I’m not gonna lie, guys: this whole getting published thing has been every bit as exciting as I hoped it would be. Sure, it’s a looong drawn-out process, but that’s how traditional publishing works. And all good things take time, right? 🙂 I’m currently in the final stages of my part in the process, known as “pass pages”. This means that I’m reading over my book for the gazillionth time and focusing on eliminating any small errors with punctuation, spelling, etc. (aka, proofreading). I do have a professional proofreader going over the book as well, but the author is involved every step of the way, I’m learning.
But what’s extremely exciting is that a few weeks ago, I happened to type in the title of my novel on GoodReads, and voila–it popped up! No one told me it was going to be there, but there it was. I think that was the first moment where I felt like my book, which has only been on my computer and in a relatively small amount of people’s hands thus far, is actually becoming a real book for the entire world to read (should they so choose).
A very short time later, I also realized my book was available for preorder on Amazon, as well as several other bookselling sites! Â Again, this has only added to the “realness” of the whole situation. I repeat: my book is about to become a real book. *insert happy tears here*
I’ll admit that, since discovering my book on the inter webs, I’ve searched my title almost daily on Amazon, just to gaze longingly at my years-long-in-the-making and not-quite-ready baby (this is normal, right?). One day when I did this last week, I was shocked to find that NOT OUR SUMMER had a shiny new badge: #1 New Release in Teen & Young Adult Alternative Family Fiction. I’m assuming this goes off of preorder sales, but seeing this badge on my coverless book was one of the best things ever (especially since my family has been dealing with some not-so-great things lately–which I’ll probably get to in another post). But here she is!
In a few short weeks, I expect to have my cover reveal, and then not too long after that, I’ll be receiving my galley copies, which are essentially the uncorrected proofs, in order to share them with authors who have agreed to read a copy, write blurbs for the final jacket copy, and hopefully start some buzz about my book.
This dream has been 10+ years in the making, but I’m so glad I kept at it and stuck with my original goal of getting traditionally published. It’s been a JOURNEY, but it’s one that I hope will continue for the rest of my life. I’ve realized I have an endless amount of stories to tell, after all.
For those interested, here is more about NOT OUR SUMMER:
Five trips, two cousins, one family feud, and a summer that will change their lives forever. It’s bad enough that estranged cousins Becka and KJ see each other at their grandfather’s funeral, but when he leaves them a bucket list of places to visit together over the summer, so they can earn their inheritance, it seems like things are about to get much worse. However, with each trip the cousins complete — like riding mules into the Grand Canyon or encountering a bear and a hot tour guide at Yellowstone — they steadily learn about and begin to trust one another. That is until the truth behind Grandpa’s bucket list, and their family feud, is revealed, testing Becka and KJ far beyond their limits. Will they find a way to accept each other or will their grandpa’s wish to mend his divided family end up buried alongside him inside his grasshopper green casket?
You can add NOT OUR SUMMER to GoodReads here. And preorder your hard copy or e-book at any of the following online booksellers: