Most people know it's not easy to write a book, let alone sell one. But there is an opinion bubbling up that once you've crossed some invisible line in the sand to the "published" beach, it's all palm trees and cabana boys. Pink Heart Society editor with local ties Jenna Bayley-Burke is on deck, wondering just how she missed that particular wave...
"Want to know a secret? I sold the first book I ever finished. Want to know the real secret? It wasn't easy. Yes, the story came to me like magic and it flowed from my fingertips...and then I had to take that magic and weave it into something that resembled an actual story. So much of writing is rewriting. You can look down your nose at me because I said I enjoyed writing it, I don't mind. I really did love it.
Selling that first book was a great ride. My editor didn't like the other five books I'd written (yep, from finishing the first book to selling it, I wrote 5 more. It took that long for my 'fast' sale), so we started a new one and it went from idea to contract in six weeks. Fabulous, right? This is the stuff people think of when they decide to start writing. They don't think of the months that book spent crossing the ocean during the revision process, because hey, that's not so fun to blog about. Writers, especially romance writers, need to have an aura of positivity to craft these happily-ever-after tales and so we tend to edit out the soul-zappingly hard bits when we tell our own story. But here goes...
After the first two books, I got a new editor. We could not communicate. We both tried like crazycakes to make it work, but after burying four partials and two books, it was obvious to all we were missing some critical part that made the editor-author relationship work. Readers and aspiring writers rarely hear about editor issues because authors need to be professional. Mine was a very mild issue - we ran parallel, but couldn't connect. There are some other stories that would make for great books...
I got another editor and things were swimming along...until we both got pregnant. Yep, fertility abounds in the romance novel industry :) We worked out a book, I turned it in and had my baby. My editor's due date was months ahead, I expected to hear back about the time my baby brain fog lifted. Except she had a premie, so I came back to a new editor and that book sat. For a year.
Another editor came my way and we worked out three stories that never made it past the partial stage. And then she had a baby (I'm not kidding about this baby thing, we're swimming in babies!). So, another editor took me on and looked at the whole of what had happened since that second book, read the book I'd turned in pre-baby, and realized that line direction had shifted so much we could no longer make that book work. And wouldn't it be great to just start over...
A lot of things contribute to pauses in an authors career, some happy like marriage and babies, some not like your best friend's cancer diagnosis and three family members dying in six weeks. And that's aside from writers block, having to re-learn how to type after wrist surgery, moving, babies, PTA, the moving target of what a series is looking for in category romance...it's endless really. All those things that keep you from writing the first one, are still there after you sell. And while I do hope that having had those two books gives me some credit in the eyes of an editor, I have gotten to know them well enough to say that what matters to them most is a great story.
Lots of authors have had years between books. Few share why. Since I'm going to be documenting my submissions next year with the Slushing Through column, I thought it might help to shine a light on what happens between sales. It isn't easy, but it is supposed to be fun."
For more info: You can buy Jenna's latest book Compromising Positions here
Comments
Jenna! What a great post! I read what happened with your editors and I think tears came to my eyes! Jeez! Probably because I'm one of those--the one that gets darned close and then something happens. I can't even tell you how many times something like that has happened to me. While all my friends who were trying to sell when I was have gone on to become bestselling authors(most of them) here I am like the plague! I've had editors get promotions--back then I was glad I got the senior Ed's interest--I thought--hey maybe they won't get pregnant and go on leave. Um, left the department. Another become a producer. Recently got really close and they left the company all together. There are others. Bottom line is that connecting with ONE editor is hard enough and this process takes years. So here I am, still waiting for that CALL. Sometimes I feel like I outta wear dark shades . . .
Thanks for sharing! Good luck with your latest!
Thanks for sharing the reality of what it's like from both a writer's and editor's position. Writing, as you say isn't easy nor does it come in perfectly flawless packages. As you point out, some stories flow right through you, others are worse then pulling teeth but the valuable treasure in it like you state, is that you LOVE doing it.
There are no gurantees, you're absolutely right and life happens to both writers and editors. But it's through passion and perservence and a heck of a lot of hard work for all to see and bring a book into life.
Thanks again...
Hi Jenna, I (ego boost) googled myself today and saw that you had read my story Ten The Hard Way as part of the 100 shorts. So... I believe I can take it, what did you think?
I think I'll pass on this article to my friends and family, because they all believe that magical line does exist in the sand... Kudos to you for sticking to it and trudging on. That's what it takes to be a real writer, published or not.
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