Sunday, March 15, 2009

After the Call

A few people have asked if I'm as excited about a new sale as I was with my very first. The answer is - I am!

However, that excitement is tempered by knowledge. I understand the process now. I know what happens after the call. So, rather than screaming at the top of my lungs, jumping up and down and shivering with anxiety and anticipation, I scream at the top of my lungs, jump up and down and then get to work. I pick dates for turning in my proposals and my completed work. I email those to my editor and I mark my calender with circles and smiley faces and huge exclamation points. I assess my schedule, looking carefully at what will come in the next year and planning my writing schedule accordingly. I brainstorm titles, book cover ideas, and I think of how I will cut my twenty-five page synopsis down to one (for the art department). I assess how many words will need to be written each day to attain a goal of manuscript completion three weeks prior to my due date (after so many years and so many books, I know that is exactly how long it will take to revise and polish my manuscripts).

Then, I take two days off. I bask in the joy of being published. I celebrate, but only for a couple of days. Because I know that receiving that contract is only a small part of a very long, very wonderful road.

Happy Sunday!

2 comments:

Sabrina L. Fox said...

LOL. You still get excited. That’s awesome. And how cool that with your experience you know what to expect and what you need to accomplish to meet your deadlines. That has to make these books much less stressful in at least that one aspect.

Do they keep your titles most of the time? My friend has never had them keep hers. It cracks me up how much time we think about her titles and then they change them.

What’s the usual time period for your books now? From start until you turn them in?

Shirlee McCoy said...

They almost never keep my titles.

It usually takes me two months to complete a book.

Still waiting?