Every Friday, I will take you on my publishing journey. I will provide a window into the world of an author, my interaction with the publisher, and the marketing/promotions involved.
Last week I turned in my book (untitled, scheduled for release Sept. 07), thereby completing the terms of my contract with my publisher. This means that I have no further commitments for any of my books. This also translates to being currently without a publisher.
First, I spoke with my agent to discuss my plans and goals. Considering that there is about a year (give or take a few months) from the time a book is bought to the time the book is released in stores, my goals must take that timeline into consideration. Therefore any proposals I write from this point, if bought, probably won't be on shelves until 2008. Editors are hard at work filling their slots year to two years in advance.
Since most of my current books are tied to a series, which is dictated by readers' choice, I will continue in this trend for my next proposal. My proposal consists of a synopsis (3-5 pages) and three chapters (15-20 pages per chapter). I'm steadily working on this proposal with a self-imposed deadline to send it to my agent by Monday 1/29.
I started my proposal last week Thursday and planned to have it done earlier this week. However, my plans and reality didn't match. Kids had homework, projects due, and lots of studying for tests with the end of the quarter approaching. Now I'm about a week beyond my goal, but that really doesn't matter. I'm still writing every day. Now I'm on Chapter 2 where I'm filling in some of the background to the characters' relationships. Hopefully I'll have a productive weekend and can send it off to my agent. I'll let you know.
See ya next Friday for my next installment.
Michelle Monkou
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