome.
Each step I go through makes things seems a wee bit more real, but I don't think I'll really believe it until I hold the book in my hands. And, Cathy, as you know I'm prone to tears of joy at times like that, so I'd better put the book in a Ziploc bag or it'll be mighty soggy. =)
Fantastic news! Congratulations! 🙂
I can definitely imagine the stress of the last read-throughs before strangers see a manuscript. My husband hasn't even gotten a look at my current project yet!
From where I am, I'm not sure what would make it real. Getting paid would certainly make it feel legitimate, but that's a ways off. For now, I'm still pressing toward a polished manuscript, but I am nervous and excited for when I actually begin querying agents!
Wow…your post is so very interesting. You see, I had this weird notion that it would all start to feel real if I ever got an agent. But obviously, after I get one, I will be wondering about what's next. I suppose we are all waiting for that next step, that next unknown.
And YES, I am so sad that Spring Break is almost over!!!! I want to be a stay at home mom again. 🙂
Hooray! Another step closer. Congrats, Katie!
What an exciting time for you! I think it would feel real when I saw my books in stores or on amazon.com.
How exciting for you!
I think it started to feel real when I saw the proofs in pdf. Then after three days of editing the proofs with my co-author, my brain was a giant puddle of mush. When I got my book and could hold it in my hands, that was so, so weird. I don't know if it made it feel more real–it was just bizarre.
You know what, though? About four months after my book was published, that's when it all REALLY hit me. It was this 'oh my gosh, I have a book published!' I hadn't even realized that it hadn't fully hit me until that moment.
First of all, congratulations on your very first cheque! That is exciting! And yes, probably very surreal.
But I understand how not knowing what book was going to come out first would dampen the mood. And then once you do know, suddenly the pressure is on. But a month should be lots of time to review the manuscript and for any last minute tweaks. Best of luck on it!
As far as when it will feel real for me? Well, getting an agent was fantastic, but especially coming at Christmas time, we kind of looked up from the revision that agent had already asked for, said 'wow!', and went back to work. As far as a publishing deal goes (which is pie in the sky for us still; we go on submission this week…), maybe when I have the contract in my hands? I hope to be able to definitely answer that question some time in the next year!
Katie, So very happy for you. As for me, I don't know when I'll ever get over the fear that someone will jump out from behind a bush and say, "You're not really a writer. Those two–soon to be three–novels already published were all a fraud."
My advice: Enjoy every moment. The thrill of the contract will soon enough be balanced by the anxiety over edits. The good reviews will eventually be joined by bad ones (it happens to everyone). So enjoy the good times. And congratulations.
I'm not sure it will ever feel real. Assuming I ever manage to get published, I doubt I'll be able to believe it has actually happened.
My Heartsong comes out in a couple of weeks, and it doesn't feel real yet. 🙂 Like Cathy said above, maybe it will feel real when I get my author copies.
You mean you're actually making money at this gig? Lucky you!
I don't think it's going to feel real until you get a book in your hand. At least it didn't for me. The moment I ripped open the box and picked up the book, that's when it all become real. As in, wow this is pretty amazing super cool and did I really write this real…and here's a tip…before your books arrive, watch a couple of really sad movies and have yourself a good cry. There will be less chance of getting your books wet that way. I did not do this but now I know better…
I have no idea when it will feel real. I'll let you know when I get there. 😉 Enjoy it, Katie!
Aw! My fellow agent mates are delivering PHENOM posts today.
This is awesome.
I don't know that the reality has hit and I'm already through all my line edits and it has gone through to the Copy Editor this week.
I just do what the editor tells me to and keep my head down. lol.
The check would make it real. Well done, and congrats again, Katie