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.

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Good News!

My writing road took a major turn for the better in the past few weeks, when Agent Gary Heidt of Signature Literary offered to represent me. Yes, I still get a ridiculously silly grin on my face every time I say "my agent". I had the remarkable good fortune of meeting him at the Spring 2009 Writing Away Retreat, where he critiqued 10,000 words of my work-in-progress, a contemporary YA novel.

If you haven't checked out the Fall Writing Away Retreat, do so immediately! It's a fantastic opp, especially for up-and-coming writers. More on that later.

As for Gary—well, what can I say? It’s exhilarating to have someone on my team. He read my middle grade fantasy in a single day and loved it, is enthusiastic about the YA novel he critiqued at the retreat, and we connect on a creative level.

There are no guarantees, of course. I keep telling myself that. I know plenty of writers who have signed with agents and then didn’t sell their books.

But it’s worth a bit of celebration!

:) Cheryl