Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The Rest of the Story . . .


I’ve had a number of requests from people to expand on my news and share a few more details. So, here it is. Sorry, but this is going to be long.
Anybody notice the pictures of my grandkids in my signing picture?

As anyone who’s followed this blog over the summer knows, I received a request for a full from Rhemalda Publishing (one of many I'd considered submitting to and had researched) for my adventure romance last spring. I was so excited and encouraged. It ended up being a rejection, but the best kind of rejection: revise and resubmit (aka R&R).

Now I admit the idea was both heady and intimidating.

I remember reading an article by Ben Bova who gave Orson Scott Card an R&R for Ender’s Game (yeah, the Hugo winner). Bova made a very interesting observation. He said he was always nervous when he did that because he never knew how an author would react. Some are so arrogant that they will never entertain changes. Others actually make the book worse. He was thrilled when Card not only was willing to make changes but crafted a much better book in the process.

So there I was, faced with this R&R. I’ve always tried to stay teachable, and I'm willing to consider anything that will make my book the best little story it can be (with my skills at this time—because we’re always looking to improve, right?).

Would the recommendations for change to my book be things I could live with?

What if I couldn’t live with them?

I’ve been running around the blogosphere and am a member of a number of writing organizations where authors talk about their publishing experiences. Some have shared experiences where the R&R they received would change the very nature of their story, the essence of their characters.

I lucked out. None of the recommendations did that. Instead of arguing in my mind about making the changes, I was excited to find ways to make the suggestions happen and took nearly three months working on them. So, after a few of my awesome online critique partners and writer friends gave me some feedback, I resubmitted.

And the wait began again.

Now, let me explain a little bit about where I was in my real life a few weeks ago. I normally love my day job, but we’ve got stuff going on that’s really killing the moral of my organization. I'd even been the focal point of a couple of local newspaper articles because of a decision I had to make. My sleep had been restless for days, my stomach a roiling mess.

I returned to my office and checked my cell phone in case I’d missed anything. My email accounts come to my phone, and my heart stopped when I recognized the email address. With shaking fingers, I accessed the email and read it.

The words that stood out were “your changes did not disappoint.”

With my fingers clutching the phone, I lifted my hands in a silent squeee. One of the attorneys peeked her head around the corner of my door, saw me, and asked if I was all right.

Um.

I cannot begin to express the surreal feeling of that moment. On one hand I was in the pits of despair and the next moment it was like my feet wouldn't stay on the ground (imagine Harry’s aunt floating away in Prisoner of Azkaban). My hands shook the rest of the day.

To make this long story short, we scheduled a time to talk. I was offered a contract, which I then had reviewed by a couple of attorneys. The publisher has been wonderful to work with and very up front about everything. I know a few of the authors who publish with them, and they talk about how the folks at Rhemalda are wonderful to work with.

And that’s important to me. It’s all about the experience, about being a partner in this publication process, about the fruits of my creative labor being treated as more than a bin of apples or a pound of beef for sale at the market.

It’s an understatement to say I’m excited.

Seriously. We need more words in the English language!

32 comments:

  1. Congratulations! I quite like the editing process and I'm so glad yours worked out. Somehow I think that suggestions from a professional editor will make me a better writer.

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  2. kudos!
    so happy for you!
    and yes, we need more ways to say happy =)

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  3. Congrats to you again!

    Hugs and chocolate,
    Shelly

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  4. Congratulations, Donna! This is fabulous news! Is it the same book I saw the query for? I am not surprised they liked the book -- it had a great premise!

    Most R&R's I've done have made me happy in the long run with the improvements they bring to my manuscript -- even if the R&R was still rejected. There is one exception, but that's a totally different story and one I can't tell here.

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  5. Thanks for sharing this. A big congrats!

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  6. Just shows adapting to change and feedback works out in the end, congrats once more.

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  7. Awwww! Such a fabulous story! I love this! Huge congrats again!

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  8. Outstanding! What I think is so smart is that you took your time to do the revision. So many people rush that part, wanting to get back to the agent or publisher quickly hoping speed will impress. But it's the hard work and re-envisioning that impresses, so good for you.

    So happy for you!

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  9. Fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

    I hope you've been celebrating!!

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  10. Congratulations! What a fantastic story! SQEEEEE is right!

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  11. That is beyond great Donna! So glad they liked the changes and that you're happy with them. I can't wait until it's out in print :)

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  12. Yay!!! Congratulations!! That is really awesome news. I'm so happy for you and I can't wait to read your book!

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  13. Such a great story. Big Congratulations!!

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  14. Yay! And that's great they were willing to do an R&R. That has to be better than a complete rejection. Rhemalda is a great publisher (based off the books I've read from them and knowing some of their authors).

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  15. Great news abut the R&R! And that you were able to work creatively with the suggestions.

    Sorry to hear about the problems in your other life.

    Blessings and Bear hugs.

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  16. Go with the word ecstatic!
    That's great the changes were all good. The changes my publisher has requested have all been good as well. Like you, I'm willing to improve.
    Congratulations again, Donna!

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  17. Wow, Wow and Wow again. I am so excited for you. See change is a good thing. I hope things in your 'other life' settle down soon. Life seems to work itself out, one way or another.

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  18. Donna, how super cool for you at a time when you apparently needed good news the most. It must be exciting to do a rewrite that you don't mind so much. Hope this is the start of something great for you!!

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  19. Congratulations!!! Thank you for sharing your story--it's so fun to hear about other authors' paths to publication! I'm so happy for you!

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  20. Great story, Donna. Congratulations, look forward to hearing more as it happens.

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  21. That's excellent news, Donna, I'm thrilled for you! The publishers sound like good people to work with too, I look forward to following your progress :D

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  22. Congrats, Donna!!! I'm good friends with Michelle Davidson Argyle, who is also published with Rhemalda and LOVES them. I know you'll be treated like gold there. :-)

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  23. I'm so proud of you for digging back in and making things really ROCK in your book! I too liked it the other way, but now I'm excited to read the one they picked. Keep me updated on how you like Rhemalda.

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  24. Donna this is so exciting. To me it seems like just yesterday you were reading my the facebook comment and we were so excited :) I'm sure it feels longer to you.

    I just did and R&R too so this give me tons of hope. How long before they got back to you after the rewrite?

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  25. Congratulations! :) That is so exciting.

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  26. And a big, big SQUEEEE from me too! You so deserve it xxx

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  27. Congratulations! So happy you took on the challenge and revised it to the best of your abilities! Time to break out some champagne and celebrate :)

    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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  28. Donna, I am sooooo happy for you! My hands would be shaking too. Well, probably my entire body. haha Well done, girl!

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  29. Donna!!! I also saw this on the Rhemalda website and I am SOOOOOO EXCITED FOR YOU!! This is just amazing ~ and I know how hard you've worked on this. I wish I had your stamina and drive for revising...and writing...and blogging! Girl, you are pretty amazing and you totally deserve this!! Can't wait to read it again with all your revisions - Love this story, too! Congrats, congrats, congrats!!! :)

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  30. Well deserved. I'm excited to see your book in print.

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  31. That was a great story, Donna! I can't tell you how happy I am for you. :D

    By the way, I love how you phrased the part about the R&R. "I'm willing to consider anything that will make my book the best little story it can be (with my skills at this time—because we’re always looking to improve, right?"

    That's something we would all do well to remember!

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