Category: Agent

Here We Go A-wassailing: Sold

5/6/2014

I'm honored to announce that I've sold another story to Guideposts Books for inclusion in Christmas Cheer II (tentative title) which follows the success of the 2013 2-volume set, A Cup of Christmas Cheer.

Last year, Guideposts books published a 2-volume set with Volume 1 Tales of Faith and Family, and Volume 2 Tales of Joy and Wonder.

My historical story, Riding on a Christmas Wish, set in 1911 York County, Ontario, Canada, was chosen and ultimately published in Vol 1 - Tales of Faith and Family.

This year when my agent sent me the information for a new Cup of Christmas Cheer set, I saw that Guideposts thought they might put all the historical stories in one volume, and the contemporary or present day ones in a second one.

I had an idea for a contemporary story, but I didn't want to deal with the cell phone age. So I submitted the synopsis for Here We Go A-wassailing set in 1978 and made a note that I was submitting it for the Historical volume.

So for all you struggling writers out there who surf the web wondering how fast or slow these processes take (I've been there), I'm laying out the sequence of events. However, keep in mind that every contract is different and this is different from the process I experienced with Riding on a Christmas Wish for the 2013 Cup of Christmas Cheer.

Feb 12 - Email from Agent: Call Out for Synopses for Guideposts 2014 Christmas collection. Deadline: Mar 10th

Mar 7 - Submitted 2 synopses via email: Here We Go A-wassailing & A Montana Christmas

Apr 11 - Email from Agent: ACCEPTED - Here We Go A-wassailing!!!
Advised to wait for editor's email as he was at a conference.

Apr 21 - Email from Guideposts Editor: Here We Go A-wassailing will be accepted for inclusion in Christmas Cheer II under the following conditions:
- Genre: Contemporary (Must be Present Day vs 1978)
- no magic/must be explainable - this was because I hinted at something in my synopsis
- Deadline: May 5th preferred although could be changed if necessary
- Word Count: Low 5,000-6000

Apr 22 - Email to Guideposts Editor: Acceptance of Conditions
- yes to the Present Day story setting vice 1978
- yes to the story without magic
- yes to the May 5th deadline although I would be missing a weekend family event

Apr 23 - Email from Guideposts Editor: He knows the 2 week deadline is a challenge, and although it is preferred, it isn't written in stone so keep him informed if I need more time

Apr 24 - Came down with a virus: sore throat, major coughing, exploding headache with every cough. It progressively worsened until I couldn't sleep in bed and slept in my recliner, wheezing through the nights, full of over-the-counter meds.
Days spent writing under full stream of cough/cold/flu meds

Apr 28 - Sent Competed Draft of 6800 words to 2 critique partners

Apr 30 - Rec'd 2 critiqued drafts back while I was in the city seeing the doctor and getting prescription for anti-biotics for virus, and prednisone for inflamed lungs

May 1 - Rec'd from Agent via email: Guideposts contract for Here We Go A-wassailing

May 5 - Submitted Story to Guideposts Editor: Here We Go A-wassailing at 5950 words

May 5 - Sent Contract to Guideposts via Canada Post

And now the wait is on.

The next step: Receiving the Editor's Revision Letter and making edits based on his suggestions

I'll let you know how it goes....

My Call Story

7/25/2013

This spring on March 11, I was presented an opportunity to create a story for a new two-volume hardcover set containing 16 short stories to be published by Guideposts Books in time for this holiday season. The deadline for the submission of a synopsis was March 26 - a mere two weeks away.

The two books were to have different themes:
- family, faith, and friendship in one
- angels, miracles, and other wonders in the second

Since the initial email said we could contact the editor for a list of story suggestions, I emailed and asked for the list so I'd have an idea of what they were looking for.

In the days that followed, two stories came to mind - a contemporary story and a historical one, both fitting the faith, family, and friendship theme. I wrote and rewrote and after each synopsis was done to my satisfaction, I sent it out to my Inkwell Inspiration blog mates (Inkies) for critiquing.

On Mar 25, I emailed both synopses and a writing sample to the Guideposts editor. And then I tried to concentrate on my current writing project while I waited - not an easy thing to do.

On April 8th, I went into town for awhile and although I had my iPhone with me, I didn't have the volume turned up and didn't feel it vibrate. As soon as I returned home and entered the dining room though, I saw the light flashing on the Answering Machine. It was my agent, Mary Keeley, announcing that Guideposts wanted to buy my short story, Riding on a Christmas Wish.

Wahoo!!!

Before I became too excited however, Mary advised that the Guideposts Books editor had some conditions before the contract would be offered. She gave me his number, and after a few hours when I'd settled down a bit, I made the call.

The editor said the main condition was that they wanted the story to be written in the father's point-of-view (POV) only. (He gave me the reason, but I won't say it here because that would ruin the story for you.) Would I be able to do that? I answered yes because several people had told me that I write guys well, and if that's what it took I was up for the challenge. The editor was also concerned that a big action scene would be lost because it was in the mother's POV, but I assured him that I could work around it and keep the action. (It gave me confidence that he liked the action scene.) With that verbal agreement, I got down to the business of writing. My new deadline to submit the complete 5,500-7,000 word short story (22-28 manuscript pages) was May 6.

And I did, again with help from my Inky blog mates. What would I do without them?

On May 10th, I received the Guideposts contract in the mail - all 3 copies. It was right there on paper that they wanted Riding on a Christmas Wish for A Cup of Christmas Cheer. Upon reading the contract, though, my joy was tempered by a sobering fact - that if the manuscript wasn't acceptable, the editor would ask for revisions once only. If the editor did not like my revisions, Guideposts would terminate the contract and I would receive a kill fee for my trouble versus the full payment. Gulp.

But it wasn't enough to stop the joy from bubbling up again. In order not to give away the contract details, I whitened out much of this xeroxed copy prior to taking this self-portrait. Yes, that means I aimed the camera at my chair and set the timer . . . ran to my chair . . . held up the contract . . . and smiled.

Anita Mae Draper holding up her signed contract for a short story to be published in A Cup of Christmas Cheer, Guideposts Books, October 2013

I shared the image on Facebook, etc, and got back to writing.

On May 31st I received my first ever revision letter. The Guideposts editor spared nothing in giving me his thoughts on my story and it looked bad at first, but it actually came down to one character problem and the tone of the story. The editor wanted the revised copy back by 9 am on June 10th, and after deep-thinking for a couple days, I started the revisions.

On June 9th, I sent in my revised copy, and then sat on tenterhooks while waiting to see if the editor liked it. Was it good enough? Had I understood his revision requests? Had I conveyed on paper the tone I knew he wanted? Would it be rejected because of something I could have easily changed? The doubts lingered...

Thankfully, he answered the next day - on June 10 - with a thank you note saying no further revisions were needed and the book would be out in October.

That was it. Or was it? Although I'd signed the contract, I didn't have the final version with the whole contingent of signatures.

You know, it's funny how your faith can flag when you allow doubt to set in. It's also the reason I didn't write this post sooner - the fear of rejection was very strong. It seemed better to wait and be sure my story had been accepted before making a big hoopla. So far, the only thing I had done was post the above photo on Facebook, and that was all I was going to do until I was very sure of publication. The thing is... the publishing world is changing so fast, an author can never be sure of publication until the book hits the stores.

On July 15 however, I received an email from the Books & Such head office that the Cup of Christmas Cheer contract had arrived and was attached. You can bet I ran that attachment off pretty quick. :)

And now I finally believe that I am going to be published - and soon too, because at this point, Oct is only 3 months away. Sure, things can happen between now and then, but faith in my writing ability has taken an upswing. I've been blessed beyond measure with this opportunity and so grateful to my agent, Mary, and my Guideposts editor, for giving me this chance.

October you say? Yikes, I have to start planning how I can help promote this project starting with the Genre Dinner at the upcoming ACFW conference.... but that's another post. :)

ACFW Dallas Thurs

10/11/2012

Thursday was the official beginning of the conference and I'd arranged to meet fellow Inkwell blogmate, Jennifer AlLee, for breakfast at the 24 hrs Starbucks Coffee shop down near the lobby. This would be the first of many times I'd spent in this comfortable lounge which served both the coffee shop and bar.

After a quick breakfast, Jen went to her volunteer position at the registration desk while I headed to the 8:30 Early Bird Session, Writing in Scenes, presented by Nancy Kress. This was an excellent workshop on effective scene construction. Click the link for a summary of this workshop.

The Early Bird Session ended at 12:30 and I went looking for the rest of the Inkies, texting as I went. Thank Goodness for texting! I remember my first few conferences when I could never find people, but being able to text has changed all that. So efficient.

We met at the same restaurant I ate at on my first night there - Jacob's Spring Grille and enjoyed the luncheon buffet. One thing I wasn't crazy about was our table as we sat in the corner near the door with a clear glass wall separating us from a long line of hungry people. I was very conscious of those people as I ate, but Jennifer AlLee, Dina Sleiman, and Lisa Karon Richardson enhanced the meal delightfully. I especially liked the unique coffee cup and slanted saucer. And no, the blue square is a geometric design and not a price sticker. LOL

Geometric designed coffee cup and slanted saucer at Jacob's Spring Grille, DFW Hyatt Regency, Dallas, TX. (Note the blue square is part of the design and not a price sticker.)

To backtrack a bit, when I'd gone back to the room the night, there had been a message for me from Penny at Harlequin talking about a Thurs meeting. I'd been tickled pink as well as confused because I didn't have a meeting arranged with anyone from Harlequin and I didn't know a Penny who worked their, either. But I'd remembered somewhere during the morning that I had been wanting to meet up with Penn, an eHarlequin hostie. I just never knew her name was actually Penny. I met Penny and Love Inspired eHarlequin hostie, Danica Favorite, in the Lounge and shared a grand hour or so with them.

eHarlequin Host Penn, Danica Favorite, and Anita Mae Draper at DFW Hyatt Regency, Dallas, TX.

At 3 pm, everyone met for the first General Session. This is the time when Barbour Publishing surprises someone with their very first contract and I had dreamed of having my name called. Since Becky Germany wasn't able to make the event, ACFW president, Margaret Daley, did the honours, but when she read out the names, mine wasn't one of them, although I wouldn't take anything away from the people who's names were called.

I'd been waiting to hear Michael Hyatt as he was the Keynote Speaker and when he finally did, it was good. I didn't cry or get emotional like I've done while listening to other Keynote speakers, and now, weeks later I can't remember much of what he said, but I remember thinking at the time that it was good.

The best part of the assembly was the worship session. And then came our first of several sit-down meals - excellent food and inspiring people to eat it with. And the cheesecake was perfect although I ate it before I thought of taking a photo.

At 7 pm I was with Jennifer AlLee at the Spotlight on Abingdon session where I heard publicly what I always knew - that Jen is one of their best authors - Yay, Jen! - as well as a lot of other good and interesting things about Abingdon itself.

Next was a workshop from 8:30-9:30 pm on Platform Boosting E-Newsletters with Thomas Umstattd. If you've ever met Thomas, you know he's a fast talker. He knows what he talking about and he has a passion for it. I knew it was going to be a fast session, and it was jam-packed from the get-go. I was reporting on this session for the ACFW ezine, Afictionado and you can read my write-up on the ACFW website at the above link.

And the evening still wasn't over because a 9-11 pm Books & Such Agency Come and Go was happening and since it was my first Agency event, I was bound to go. Hosted by one of the B&S agents, Rachelle Gardner, the social gathering was the perfect opportunity to meet my fellow agency-mates.

Books & Such Literary Agency

I walked around proudly with a Books & Such Literary Agency ribbon attached to my name tag ribbon stream for the next several days and encountered many authors who asked where I'd found the 'agent' ribbons. It was fun to reply that, as far as I knew, Books & Such was the only Literary Agency supplying them. Wanna bet we see more at the 2013 conference?

This seems like the perfect time to thank Mary Keeley and Janet Grant for taking me on as a client of Books & Such. I'm still pinching myself, and so very grateful for the vote of confidence.

Agented!

2/21/2012

Woo hoo! Yippeee!! Yee haw!!!

Mary Keeley, Literary Agent

I've received the ultimate accolade from the publishing world to date, because I got the agent call from
Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Agency!

I'd like to thank Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent, for her blopost entitled, What to Ask an Agent. I've had that shortcut on my desktop since Rachelle posted the list back on Aug 9th, 2010 and I've seen that icon every time I started my laptop. No matter when I got the call, I was
going to be ready.

Mary's call came at the pre-arranged time of 2pm on Thurs, February 16th. That date was special to me already because it's my Finnish grandmother's birthday. She was never referred to as a writer, but before she went to heaven, she wrote her memoirs which I'm posting as a series on my Author Memories blog.

Between Mary's information and my questions from Rachelle's list, we managed to get a fair bit of business cleared. By the end of the phone call, Mary offered representation.

Rachelle's list encourages writers to wait a few days and think about it before giving their final decision. But, I'd begun praying - and my church had been praying - for discernment in making the right decision since I received the email that made the appointment. Unless I felt misgivings during our conversation, I was fairly sure I'd accept.

And I did. I couldn't not accept because Mary was what I'd been waiting for - an agent who was 'fired up' about my writing. What a blessing!

Mary said the paperwork is on the way. And while I'm very good at keeping secrets and was going to hold onto this news until I'd signed the actual papers, I've been welcomed to the agency by email and have received agency news and invites. It seems like it's a go. :)

I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 40:1 NIV

Hallelujah!
Anita Mae.

First Anthology Proposal Submission

1/21/2012

My first anthology proposal has been submitted! This is just a proposal, so it doesn't mean it's being published - yet - but the fact that it's in the submission process is a relief and joy.

Half a year ago, Valerie Comer presented me with a project about a generational anthology set in Montana. Since I'm a historical writer, she wondered if I wanted to try the lead-off 1908 novella. I've never written anything set in that era, but it's fascinated me for years, so I said, yes, I was very interested.

Anita Mae & Val Comer at the 2011 ACFW conference, St Louis, Missouri

Her enthusiasm carried me forward although nothing was done until the week before Christmas when Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss signed on. With all three of them being published authors, I was the only one required to write the first chapter of my novella to prove that I could, indeed, write.

I was already busy with the festive season and trying to finish my proposal elements for a separate anthology proposal set in 1860. Taking one project at a time, I finished my requirements for the 1860 one and sent it off to the team leader just a few days before the New Year.

The deadline for the proposal elements for my 1908 Montana anthology was Jan 9th. Yikes! I'd known about this project for months and yet I hadn't been able to get a clear picture of my characters or their goals and conflicts until that point. I've always maintained that I do my best plotting on the long drive to and from the city and on a late December day, an idea came to me and by the time we pulled into our farmyard an hour later, my novella outline was in place.

I won't go into details here because it could be changed before it's - hopefully - published. Once my chapter was written, I sent it to my team and then the fun began as their critques came back. Our self-imposed Jan 9th deadline came, but I was one critique short. Tricia realized that with all 3 of them critting at once, no one was looking at the final product and since she has the most books published among us, she became the last hurdle. By the time I received all the crits and made the appropriate changes, the consensus was that the the hero's pov was memorable, but my heroine's scene which starts the novella, was only okay.

With Val chomping at the bit - this project was her baby, after all - I took a few days to dwell on the beginning scene. Dare I say it took another trip to the city?

On Jan 14th, we drove our daughters to the airport. Yes, they'd been visiting and yes, I'd spent the days in my office as usual. It wasn't all bad on my part though, because they needed time with their dad and siblings, too and we had some great times alone and in the evenings. So after the girls flew off to Calgary and Vancouver, we began the hour's drive home and wouldn't you know it... I got an idea of how to fix my first scene. It meant rewriting a good portion of it, but I didn't have anything to lose.

It took a couple days and then I sent it off to Val. She made some observations - mainly in the continuity between the new scene and the hero's pov, but overall she liked it. I fixed it up and sent it off again. This time Ocieanna took a boo at it and came back with more observations and suggestions. Best of all, she really liked this new version compared to the last. Great - 2 hurdles down. Off it went to Tricia.

To say I was worried about Tricia's crit would be very true. I hestitated at the sight of it in my inbox with good reason. But her crit was sound. And yes, she liked this version much better than the original. Taking her observations and suggestions into consideration, I worked on my chapter. After several reads, I emailed it to the team.

Yesterday, Tricia submitted the proposal to Janet Grant since Janet represents both Tricia and Ocieanna. Hopefully, the next thing I'll read is that Janet submitted the proposal on our behalf.

The only part of the proposal that looked bare was the empty spot beneath my name where an agent's name would go. But since I put my writing career in God's hands all those years ago, I have faith that's the way it's supposed to be at this point.

And now... back to my other regularly scheduled projects.

Anita Mae.

2011 in Review

1/3/2012

As the new year starts, I’m looking at what I’ve accomplished in the old one. I’ve set aside revisions for my Mountie story to work on 2 anthology projects. Both projects are blessings by how I became a member, as well as because of the people involved:

1.      The PE anthology: This was offered to me by my Inky sister, Gina Welborn when she realized she couldn’t participate. I’m grateful the other team members accepted me as Gina’s replacement. Because I’m unpubbed at this time, I’m required to submit a chapter so the proposed editor can ascertain if I can write and therefore fulfill my obligations. The status of this project: After writing, revising and rewriting, my chapter and synopsis is with the other team members awaiting critiques.

2.      The MT anthology: My friend, Val Comer talked about this when we were at the ACFW conference together last Sept in St Louis, MO. I think she even asked me before that, but the team members weren’t confirmed until a week before Christmas. And with a Jan 8th date for submission, this project is moving fast. Set in Montana, this anthology also requires me to submit a chapter and synopsis. which I’m in the process of completing.

By next week I’ll have a choice: go back to revisions on my Mountie story, or start something new.

My Mountie story, The Key to His Heart, is a success of 2011. I belong to 2 writing groups who recognize writers for completing a book:

1.      FinishTheBook is part of the Faith, Hope & Love (FHL) chapter of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) writing group. They offer a free 1 chapter critique to anyone finishing a book in that year. Last year, I won a free critique by Laurie Alice Eakes for finishing Emma’s Outlaw the year before. I used the free critique by sending the beginning of my Mountie story. The critique I received from Laurie Alice was sound advice which helped me in my contest placements. I’m waiting to see which author I’ve ‘won’ this year.

2.      NovelTrack and NovelTrackEditing are part of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) group. Because I used both NT and NTE while writing my Mountie story, I was able to submit my name with the rest of the finishers, into a draw for a free registration (approx. $500) to the next ACFW conference. (Held in Dallas for 2013).
I’m eagerly awaiting the results.

My Mountie story did very well on the contest circuit this year:

2011 ACFW's Genesis: Semi-Finalist
2011 Fool For Love: 2nd place
2011 Duel on the Delta: 3rd place
2011 Daphne du Maurier: 5th place

On the agent front, I’m still waiting for an offer of representation although I’m in the process of wooing an agency. The word is that I’m on their ‘short list’ but that seems to be on hold. The current trend is for agents to ignore your query if they aren’t interested. But since I’ve been on hold for months, I’m beginning to wonder about my status. At the last ACFW conference in St Louis, Steve Laube of The Steve Laube Agency said there are some writers who produce good manuscripts, but he puts them aside – on a pile beside his desk - when a better manuscript comes along. He doesn’t want to reject the writer, but he doesn’t want to offer representation, either. So the file sits there. I’m beginning to think I’ve fallen onto that pile.

Ups and Downs of October

10/30/2011

These past few weeks since the ACFW conference have proven to exemplify the roller coaster ride of a writer.

After meeting several agents at the conference and knowing I was on the 'short list' for one of them, I returned excited about my prospects. Yet nothing further has developed.

My editor appointment left me anticipating further communication, yet after sending in the requested partial, I haven't received any further correspondence.

I did, however, receive a rejection of my Mountie story from an editor at Love Inspired. It was a 'good' rejection because it detailed several aspects of the story the editor found lacking. And she said my writing was "polished and professional". So yes, it was a good rejection. It ripped a strip from my heart, but still, a good rejection overall.

Back in August I'd sent out requests to 5 authors I highly respected with the object of possible endorsement for Emma's Outlaw. And today, one of those authors said she "thoroughly enjoyed Emma's Outlaw" and agreed to let her name stand as an endorser.

Yay!

Now my cheeks are hurting from all the grinning.

Just knowing that someone I admire and respect for their writing ability enjoyed my story is enough encouragement to keep me fueled for a very long time.

I'll need it through November as I work on revisions to the Mountie story - not only to bring it up to the 90k industry standard, but to improve those things the Love Inspired editor thought it lacked.

And when I'm not working on that, I'll be writing a historical western anthology with 3 other writers, none of whom I've met before, and 2 of them already published. Their invitation to join them in this anthology is another encouragement on my long road to publication.

Welcome November! A month of hard work for writers everywhere who sacrifice so many things for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Without a complete book to write, I won't be participating this year, but I will be revising my Mountie story during Week 1 of the Faith, Hope and Love (FHL) Book in a Week (BIAW) challenge which starts tomorrow morning.

St Louis ACFW Conference Opening Day

9/24/2011

Day 1 of the ACFW conference in St Louis started with an 8 am Early Bird session of The Moral Premise presented by the man who wrote the book, Stanley Williams. An excellent workshop, Dr. Stanley used clips from books and movies to show story structure and "harness virtue & vice for box office success".

The opening session began at 3pm with worship and the keynote address by Bethany author Tracie Peterson.

The first dinner of the conference was shared with my Inkwell blogmates - also called my Inky sisters:

(l to r) Dina Sleiman, Gina Welborn, Lisa Richardson, Jennifer AlLee

I saw this image of the Gateway Arch on the way to the Publisher's Spotlight session later that evening. After that, I attended an interesting Agent Panel.