The next big step
It had been 7 months since I had first reached out to a literary agent to share my heart-filled pages with them. Week after week I sent a few more proposals out into the interwebs without as much as one “Thanks, but no thanks” no-reply email. It was a daunting task: trying to find agents that seemed to share my beliefs and goals for my writing, not to mention ones that were accepting unsolicited proposals for memoirs. I combed through lists of agencies, and then researched what the agencies valued and which agents were employed there. The other issue was that apparently many wordsmiths had dusted off their keyboards during quarantine hoping to be the next best thing. This left agents with an abundance of proposals and little room for first-time authors with no social media following.
Despite the silence, I kept searching for agents and agencies who may be willing to take a risk on me. I stumbled upon West Bow Press, which is a self-publishing subsidiary of Zondervan (a huge name in Christian publishing). That stumble led to a great unearthing of treasure. It almost seemed too good to be true!
The night before my birthday, as Chris and I were driving to a weekend lake stay, I heard one amazing thing after another from the West Bow consultant on the other end of the phone. Frank asked me several questions about my book as well as my reasons and goals for publishing. He suggested a package that contained a long list of resources and opportunities. Resources and opportunities that usually only came with a traditional publishing contract. This was a happy medium between going the self-publishing-via-Amazon route (which wouldn’t garner much credibility — anyone can publish that way), and waiting an indeterminable amount of time to find an agent. Yes, I would have to front the money, but I would have the knowledge of many industry-experts guiding me through the intimidating journey.
Tears welled as I hung up the phone and looked at Chris.
“What an answer to prayer!” I would be working with a Christian company that would support my dream of glorifying God with this story.
Frank sent over the contract, and after reviewing it and checking in with some close contacts who know the industry, I decided to sign with them!
The Following Week
Hit send.
After years of writing, editing, praying, and heart pouring, the last thing I had to do was hit send.
I reread my manuscript for what must have been the hundredth time, and reassured myself that it wasn’t final yet. I could (and would) still make changes. Thankfully, I had received help from family, a few friends, my doctor, and a professional editor (who is now a dear friend). Although I knew the perfection might not be there, the heart certainly was.
Like I said, I have done a lot of pouring of my heart into this book. It is the nitty gritty of all of my 30+ years, and I am finally going to be able to share it with the world. As an artist, I have spent many an hour wondering if people would like my work, if it was good enough to buy, and if it was worth it to keep creating. For the most part, my work has been readily received, although not to any 6-figure success (not that I was looking for that, either). I am grateful that I have not faced ridicule or much negative critique for the pieces of my heart that I’ve shared with the world, but this is a big one.
I finally mustered the courage and hit the button. My manuscript and Submission Information Form (SIF) were now on their way to my check-in coordinator’s inbox. Her response came overnight, and she informed me that the editorial review would take 2-3 weeks.
As I waited, I transferred my cover art ideas from my mind to my iPad. The cover design went through many iterations as I tried to determine all the things. Script font or mixed font for the title? What color background? Should I write my name or type it? I changed my mind more than a few times along the way. I also traveled to the memoir section of my local Barnes and Noble to see what other people’s covers look like. Interesting to say the least - but I didn’t find any that really stuck out to me. I am excited for mine to be on the shelf with the rest of them though!
The next big step: Hear back from the editorial review team.*
Anyone wondering what the title is? If you have any guesses, I’d love to read them in the comments!
*Full disclosure, I am posting this almost 2 months after that phone call with Frank. I have already received my editorial report and will be sharing more soon!*