Nat's Notes:
Adventures in Publishing

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Readers Room.com is excited to announce this new feature which will follow an author through the process of New York publishing, from a book sale to the book release. Many people wonder what happens after a book is sold to a large publisher. Natalie is wondering, too. Read along on the 15th of every month, as she explains the process--or at least gives it her best shot.

By Natalie R. Collins

MAGIC POTIONS--These days, I get a lot more email from people I don't know than I used to. Most of the correspondence is from novelists who are searching for an agent or publisher, and most of it is asking for my help. The problem is, I don't have a magic potion that makes any of this easy. In fact, until last November, I was just another e/POD published author trying to sell a manuscript to a big New York publisher.

Nevertheless, because I have "crossed over" (not to be confused with that John Edwards psychic show), I suppose it seems I might have a few answers that writers are seeking. But do I really? I'll let you be the judge. I received an email from an aspiring author the other day, and I will reprint it here, with her permission, along with my response.

Dear Natalie:

I am a newspaper reporter who has written her first novel. Actually, it's the first piece of fiction I have ever written. The book is about a newspaper reporter (they say write what you know) and it has now been read by four people. They have all said it's great ... with a few little flaws that need to be fixed. I can fix the flaws. The problem is, how do you get the courage to actually send it to an agent?"--Jerrie Whitely

Hello Jerrie,

Congratulations, you've taken the first step. You wrote the novel. Now start submitting, and wait six years. Think I'm kidding? I'm not. But you can't do anything else but write, rewrite, revise, submit and persevere for those six years. I wrote my first book, SisterWife, six years ago. Up until that time, I spent 11 years working for The Salt Lake Tribune, then freelanced from home for a few years, until I finally decided to write "The Novel." And after I wrote it, I bought the agent book, and started the queries, figuring it would take a couple of weeks to land myself an agent. Boy was I dumb. In my first letters that went out, I didn't even put SASEs in. The only response I got from that was from a scam agent. Like I said, dumb. I sure didn't know what was ahead, or how long it would take me. I actually was lucky, I think, because in my first few months of querying I ran across two agents, Jeff Kleinman and Liza Dawson, who, even in their rejection, encouraged me enough that I didn't quit--even through the subsequent hundreds of rejections I received on SisterWife and the next two novels I wrote. Neither one of these agents now represents me, but I will never forget their encouragement, kindness, and the simple courtesy they extended me.

One thing I have noted is this. It seems to me that in the publishing world, rejection runs in levels. The worst rejection of all is a scribbled "not for me" on your original query. The next level up is the "Dear Author" form rejection that agents have printed up in mass quantities. When you reach the personal rejection, with a reason why they are opting not to take on your material, you know you are almost there. Unfortunately, it can take YEARS to get to that point. I know it did with me.

So, my suggestion is make sure this novel is edited as well as it can possibly be and then suck it up and start sending queries. I recommend querying agents that accept e-queries. I've found they are more open to new writers. Be prepared for rejection. You will get a lot of it, even if your novel is the next GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL. Keep a sense of humor, eat chocolate when you are depressed about your rejections (or have a few beers), and keep submitting.

It's worth it. I have a dream editor now, a dream agent, a two-book contract with St. Martin's Press, and my first book is due out in hardback in the fall.

I may not be an overnight success, and, in fact, whether I am a success at all is still up in the air, since the book is not yet published, but I believe my perseverance, determination, and obsessive rewriting finally paid off. Check back in October to see whether or not I'm right.

Do you have questions or comments about Natalie's adventure in publishing? She'd love to hear from you. Contact her at: ReadersRoom2@aol.com

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