Since I love to multi-task, I have a lot of irons in the fire and I wanted to update you on everything going on with each of them and remind you of what is what and so on. Here's your official Author Brooke Williams publishing update!
Wrong Place, Right Time
This is the romance novel I wrote after attending the writing conference a year ago November. Once I completed it and did my best at editing and so on, I searched for a publisher to send it to directly. I was tired of going after agents and failing. I found out through another author's blog that The Writer's Coffee Shop accepts manuscripts directly from authors and once I looked into their genres and needs more, it looked like we would make a good match. I sent the first three chapters and summary in and then forgot about it because most of the time I get no and it takes a long time to get it.
A few weeks later I heard from TWCS and they wanted the full manuscript to review. I was excited, but still not overly optimistic as I have gotten that far with other companies in the past only to be disappointed.
A few weeks after that I got the news that they wanted to publish "Wrong Place, Right Time!" Contract negotiations followed and were signed and the process began. I did a few things like a marketing sheet for them and then sat back and waited more. The novel isn't slated to come out until December 2014 so there's a wait before the editing will even begin.
Editing for "Wrong Place, Right Time" should start sometime in March. I hope to get a full schedule of events for the entire process sometime in February. I look forward to holding it in my hands sometime in or around December 2014.
Accept This Dandelion
Since I don't think idle hands are something I have ever had before in my life, I wrote another novel while waiting on details for "Wrong Place, Right Time." "Accept This Dandelion" is something I started a long time ago because I pitched the idea to an editor at Harlequin and she liked it and wanted the first three chapters. I then had to write the first three chapters so I did that and sent it in. Ultimately, the story wasn't right for them, but I wanted to finish the manuscript and see where it went so I did that.
Once I had it complete, I knew it was something special and I wasn't going to want to let it just sit around. Since I secured a publisher for "Wrong Place, Right Time" by then, I was hoping I could form a relationship with them and continue to release novels with and through them. I submitted "Accept this Dandelion" and received an immediate response that they would look it over and get back to me. Several months went by and the publishing company, I know, was very busy so I didn't get an answer as fast as last time.
Last week, however, I did hear from them and they wanted to read the full manuscript. So I'm excited that "Accept this Dandelion" has taken the next step forward. However, I may not have a full answer for a while. Those reading the manuscript have been instructed not to give me a full answer until the company sees how my first book does in terms of sales. It's understandable. As a new author they don't want to commit to another book with me if the first one bombs. I just have to work hard to make sure that doesn't happen.
In the meantime, they are going to read "Accept this Dandelion" and let me know if it's right for TWCS. If it is, it may very well go through after my first book is released (if it does well enough!) If it isn't for them, then I'll know that right away and can move it on somewhere else.
Mamarazzi
Since two books wasn't enough, I decided to write another. Back in December, I asked you to help me name the characters I would form for this book and the contest was a great success. I got some great names out of it that I never would have come up with otherwise. Then, in January, I set out to write the book.
I wanted to write the book in the month of January, overlapping into February if need be. Well, anyone who knows my style knows that when I am writing a book, it's ALL I can do. When given the time away from my two napping girls, that is. So whenever they were asleep and I wasn't, I was working on Mamarazzi. And I finished it before January was over.
Then, I wanted to do something I had never done before and utilize beta readers. Mamarazzi was another romance novel, but it was based in Hollywood, somewhere I had only ever visited once for a day or two. I wanted to make sure the story was believable and enjoyable to people other than me. So I called out for beta readers and secured four. As I am writing this blog post, I have heard back from one beta reader who completed the novel already. She enjoyed it and had some very good, constructive thoughts about some of the characters. I look forward to hearing what the other three think. I gave them till the end of February to read it and get back to me with comments.
Once I've collected the comments and thought them all through, then I can go back through Mamarazzi and start editing a bit. However, since I may not start that process until March and March is when "Wrong Place, Right Time" is supposed to start the editing process with my publisher, I am not sure when I will get back to Mamarazzi. There is really no huge hurry because I won't even know about "Accept this Daisy" until the end of the year or even next year so I won't be submitting Mamarazzi anytime soon. I just hate to leave things unfinished! So we'll see how it goes.
So those are my irons, some of which are farther into the fire than others, but all of which are hot simply because I refuse to let them cool!!!
Wrong Place, Right Time
This is the romance novel I wrote after attending the writing conference a year ago November. Once I completed it and did my best at editing and so on, I searched for a publisher to send it to directly. I was tired of going after agents and failing. I found out through another author's blog that The Writer's Coffee Shop accepts manuscripts directly from authors and once I looked into their genres and needs more, it looked like we would make a good match. I sent the first three chapters and summary in and then forgot about it because most of the time I get no and it takes a long time to get it.
A few weeks later I heard from TWCS and they wanted the full manuscript to review. I was excited, but still not overly optimistic as I have gotten that far with other companies in the past only to be disappointed.
A few weeks after that I got the news that they wanted to publish "Wrong Place, Right Time!" Contract negotiations followed and were signed and the process began. I did a few things like a marketing sheet for them and then sat back and waited more. The novel isn't slated to come out until December 2014 so there's a wait before the editing will even begin.
Editing for "Wrong Place, Right Time" should start sometime in March. I hope to get a full schedule of events for the entire process sometime in February. I look forward to holding it in my hands sometime in or around December 2014.
Accept This Dandelion
Since I don't think idle hands are something I have ever had before in my life, I wrote another novel while waiting on details for "Wrong Place, Right Time." "Accept This Dandelion" is something I started a long time ago because I pitched the idea to an editor at Harlequin and she liked it and wanted the first three chapters. I then had to write the first three chapters so I did that and sent it in. Ultimately, the story wasn't right for them, but I wanted to finish the manuscript and see where it went so I did that.
Once I had it complete, I knew it was something special and I wasn't going to want to let it just sit around. Since I secured a publisher for "Wrong Place, Right Time" by then, I was hoping I could form a relationship with them and continue to release novels with and through them. I submitted "Accept this Dandelion" and received an immediate response that they would look it over and get back to me. Several months went by and the publishing company, I know, was very busy so I didn't get an answer as fast as last time.
Last week, however, I did hear from them and they wanted to read the full manuscript. So I'm excited that "Accept this Dandelion" has taken the next step forward. However, I may not have a full answer for a while. Those reading the manuscript have been instructed not to give me a full answer until the company sees how my first book does in terms of sales. It's understandable. As a new author they don't want to commit to another book with me if the first one bombs. I just have to work hard to make sure that doesn't happen.
In the meantime, they are going to read "Accept this Dandelion" and let me know if it's right for TWCS. If it is, it may very well go through after my first book is released (if it does well enough!) If it isn't for them, then I'll know that right away and can move it on somewhere else.
Mamarazzi
Since two books wasn't enough, I decided to write another. Back in December, I asked you to help me name the characters I would form for this book and the contest was a great success. I got some great names out of it that I never would have come up with otherwise. Then, in January, I set out to write the book.
I wanted to write the book in the month of January, overlapping into February if need be. Well, anyone who knows my style knows that when I am writing a book, it's ALL I can do. When given the time away from my two napping girls, that is. So whenever they were asleep and I wasn't, I was working on Mamarazzi. And I finished it before January was over.
Then, I wanted to do something I had never done before and utilize beta readers. Mamarazzi was another romance novel, but it was based in Hollywood, somewhere I had only ever visited once for a day or two. I wanted to make sure the story was believable and enjoyable to people other than me. So I called out for beta readers and secured four. As I am writing this blog post, I have heard back from one beta reader who completed the novel already. She enjoyed it and had some very good, constructive thoughts about some of the characters. I look forward to hearing what the other three think. I gave them till the end of February to read it and get back to me with comments.
Once I've collected the comments and thought them all through, then I can go back through Mamarazzi and start editing a bit. However, since I may not start that process until March and March is when "Wrong Place, Right Time" is supposed to start the editing process with my publisher, I am not sure when I will get back to Mamarazzi. There is really no huge hurry because I won't even know about "Accept this Daisy" until the end of the year or even next year so I won't be submitting Mamarazzi anytime soon. I just hate to leave things unfinished! So we'll see how it goes.
So those are my irons, some of which are farther into the fire than others, but all of which are hot simply because I refuse to let them cool!!!
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