Monday Inspiration: First Sale Tales!

Last week, I got to participate vicariously in something wonderful and exciting: Twitter friend Jenny Torres Sanchez (@jetchez) on Twitter sold her first book! I read her announcement on Twitter and her blog recounting her initial reaction, and I basked in the shared joy.

On the road to selling a novel, “wins” can be few and far between. It takes a loooong time to write a book, and even longer to learn the craft required to write a good book. What keeps you going along the way? Jenny’s recent book sale reminded me that sharing other writers’ successes is a great way to stay energized and motivated, so I thought I’d collect tales of writers’ book sales here, stories of celebration for inspiration and encouragement.

 

Jenny Torres Sanchez: (from the PW announcement) Jenny Torres Sanchez’s debut GOODBYE, CHARLIE, pitched as John Green’s Paper Towns meets Sasha Paley’s Huge about a former fatboy’s struggles with food, an unattainable girl, and a falling-apart family, to Marlo Scrimizzi at Running Press Teens, by Kerry Sparks at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency(World). Read her initial reaction in her blog post “Good News”.

Jody Hedlund: Author of The Preacher’s Wife, from Bethany House Publishers. The title of her announcement post says it all “I GOT A BOOK CONTRACT!!!!!”

Jordan Dane: Author of No One Heard Her Scream shares how she sacrificed a body part for her first sale.

These stories were harder to locate than I expected. If you know of others, please let me know—I’ll add them to the list!

*Balloon photo courtesy of alibree on Flickr Commons.