Ever since I signed my publishing contract last February, I've been waiting for this month. Now it's here!
My book is being released with Cedar Fort in about a week, and I can hardly believe it.
The story centers on my true experience of letting Latter-Day Saint elders into my home and getting to know these guys as people. It's a personal account of our friendship as I explore the LDS faith.
This concept has garnered a variety of reactions over the months. Some people are cautiously optimistic, others are happy to see me succeed, while others express great concern over these "bothersome" Mormons.
In any case, people are having strong reactions to the story--from the synopsis alone. Maybe that's why I found a publisher so fast.
Let's be clear. Part of me is still reeling from how quickly I found a publisher. I finished the book last December, edited it for a month, and then decided that I could start sending it out. The standard wisdom is that it takes forever and a day to get a publishing contract; I assumed that's how it would be with me too. While I thought the manuscript was decent, my goal was to improve it over the months as the rejections poured in.
Only they didn't.
I chose four LDS publishing houses where I could submit my manuscript. They were my top four choices, and I figured they would reject me first. During the interim months, I'd sculpt the manuscript more, remove any jagged edges and submit the story to a second batch of publishers I had chosen.
Everything was progressing nicely when I got my first rejection in an e-mail. Then another one, from a literary agent I had contacted. These two things happened pretty quickly.
Then, one night, when I got home from my day job, the unthinkable happened. My answering machine had a message on it from Cedar Fort asking me to call the acquisitions editor back. I was stunned.
Five weeks after sending my manuscript out, it found a home with one of the biggest LDS publishing houses on the map. I've been on screech every since.
This month my dream will collide with reality. Keep your fingers crossed for me. To read the first 15 pages of the manuscript, you can read the preview here:
http://classic.cedarfort.com/bryce/ebook/9781599554211Sample.pdf
Very cool! Sounds like a great read! I look forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Dan-that is very fast in the publishing world.
ReplyDeleteThank you guys, and I mean that. I can use all the well-wishes and support I can get. My hope is that the LDS audience will appreciate the respect and honesty I put into the story.
ReplyDelete