"Don't Sign the Contract. I'll Call Tomorrow..." – Katherine Reay's Road to Publication

Patricia Beal here :) Please welcome author Katherine Reay to the blog once more. Her fifth novel comes out next week, and she's here today sharing her incredible and most unusual journey to publication. Enjoy! 

How did you get your first publishing contract?

That is such a fun story, and a longish one…

When I started querying for Dear Mr. Knightley, I received over thirty rejections – and those were the agents willing to reply at all. Just as I was about to give up, a small publishing house offered to buy the manuscript for an ebook collection. I’d met the publisher a couple years earlier when DMK was still an idea rather than a novel.

As I printed the contract, my inbox beeped with an email from a writers group. I opened it and found my picture, a random galley shot from a conference, staring back at me under the headline “Why You Need An Agent.” Flabbergasted (that word actually works here!), I immediately wrote the head of the group, explained my situation, noted my picture, and asked if I needed an agent. He wrote back that, yes, an agent was necessary and not to sign any contract without one.

But who? So many agents had turned me down. Instead of going back to any of those agents, I went to my bookshelves and pulled down books I admired. In the acknowledgments, one agency’s name turned up in three books out of ten. I looked up the website, saw a man’s picture, and felt in my heart, “That’s your agent.” It was an agent I hadn’t queried because the website said a writer needed to be previously published. It also said the writer was to write a query and patiently wait – six to eight weeks. I didn’t have six to eight weeks. I had a contract with a deadline. I broke all the rules and called.

I was shocked when the agent called me back, and humiliated when I couldn’t answer any of his questions.

Lee: “Give me your elevator pitch.”
Me: “What’s an elevator pitch?”
Lee: “Give me your story in three minutes.”
Me: “It’s complicated. Can I have ten?”

After what I am sure for Lee was a very frustrating half-hour, he closed with, “I’m not taking you on, but I will help you out. Send me the manuscript and the contract and I’ll call back Monday with my best advice.”

Monday came with no word. Tuesday too. I didn’t have the emotional fortitude to pursue other agents so, on Wednesday, I planned to sign the contract. That morning, a one-line email arrived:

Don’t sign the contract. I’ll call tomorrow… Lee

The next day Lee offered to represent me. He sold Dear Mr. Knightley a couple months later to HarperCollins’ Thomas Nelson imprint, along with two subsequent novels.

A career begins: Katherine Reay and Julie Cantrell with their Carol Awards

There you go… My road to publication. And I did most things wrong… But that’s not even the best part. God doubled down on his love when he gave me Lee for an agent. Lee was one of the most Christ-like men I’ve ever known. In the year we worked together, before he died of cancer, Lee taught me not only how to navigate book writing and publishing, he modeled how to be more a gracious and considerate person.

And that’s what makes my journey to publication so extraordinary. On days when I get caught up in my own problems, irritations and little frustrations, I cast back to this time and I remember.

What’s the best thing about being published?

I won’t lie – it’s thrilling to see your book in print and to know readers enjoy it. It’s fun to share with readers when they write to you and to be a part of a wonderful world of books.

The Austen Escape:  After years of following her best friend’s lead, Mary Davies finds a whimsical trip back to Austen’s Regency England paves the way towards her best future.  

What’s a not so good thing about being published?

While it’s delightful to see your book out in the world, it’s also a very vulnerable position -- not everyone will enjoy it and not every reviewer will be kind. That’s a reality of putting anything out there and fiction is no exception. So each and every day I must remember why I write and let the chaos of publishing, social media chatter, reviews and comparisons fade away and get my job done.

Thanks so much for asking me to be here today. And please find me on social media. I’m always out and about on FB, Twitter, Instagram and on my own website, www.katherinereay.com. 

Katherine Reay is the award-winning author of Dear Mr. Knightley, Lizzy & Jane, The Bronte Plot (an ALA Notable Book Award Finalist), and A Portrait of Emily Price, which released in November 2016 with Starred Reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and a Romantic Times TOP PICK!

The Austen Escape releases November 7, 2017.

All Katherine’s novels are contemporary stories with a bit of classical flair. She holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University and is a wife, mother, rehabbing runner, former marketer, and avid chocolate consumer. 

After living all across the country and a few stops in Europe, Katherine now happily resides outside Chicago, IL.

Connect: www.katherinereay.com

Books: Amazon Author Page

A Tribute to Writers' Spouses — by Patricia Beal

This Saturday, my husband and I will be celebrating 11 years of marriage, and, for half of our time together, I've been working on my debut novel.

Even before I had the idea for A Season to Dance in early 2011, he was already buying writing magazines and books for me, certain that one day my writing dream would come true. Through the years, he has supported the dream emotionally, domestically, and financially, so I thought it fit to pay tribute to him and all writers' spouses out there today.

One of the best ways I gain knowledge, support, and success in the writing life is through writers' conferences. Our spouses should have a conference, too. How great would it be if we could send them to an annual gathering of people who deal with the same things they deal with in the crazy writing life that's their life, too? Here are some of the workshops I believe they should have (veteran spouses and field experts would teach, of course) -

The 100-level classes:

101 - It's okay to let your writer sing "Islands in the Stream" (or other song of choice) 129 times in a row when he/she finishes writing chapter 1 of every novel produced.
102 - How to help your writer practice his/her conference pitch (129 times).
103 - How to be a great body language and sensory detail laboratory without losing your dignity (let your writer touch your cheek and breathe you in many times, so he/she can describe it properly; reach out for your writer's hand many times, so he/she can study what parts of the hands make contact first, and how it feels; and many other potentially awkward and often repetitive explorations).

The 200-level classes:

201 - When you agree to do all the house chores so your writer can work, don't be surprised if he/she spends most or all of that time on social media. That can really be the task at hand for the writer's work day. Take the class to understand why.

202 - How to support your writer during writing contests.

203 - Become an expert on taking social media photos for your writer's online platform. You'll learn to click often and fast and with a smile and proper cheerful attitude.

The 300-level classes:

301 - Publishing as a second language (because a WIP is not a whip, vlog is not a typo, and MS is not multiple sclerosis). Learn the difference between developmental edits, line edits, proofreading, and other terms. You'll hear it (and often pay for it) for years to come--might as well understand it.

302 - The importance of annual conferences and occasional paid professional editors on the path to publication.

303 - Financial planning.

The 400-level classes:

401 - You should only survive on pizza, nuggets, and noodles for so long: Creative meals for the whole family--on a budget.

402 - How to combine family vacations with writers' conferences and book research.

403 - What to do when your writer cries for hours, overwhelmed by the beauty and depth of the characters and stories God has blessed him/her with. 

404 - A lifetime of dreaming big and praying big for two.

By our 2017 anniversary, A Season to Dance will be a 2-month-old book baby, thanks to God and Bling! Romance / Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.

I could not have done it without my husband's unfailing support. Many times I wondered what I would do if I never got published. But that thought never crossed his mind--he always knew that the day would come when a publisher would make an offer, and because he didn't waver, I didn't waver. Thanks, baby!

On Tuesday he will put on his Army uniform for the very last time to "final out" and get his retiree ID card. He wants to go back to college and dreams of getting a walk-on spot on the University of Texas - El Paso (UTEP) football team. At his farewell Friday night, the guys were already chanting: "Rudy! Rudy!" :)

I pray I can be as good to him in his pursuit of a wild dream as he's been to me in the pursuit of mine. "Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!"

Tell me your stories! Who's your main supporter? A friend? Parents? Spouse? What do you think about a spouses' conference? What classes would you add?

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Patricia Beal writes contemporary Christian fiction and is represented by Leslie Stobbe of the Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency. Her debut novel, A Season to Dance, comes out on May 9, 2017 (Bling! / Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas).

She’s a 2015 Genesis semi-finalist and First Impressions finalist. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Cincinnati in 1998 with a B.A. in English Literature and then worked as a public affairs officer for the U.S. Army for seven years. Now, after a 10-year break in service, she is an Army editor. She and her husband live in El Paso, Texas, with their two children.

Goodreads - www.goodreads.com/bealpat

Facebook - www.facebook.com/patricia.beal.author

Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/patriciasbeal

Twitter - www.twitter.com/bealpat

Web - www.patriciabeal.com

You Love Your Facebook Page—Let Your Fans Love It, Too: Boost That Post ~ by Patricia Beal

So much has changed in my life since my last post. My husband retired from the U.S. Army, and I have a day job for the first time in 10 years. I'm back in civil service, writing and editing for the Army like I used to (before my very long baby break). Because that wasn't enough change, we also moved to a different house, a house with trees—a luxury in the El Paso desert. And my car of 16 years gave up on me, so I have a new car, too.

What does any of that have to do with Facebook? One thing: If I'm busy writing about Facebook, I'm not thinking about how scared I am about all that's changing and about my struggle to cope with it. If you're someplace similar, here's a precious sermon my pastor preached in mid-February and that's been a life saver for me: The Survivor's Guide to the Wilderness (the first sermon in this Numbers series, at the bottom of the page).

Enough front matter. Here we go. A bona fide Facebook post.
If you want to see a lot of activity on your Facebook author page, post often, boost your posts, and make sure your posts are uniquely yours (brand) and fun to share.

Post often.
I schedule a post for each day. It goes live at 3 a.m. El Paso time because it catches Brazil waking up (most of my fans are from Brazil, where people love ballet, travel, and Jesus—my brand in a nutshell). You can get away with a post every other day, but don't drop below that. 

Don't stress about Facebook posts constantly either. Schedule dozens of posts in one sitting and then just show up once or twice a day to like comments and show people you appreciate them. I don't have to produce a new post until July. June is already created, scheduled, and boosted.

Boost your posts.
The vast majority (95%+) of the people who've liked your page are not seeing your posts. Unfair? Totally. Can you change that? Not really. Not significantly. No amount of hashtags or targeted images will get the average page user beyond 10% reach.  

You have to boost your posts. With a $3 boost, I can reach between 1,500 and 3,000 of my fans (out of the 7,623 I have), depending on how well the post performs. I also spend $1 a day promoting the page and get about 100 new fans a week. 

Why bother? Why spend? I do it because I love the people and love the interaction. I have fans from almost 50 countries following me, and I love them all. I gave up gourmet coffee and brew something simple at home instead, so I can reach as many fans as possible with my posts. 

But don't spam when you boost. I made that mistake in the beginning. When you click on the boost rectangle, select "people who've liked your page" only. If you're creating an ad for a book you're promoting, then it's okay to target beyond your page fans.

Make sure your posts are uniquely yours (brand) and fun to share.
Sometimes I think that too many Christian author pages look the same, sound the same, and feel the same. Don't be afraid to brand yourself and be different.

Explore what's uniquely yours. I have the ballet thing going. Candee Fick and Kelli Hughett have football. Candee is now getting her fans into tap dancing, too. K.S. Moore has NASCAR. Have fun with it. 

And when people share your awesome posts, you often get new fans, so make sure you keep that in mind when creating content. Feel free to poke around my page. On Sunday I had 24 shares + 12 on Monday + 19 on Tuesday: www.facebook.com/patricia.beal.author 

These are my main ideas, but there's so much about Facebook that I don't know. How do you manage your page? What are your tricks?

Patricia Beal writes contemporary Christian fiction and is represented by Leslie Stobbe of the Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency. Her debut novel, A Season to Dance, comes out in May of 2017 (Bling! / Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas). 

She’s a 2015 Genesis semi-finalist and First Impressions finalist. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Cincinnati in 1998 with a B.A. in English Literature and then worked as a public affairs officer for the U.S. Army for seven years. She and her husband live in El Paso, Texas, with their two children. 


Patricia is very active online and loves to connect with readers. 

Goodreads - www.goodreads.com/bealpat 
Facebook - www.facebook.com/patricia.beal.author 
Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/patriciasbeal 
Twitter - www.twitter.com/bealpat 
Web - www.patriciabeal.com

An Author's Hope: Guest Post by Angie Dicken

Hi! This is Patricia. I am happy to introduce my writer friend Angie Dicken. You might know her from the popular writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. Enjoy Angie's guest post.

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Over the past few years, I have understood the nature of hope, especially as an aspiring author. It's a funny thing—hope. It's an energy that might swell like a swollen ocean at one moment, or dissolve into a flimsy fragment that slips between your grasping fingers the next. Hope is ever-changing, and mostly, ever-present. And this ebb and flow is good, because it pushes us toward a dream, or calms us in the midst of a storm. 

During this writing journey, there have been a few times that I have felt hope vanish completely, only to realize it was hiding out around the next bend. It was still there. And the only way I could grasp it again was by moving forward. Taking those steps and finding my way toward it. Getting past the finite disappointment of this journey's pot holes, and remembering hope is infinite, as the good Martin Luther King Jr. once declared, 

It's difficult to accept and get past the disappointment, isn't it? The disappointment overwhelms me after writing that story that just misses the market, the one that I felt sure that God had placed on my heart and knew it was meant to be written. The shadow of a rejection chases my hope around the bend, leaving me breathless and unable to search for it again. 

What is the point of all those words, all that time? I don't want to accept it. 

The finite disappointment arrives in the sting of criticism, the harsh reality that I have a huge amount of work ahead of me, and I'll lose sight of the hope that flickers from beneath the effort needed. I grow weary and defeated. 

What is the point of wasting the energy now, after so much energy has been spent? 

Sometimes, I feel so completely hopeless that I wonder if it's this writing journey has come to an end. But, it's when I look back at all that I've learned, and then step forward toward that next bend, that I discover that pesky hope again, and all is not lost. 

Have you bought into the lie that once hope is out of sight, the journey is over? If this writing journey is truly ours, then our hope is infinite in what the future might hold for our words. 

If you are anything like me, clinging to hope, whether it be a kind word, a contest win, or a coveted request for a full manuscript, keeps me going forward no matter how small a glimmer. 

Hope is infinite. 

I look back on my ten year journey as an author and I don't just see baby steps and lessons, heartaches and rejections, friendships and business ventures, but I see a path chiseled and defined by that infinite hope. It's the fact that I got to that next page, the effort a friend took to critique my work as if it had potential, the agent taking a chance and adding me to her client list. It's the click in my brain when harsh contest feedback actually makes sense and pushes my story to a new level. It's the editor, who had turned down my book, and then decides to pick it up again and give it another chance (true story). 

I may not have arrived to the place where hope turns into that bright shiny future of publication that I expect, but I see hope all around me, and whether it growing bigger and brighter, or slips just around the bend, I am confident it is waiting for me to catch up. 

What more could a writer ask for, than hope? 

* MLK quote photo from Brainyquote.com. 

Angie Dicken first grew her love for story during her British education as an American transplant in the heart of East Anglia. She then “grew up” on the Shakespearean stage in high school and studied abroad in Europe during college. There's no doubt that her world travels inspire Angie to write fiction about strong women seeking God’s grace beyond cultural and social boundaries. Currently, Angie has completed six full-length novels. She has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and is a regular contributor for the popular writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. Angie is an ACFW member, has attended six ACFW conferences, and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. 

Follow Angie at: 
Writing Blog: www.thewritersalleyblog.com 
Personal Blog: www.angiedicken.blogspot.com 
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/dicken.angie 
Twitter: www.twitter.com/angiedicken 
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/agdicken

Guest Post by Rachel McMillan - Write Where You Know

It's my absolute pleasure to introduce to the ICFW podium, a friend to many of us, Rachel McMillan. Rachel lives in Toronto and is soon (very soon, in fact)  to have her first works published. 2016 is going to be a big year for Rachel and her two lady detectives. Rachel has a great post to share with is, one that most of us can very easily relate to. In addition, Rachel and I will be chatting on the blog in 2 weeks so do come back.

Please give Rachel a hearty ICFW welcome.

Last December I signed a contract with Harvest House publishers for three novels and three e-novellas featuring two trouser-wearing, mystery solving Sherlockian lady detectives in the Edwardian era. You’re thinking: this premise + the CBA…are you nuts? To add to the crazy, the proposed series was set in Toronto, Canada where I live.

We’ve all heard it: write what you know.  But I wanted to write about where I know. And in some cases, the where was a contributing factor to some of the rejections I received on my proposed manuscript. It wasn’t rare for my agent and I to receive an email pass that mentioned that their publishing program was invested in historical fiction set in America, even as the last few years have seen that landscape change providing readers stories from a variety of international locales. I even contributed a list to Novel Crossing called Beyond the Borders focusing on some of these international locations.

When I first talked to my agent about the international setting, I made sure that she knew that it was a deal-breaker for me to set at least part of the series in my beautiful Canadian city. When I met with editors at ACFW, I made sure that they knew it was hill I would die on, too.  While we were sure my high concept would provide buzz and capitalize on the steady growth of romantic suspense, I needed to make sure that I could keep my Canadian setting.

But, like any CBA author, I had spent time and research aware of the publishing world, focusing on things that would make my project saleable. Indeed, with the notable exception of Janette Oke, Canada isn’t always a setting prominently represented in the CBA. Because the majority of CBA publishers are located in America, the majority of books published are set in America for the vast number of American Christian readers.

I spent years as an enthusiast of CBA fiction, as a reviewer and influencer, aware of this climate and understanding of this climate.  I took the time to learn about the CBA  publishing spectrum and was able to make a case for my Canadian setting if it ever came time to discuss it.

While one rejection mentioned that the Toronto setting was “exotic” (which made me laugh a little, I confess), I made sure that my series was inclusive of the American readers and publishers noting that with difficult sales, it has become more important than ever for publishers to be able to look to projects that are saleable.

I had the high concept that made several publishers take several glances at my hook but I needed to make sure that said pitch reflected popular tropes in the CBA.

While I was crafting the three-book series ( and believe me, I know how rare it is for a debut author in this day and age to sell a 3 book series off the bat), I took into account what make American publishers  might take notice of.

I made sure that my second proposed novel had a prominent American setting: in A Lesson in Love and Murder by lady detectives are employed to help stop an assassination attempt on Theodore Roosevelt.   

But I also made sure that 1910s Toronto (which was still very much a British-influenced Colonial setting) reflected that which was integral to my country’s burgeoning culture: I introduce a Mountie (red serge and all) as a major character and I take the series in the Great War, where Canadians fought with Britain from as early as 1914.

If you are attempting to publish with one of the major US CBA publishers, it is important to recognize that several publisher’s programs (especially during this uncertain time  of book sales) will want to reflect the interest and location of their largest majority of readers---U.S. based readers.  In a climate of uncertain sales, this is quite logical.

But you, international author, should still ensure you are including something indigenous to where you are and infusing the expanding CBA landscape with something unique and fresh.

As international authors it is not as easy for us to visit our publishers, to attend conferences and maybe (despite the great ACFW efforts) easy for us to join a branch of the ACFW.  That being said, we have a great many things at our disposal: Social Media, Publisher’s Blogs, Twitter and Email.  Make sure that you read and learn about the fictional landscape you are approaching. Make sure that you have a specific reason why you are choosing to set your precious book in an area close to your heart and make sure that while you might have one or two fictional “hills you will die on” , that you prove malleable and teachable.

Now more than ever, the CBA is looking for fiction set in unique places and it is a prime time for you, fair author, to take the reins.

Rachel McMillan is a keen history enthusiast and a lifelong bibliophile. When not writing or reading, she can most often be found drinking tea and watching British miniseries. Rachel lives in bustling Toronto, where she works in educational publishing and pursues her passion for art, literature, music, and theatre.

Rachel can be found in the following places on the web:

Website: www.rkmcmillan.com
Bookish Ramblings: A Fair Substitute for Heaven
Twitter: @rachkmc
Instagram: @rachkmc
Facebook: rachkmc1

Rachel's first novella and novel are available for pre-order. Here are the links:

The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder 

A Singular and WhimsicalProblem (releases Dec 1)

A Season to Dance: The Book That Wrote Me

When I wrote the first line of my first novel in January of 2011, I wanted to get published because I was desperate to feel important.

I finished writing A Season to Dance that fall and hired coach Gloria Kempton via Writer’s Digest to look at the whole thing and tell me if it was any good.

She saw potential in the story of a small-town professional ballerina with big dreams, but explained I needed a clearer quest, more telling details, better scene structure, and better balance between sequels and dramatic scenes. I joined Gloria’s critique group and spent a year rewriting.

During that year, my husband got orders to move the family from Fort Benning, Georgia, to Germany, and he deployed for the sixth time soon after we settled on a lovely mountaintop in Idar-Oberstein.

When I finished rewriting, Gloria said the novel looked good and had everything a novel was supposed to have. But… “Something’s still missing. I don’t know what it is. We’ve covered it all.”

So of course I did what any writer desperate for validation would do. I told my coach that surely nothing was missing and that it was time to query. I hired a service to blast queries everywhere for me. I know… Shame on me… But God used that.

God’s Plan—Phase One

One query ended up with Mrs. Joyce Hart, of Hartline Literary. The novel wasn’t Christian—I wasn’t a Christian. She shouldn’t have received my query. But she did. She sent me a note saying she liked the storyline but that in Christian novels the protagonist couldn’t live with her love interest without being married. She was very kind and said that if she was missing the point and if the novel was indeed Christian that I should resubmit explaining the living together piece.

When I read it I laughed and rolled my eyes. I started typing a condescending reply. Something about Christian fairy tale brains and me living in the real world, but I decided not to send it.

Days passed. A week passed. A month passed. And all I did was collect rejections. I became bitter. Bitterly sad at first. Then bitterly discouraged. And then bitterly ugly. I’d never been ugly before. Not like that.

See, up to that point, I’d believed that there was some kind of “god” and that somewhere, somehow, being good was right and that it paid off. But with the disappointments of the publishing journey those beliefs became a joke to me. I stood in the middle of my empty German kitchen—husband deployed, kids at school, my first dog had just died. And I looked at that inbox full of rejections and stated to whomever or whatever was out there: “God is dead.”

Mercy. Surely I said that to the “god” of my imagination, and not to the real God—God as He reveals Himself in the Bible. But I know that He was in that kitchen with me. And phase two of His plan was about to start.

Luke 22:31-32: “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”

God’s Plan—Phase Two

As I lost all restraint and became the worst version of myself, God removed me from my green German mountaintop. 

After less than eighteen months in Germany, we were sent back to America, to the Chihuahuan Desert in West Texas. To a place called Fort Bliss—a place from which you can see a Mexican mountain with the words: “Cd. Juárez. La Biblia es la verdad. Leela.” That translates to “City of Juárez. The Bible is the truth. Read it.” Gotta love it. God is good.

During the first six months back in America, I went to two secular writers’ conferences and met more rejection. My lack of restraint and my selfishness didn’t really make me happy. I wanted to go to therapy. I wanted a job. I still dreamed of that book deal that had to be just around the corner. I wanted, I wanted…

But nothing happened, and it didn’t matter how hard I tried to get help, get happy, and find any kind of relief for the pain I felt. Nothing. Happened. I’d never seen so many closed doors—slammed-shut doors—ever in my life. Even the shrink kept double booking, closing early, and somehow cancelling on me. It was ridiculous.

The One Open Door

When God planted our family in the desert, He planted us two blocks from a friend from the Fort Benning years. A friend whose claim to fame was church shopping whenever the Army moved her family. I asked her to take me to church on the first Wednesday of January of 2013. 

I fell in His arms. Surrendered, defeated, and dependent. Or what God likes to call—ready. I was born again two weeks later and was baptized on Super Bowl Sunday that February.

Gloria’s “Something Missing”

I had tickets to go to New York for the Writer’s Digest conference that spring, but sometime in March, it dawned on me: “You silly goose of a girl. You wrote a salvation story without the salvation piece.” My first coach, Gloria Kempton, had been right all along. There was something missing!

A Season to Dance isn’t just the story of a small-town professional ballerina who dreams of dancing at the Met in New York and the two men who love her. It’s also the story of a girl desperately trying to fill the God-shaped hole in her heart with often misguided career and romantic pursuits.

I deleted Mrs. Hart’s email that week. Yes, it was still in my inbox. Job well done, Mrs. Hart.

Now, I had work to do. I spent 2013 and the first half of 2014 rewriting the novel. Five ladies from my Sunday school read chapter after chapter as I produced them and cheered me on through that gruesome process. I couldn’t have done it without their support. God is good.

Jeff Gerke edited my novel in the summer of 2014 and had me read Robert McGee’s The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes. God is good.

I went to my first Christian writers conference, the ACFW 2014 in St. Louis. Two weeks later, Les Stobbe offered to represent me. God is good.

ACFW 2015 was fantastic and many houses are looking at that first manuscript. God is good.

My family got saved, too. My husband in July of 2013. Our son in December of 2013. My mom in the fall of 2014. And our little girl just this past summer, the summer of 2015. God is amazingly good.

How about you? How has God used your writing to grow you?

Patricia is from Brazil and immigrated to America in 1992. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Cincinnati in 1998 with a B.A. in English Literature. She's been stationed in Germany twice, first as a public affairs officer for the U.S. Army and later as an Army wife. She and her husband live in El Paso, Texas, with their two children.

Facebook - www.facebook.com/patricia.beal.author
Twitter - www.twitter.com/bealpat
Web - www.patriciabeal.com

What On Earth Takes So Long? Behind the Scenes from Book Contract to (not quite) Publication

Since I signed my publishing contract with Howard in February I've been asked a few variations on the question of "Why is it taking so long for your book to come out?" So today, for all of those who wonder why on earth it takes fourteen months (in my case) to go from contract signing to book publication, I thought I'd share a little bit about what had been going on behind the scenes :)

February: signed contract - hurrah!

March/April
Macro edits (also known as developmental edits). This was the point where I got a twelve page memo from my editor with overarching comments like "your heroine's character arc needs strengthening" and "I'd like you to think about changing X part of the plot to Y" and "I think you should consider removing X characters and replacing them with Y type of characters". I got four weeks to pull Close To You apart, apply her comments, and put them back together again :)

May
Line edits. This was where my editor went through the whole book line by line and made specific comments about each scene. And I did more rewrites :)

May/June
Cover and title development. We started with over thirty potential cover options and quickly narrowed it down to a short list and then the preferred option.

July
Line edits round #2: After I'd gone through my editor's line edits and submitted my changes an associate editor then went through the book again and made her comments line by line and I got to do it all over again :)

July
Cover and title finalised. It starts getting real...

August
Copy edits: In this edit a new editor went through at a very detailed level. She specifically looked at sentence structure, spelling, continuity issues, grammar, and fact checked everything. I went through and answered a whole lot of questions, okayed most of her changes and explained why I didn't want to accept others.

September/October
In the US sales teams sell into retail six months in advance. At this point Close To You went into the Howard/Simon and Schuster sales catalogue for the sales team as one of they Spring 2016 books to talk to retailers about.

October
First proof edits: this is the first time I got to see what Close To You will look like typeset as a book. Hurrah! After so many edits you'd think there wouldn't be much left to find? Wrong! I flagged up almost 200 changes that needed to be made.

October
Galleys sent to potential endorsers: Last week my publisher sent copies of Close To You to five authors who we are hoping will read it and, if they like it, write an endorsement to go inside the front cover. This is particularly important when you're a debut author so some readers will take a chance on you based on if another author they like recommends your book.

At the same time as all of this I've been writing Book #2 that is due in this month, getting my website designed, growing my social media presence, doing my "real" day job and chasing after my two pre-schoolers, among a range of other things :) Oh, and eating quite a few of these...

Over the next couple of month there will be a final set of proofs which will be signed off to go to print. Then, early next year the publisher will send copies to book reviewers in the hope that some will review Close To You in April when it comes out.

In February-April there will be a whole range of marketing activity to try and generate interest in the book and encourage pre-orders (which are really important but that's a whole different conversation!). And then FINALLY on April 26, Close To You will officially be released!

So that's the process (as I've experienced it!). Every publisher is different but would love to answer any questions and chat about the last eight months and what is still to come!

Kara Isaac lives in Wellington, New Zealand. Her debut romantic comedy, Close To You, is about a disillusioned academic-turned-tour-guide and an entrepreneur who knows nothing about Tolkien who fall in love on a Tolkien themed tour of New Zealand. It will be an April 2016 release from Howard Books. When she's not working her day job as a public servant, chasing around a ninja preschooler and his feisty toddler sister, she spends her time writing horribly bad first drafts and wishing you could get Double Stuf Oreos in New Zealand. She loves to connnect on Facebook at Kara Isaac - Writer and Twitter @KaraIsaac