While the hard work of “published author” becoming a reality is in full swing, this post will share a few finer details of the past several months and how it happened for me. First, I started a blog. That is sort of a joke, but also a vital part of the story. Next, lots of time passed! This site began in February 2012 and I have been plugging away since. You could say the biggest step in this whole process was just keeping at it day in and day out. The blog was never a means to the end of book publishing, but it is what helped me get there.
Then, about three years in, I got an e-mail in my inbox from the editorial director for gift books at HarperCollins Christian Publishing. She found my blog through pinterest and said she thought I might be a good fit to write a devotional, cookbook, or hybrid of both. She mailed me some copies of similar books they have put out and I proceeded to scream. (Really, getting free copies of books has been one of the parts that had me most giddy. I just love books. This is such a small detail, but funny.)
She said if I had any interest we should set up an appointment. She asked if I had an agent who needed to be present on the call. I did not have an agent. I blog in my living room between changing diapers and vacuuming.
I promptly e-mailed the only two people I know at all involved in the publishing world. My main question was – do I need an agent? I learned most first time authors do not have one, but they both have really loved working with theirs. Also, one of them explained having a publisher approach you is pretty special (dying) and it could be a good time to use the leverage to secure a great agent.
I asked who a certain well known author has as his agent because, of course, I decided he should be mine too? I wrote him, Andrew Wolgemuth, and we chatted on the phone. He agreed to be with me on the coming conference call with HarperCollins and in the coming weeks as things continued to progress, we signed on together. He has been fantastic and I would undoubtedly say hiring him has been the best choice for me.
After the publisher and I got to know each other over a few phone calls, she requested I put together a book proposal. This is not usually the order people’s publishing journey goes (to my understanding). It normally progresses: write a proposal, get an agent, shop proposal around to publishers, get a publisher.
The proposal was mostly creating and running with a vision for what a book I would like to write would be. This was then shown to the marketing and sales team. They used it to decide if 1) they really did want to make my book and 2) how many they project to sell. That information and their estimates are how they write an offer. They sent Andrew and I the formal contract (with numbers, deadline, and some creative stuff). We negotiated some pieces of it and then signed.
This brings us up to the point in the process where I am currently, writing and photographing my way to the deadline. That reminds me, I never really said what my book is about! It is going to be a cookbook about hospitality, building community through food, and food based tradition – due on shelves Fall of 2016.
