Publishing a Book is Terrifying
This is just an honest confession about what it’s like to go through the process of getting a book published. This is not a plug for people to chime in here and say things like of course, people will like your book or you’ve worked so hard, you should be proud. On Friday, I received the email from my publisher that said we are officially out of production and on to printing for Diamonds in Auschwitz.
My (brief) Time with a Literary Agent
Two years ago on this day, I signed a literary agency contract with a “bigwig” agent in New York City. Fast forward two years, I’m reminiscing on this day with bittersweet thoughts. And while it didn’t work out, having an agent, especially the agent of my pick at that time, was a dream come true. I didn’t know what I wanted from an agent. I was easily wooed by his numbers of book deals and the names of who he represented. Don’t fall for the first compliment. When the agent called me and said beautiful things about Diamonds in Auschwitz, I was hooked. It wasn’t the path I had in my head, but the destination was the same. And there’s comfort in knowing that the worse can happen, and I can still go on with my literary dreams. I am very excited (and grateful) with the partnership I have with my current publisher.
Things I learned from copyedits
I am getting closer to the publication date of Diamonds in Auschwitz and a completed book! I finished copyediting the entire manuscript. When you read something 1700 times, you’ll second guess yourself. I thought my book would be edited. One and done. All you non-journalism people can celebrate. The very first thing I noticed when I looked at the copy editor’s changes was the death of my AP comma. I’m entirely too wordy. I blame this on my early Tolstoy and Dostoevsky influences. Like everything else in this publishing journey, copy editing was a wonderful learning experience. Round two of publishing?