July 4, 2006 | writing
In what is quite possibly the quickest response I’ve ever received for a manuscript, my Mills and Boon editor emailed yesterday to send me revisions on my Modern Extra. (I’d sent it in on Friday morning.) The changes are very minor and easily made, and mostly involve cutting my more heavy-handed sexual innuendoes. She liked the characters, the story, and even the pigeon.
So I guess it didn’t suck too bad.
I also found out that Dutch publisher De Kern has bought the rights to Spirit Willing, Flesh Weak. So that is also very cool.
Welcome and thanks to all the UK BookCrossing people who have been stopping by my website today–I appreciate the comments and hope you’ll have a look around at my weird world. I can recommend the photo of Ewan McGregor kissing a chicken.
Iain Parkes says:
I wasn’t at the Unconvention (Bookcrossing!) but came across mention of your talk and subsequent Blog, Via the online forums.
I have to admit that I would not pay for a mills and boon book in a shop but I will occasionally read one if it is passed on to me, You, as an author, don’t make any money from me and yet I feel that I support your writing efforts, If I get a book from Bookcrossing, I always journal it and give some feedback to other readers about how I felt about the book, this form of publicity come free. When I have finished with a book I often Wild Release it for random strangers to pick up, hopefully read and pass on in their turn. For most people picking up such a book, its very randomness will mean that there is a vanishingly small chance that they will ever pick up another book the same way by the same author - but if they like it then I feel that they are more likely to first time buy a book by that author - afterall, most of us have limited funds and usually will only spend money on things that we feel we will like - so if they have experience of reading one of an authors works then they are more likely to read another.
I currently have about a 10% success rate on wild releases - I realise that most of the books that I let go wandering will probably never get journaled, some will get thrown away unread, some will get picked up and kept by a stranger, some will be read by more than one person before they disappear - I hope that many of them will enliven someones life, however temperary, and that the act of random kindness may encurage more people to read for pleasure - and if they are reading more then they should be buying more!
Plus it makes me feel like I am a nicer person by being randomly kind, which, I think, makes the whole world a nicer place!
Kate says:
I tried to post congratulations last night but your comments thing wasn’t working so - CONGRATULATIONS!!
And want to know something - you *never* suck!
See you soon
Kate
Kate Hardy says:
Congrats on the fast response! And even more congrats on getting minor tweaks.
Tell me… do you have a thing about birds? We had chickens in the last one, pigeons in this… what’s it going to be in the next one?
Margaret McDonagh says:
Many congratulations on both wonderful pieces of news, Julie, I am so pleased for you.
Love,
Mags
Semioticghost says:
Well done on the lighting fast acceptance of your manuscript - and thanks again for your gorgeous and titilating workshop!
Michelle Styles says:
Congrats. You are a star!
And you see other people like the picture of Ewan McGregor kissing a chicken!
Karen says:
Wow, that’s fast! Congrats! And congrats on the Dutch rights on Spirit Willing, Flesh Weak.
Mary says:
Very cool on the light revisions!
Julie says:
Hi Iain, and thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts and experiences. The effect of journaling as word-of-mouth publicity is a good point.
Kate, I do suck sometimes. I really do.
Kate H, I know. I seem to have a bird obsession. It’s worse than it looks: this book has not only a pigeon, but also talks about loons, cormorants, puffins, chickadees, and woodpeckers. Plus, the main character’s last name is Drake. It’s all a little weird. Maybe my next book should be bird-free.
Thanks Mags, Karen, and Mary!
Thanks for stopping by, Semioticghost–I really enjoyed the workshop.
Michelle, many people love Ewan and the chicken, but I think you have a special bond.