Happy Days are here again...
It's official. On Thursday, November 16, 2007 at 7PM I signed three copies of a contract with Cerridwen Press/Ellora's Cave. They are publishing A Smuggled Rose as part of their new Cotillion line of traditional Regency romances. It should be out sometime around May 2007.
I love my editor. I love the publisher. I love my agent, who sweated and worked long hours over the contract. I love the world. I love any potential readers I may get.
A Smuggled Rose started out life as Perchance to Dream and finaled in several writing contests. Several agents and editors were mildly interested in it, but because I wrote it about a year before the NY publishers finally closed their trad Regency lines for good, ultimately, no one took it on as a project. I'm so relieved that Regencies are not completely dead, although I'm a little worried that it may only be available as an e-book. I'm hoping they can at least do some print runs.
What is so nice about this is that I have several more already written, and now, they may actually have a home. Assuming my luck changes. I didn't say anything to my editor, but my writing career has had some strange intersections with the rest of the world.
Two of the agents who were interested in this manuscript suffered the loss of family members while considering it.
Two of my other manuscripts were sitting in editors' offices, with editors interested in them, only to discover that the lines the manuscripts were intended for closed and/or terminated.
One hopes this ill wind has finally died down.
It's a little scary, though, to have my toe in the door. I still want that big, NY contract with print runs starting at 20-30,000, instead of the slightly less exuberant expection of selling 1,000 copies with luck, but that's 1,000 copies I wouldn't sell otherwise, and 1,000 readers (one hopes) and I'm good with that.
I also plan to promote the dickens out of this.
So, I'm one step further along in this wild trip. I've even got a new website, specifically for my Regencies, at http://www.amycorwin.com so I'm gearing up. I'm official now. I really am a writer--and not only that--I'm an author!
6 comments:
Congratulations! It must feel so good to have signed those contracts. I'm hoping I'll be doing the same in the not-too-distant future.
Naomi:
Thank you! It feels wonderful and a little scary, because now three is a lot of work to be done. But I'm totally up for it and can't wait until I see something of mine finally reach readers.
Hope you get published, too! It's sometimes a tough row to hoe but I think it is worth it.
CONGRATS! I'm so happy for you! And why haven't I seen this on the HCRW loop yet, huh? Everyone else will be all a-flutter too! :-)
Thanks Sonja, I actually had it "announced" in the HCRW newsletter, but maybe folks missed it. I'll try to gird my loins and post it to the loops, too.
Here's hoping everyone finds the editor and publisher of their dreams...and their dreams turn into reality.
Thanks Sonja, I actually had it "announced" in the HCRW newsletter, but maybe folks missed it. I'll try to gird my loins and post it to the loops, too.
Here's hoping everyone finds the editor and publisher of their dreams...and their dreams turn into reality.
Congratulations, Amy! I remember seeing "Perchance to Dream" finalling in some contests - good for you! As for Regencies, I think they'll actually make a comeback. Most genres go in and out of favor for a while, so hang in there.
In fact, I was just considering my own reading preferences last night and noticed how I started with regencies, moved to historicals, then time-travels, then vampire/werewolves, then wizards/witches, and now I've come full circle to regencies again. There's still an audience! :)
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