The Journey of a Book

The week before Thanksgiving was one wild ride, y’all. I completed those revisions I told you about and submitted them to my agent (still can hardly believe I get to say that–“my agent”). On Wednesday, she sent submission letters to five editors and by Thursday all five of them had requested the full manuscript. And, as they say on those TV commercials for amazing inventions and gadgets, that’s not all! That same week, the editor who asked for the full manuscript of The Heavenly Hugs Prayer Shawl Ministry emailed me to let me know that she would be sending the book on for consideration by the acquisitions team at her publishing house. I am on-my-knees grateful and still a tad stunned.

So, now what happens? I’m glad you asked. Every book that you pick up and leaf through at your local bookstore is an absolute miracle. First, the author had to write it–and revise it–and revise it–and revise it. Then the author had to find an agent who loved and believed in the book enough to take a chance on it. There is a fair amount of risk involved in agenting. An agent puts a lot of time and effort into finding a publishing home for a book before he or she ever sees a penny for all that work, as agents don’t get paid until authors do. And once an editor said, “Yes, I really, really love this book,” the author and agent were still not home free. The book had to make it through the acquisitions meeting, the publishing board, and the CEO or CFO of the publishing house. For an author to receive an offer for a book is indeed an accomplishment.

This process will take a while. I don’t know how long, as I’ve never gotten this far before. I’m in uncharted waters! The months I’ve spent waiting to hear from agents who asked for my work have given me patience, however. I’m doing what I always do when I’m waiting to hear–writing the next book and trusting God, which is an adventure all in itself.

Thanks for coming along on this adventure with me. Your encouragement, prayers, and support mean the world to me! I’ll keep you posted!

Me and my husband, Skip (also my #1 fan, encourager, and patron of my art)