Let's hear some success stories!

I shopped my first novel for quite awhile, trying to land an agent. Got one and worked with him for a year with no success. We parted ways and I began again, this time directly to publishers. That took almost another year but it sold, was nominated for an OLA White Pine Young Readers Choice Award and remains on high school reading programs in Ontario and New Brunswick. It can be a really long haul to publication. Determination and patience are necessary qualities for most writers. If I can do it so can anyone else. Good luck to you!
Linnea

I'd been in the public service for so long I was sure all my creativity had been well and truely crushed. So I wanted to do a course on novel writing but a pre-requisite for that course was short story writing. I reluctantly agreed and wrote about ten stories and passed the course. I was immediately glad I had done this. One of the stories gained recognition in a contest then another was accepted for an anthology. I now have another three of the stories in a second anthology.

All this was good stuff when I started to contact publishers (I didn't bother with agents). After I published the first book (YA historic fantesy with a lot of research into that period of history) I found that I could give talks to Seniors groups about writing and getting published, and they'd buy copies of the book for their grandkids. Then I found all sorts of reading challenges exist in the Education Department and now the book is approved for one of those. That gives me a toe in the door of government schools and I've now spoken to hundreds of kids in creative writing classes.

My second book is out later this year and both books have been accepted for publication in Canada and USA. So, for me, there wasn't too much difficulty getting started, and once I'd started so many other doors seem to open like magic.

I'm on Chapter Nine of the second draft of my WIP. Damn, it's going to be good.

I received my author copy of the Doctor Who anthology I have a short story in just in time for Balticon. Talk about great timing.

I moderated three panels at Balticon and no one threw things at me or walked out, so I guess we did OK there too.

It took me about eight months to get an agent. A very good one, too. So it can happen. (We parted amicably after almost two years for reasons other than that one novel.) And I have to say, all the time I put in to writing, comes back ten-fold. I know I'm a better writer now than I was even a year ago.

Hey, congrats to everyone who shared! Ah, the fruit of hard work is sweet.

My success thus far remains to be seen - I have a full out with a really good agent whom I would LOVE to have. I'm mostly hopeful because after seeing only two pages that I attached to the query letter, the agent requested the full. From what I've read, the agent usually requests partials first. So... success (!) even if nothing comes of it.

Mr. Anonymous said:

Here's my situation. I submitted a ton of new queries Thursday night. Since then, I've been swamped with partial requests (and a few fulls).

Click to expand...

Yeah, must be tough.

caw

Mr. Anonymous said:

Here's my situation. I submitted a ton of new queries Thursday night. Since then, I've been swamped with partial requests (and a few fulls).

Click to expand...

Congrats and good luck. No doubt well deserved.

JJ

I just had an incredibly uplifting and humbling experience: someone I interviewed for my book (more than a year ago) recommended me as a consultant to a potential client. I start the new project in two weeks. I am so excited to help these folks and the students who will benefit. It wasn't six degrees of separation but only two. I am truly doing the work that I love...far beyond writing the book!

Thanks for creating this thread to remind us all to celebrate!