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Monday, May 7, 2012

A Status Change

Spring is an excellent time for new things. For instance, The Boyfriend and I just transplanted all of our wee sprouted veggies into the Real Outdoor Garden, where they now sit, looking quite petrified and windblown. Alas, poor veggies, the Real Outdoor Garden is a bit windier than your cushy indoor windowsill, but it is infinitely sunnier and will, ultimately, be the best thing for you.

Yes, this is metaphorical. You know me so well.

A few weeks ago, I made a decision. A decision I had been rolling through my head for a long, long while. A decision that was in no way, shape, or form easy, and was so preposterous that it took me a few months to even realize it was something I could do. Much like my poor wee veggies, now shivering in the bright Outdoor Garden light, I was terrified of what the repercussions would be and that I wouldn't survive the transition and that I wasn't cut out for the results of my decision.

I left my agent.

Now, I could go into the how's and why's and WHAT WAS I #@%$ THINKING's, but that's not what this post is about. This post is about new things.

When I left my agent, I did so with the full knowledge that STREAM PIRATE would probably never again see the light of day. At least not for a long while. And what I had instead was my Ghost Book, which made me giggle and shudder and hope people still believed in ghosts. I took Ghost Book and I walked back into a world I hadn't seen in more than two and a half years -- the world of Querying.

Querying is -- still pretty horrible. In case anyone was wondering.

BUT. But. Oh, the But. Querying can also be thrilling and energetic and ignite in you a kind of hope that you hadn't felt in years. It can make you bounce in your cubicle at work and WISH SO HARD that at least ONE of your coworkers could understand the GRAVITY of a FULL REQUEST.

And it can especially make you wish that at least one of your coworkers could understand the gravity of a full request becoming an offer.

After a whirlwind of a query session, a number of jaw-dropping requests, and so much interest my head spun for my snarky, quirky, delightfully creepy Ghost Book, I officially accepted an offer of representation on May 1st from Charlotte Sheedy of Charlotte Sheedy Literary.

Charlotte and Mackenzie are, in a word, FANTASTIC. They are enthused and bubbly and so freakin' passionate about Ghost Book that my head rings a little. I could not dream up more perfect representation for SHUTTER, SHUDDER (seriously -- there are so many similarities between Charlotte, Mackenzie, and Ghost Book that I giggle helplessly every time I think about them).

Though the decision I made a few weeks back was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made, I know, like my wee veggies, that it is ultimately the best decision for me.

And the logo on sheedylit.com looks like a mustache, which is just so MADE OF WIN, it'd make them fantastic anyway.

13 comments:

Frankie Diane Mallis said...

Congratulations on the new representation! That's exciting for you and clearly you made the right (though tough) choice. :)

Wyman Stewart said...

;-) EXCELLENT DECISION!!!

Remember, the agent gets to move on to other writers, so think of it as a win-win. You are one-step closer to being published!

I once saw a one-frame comic in a magazine. It showed an agent's skeleton sitting at a desk, with cobwebs attached. His author client's skeleton sat in a chair in front of the desk; cobwebs attached to him too. The aurhor asked his agent if any publishers had called the agent about his book. (Even the best agents come with expiration dates.)

Rachel said...

Congratulations on new rep, Sara! And you signed on my birthday too. Woot :-D Congratulations again and best wishes with S,S!

Adam Heine said...

Oh! Oh! Here I thought I was gonna be all, "Good luck, Sara! You're so brave. You'll find the right agent, I know it!"

And you already did it :-) Well that's awesome! Congratulations and good luck to Ghost Book :-D

Sara B. Larson said...

Congrats again, I'm so happy for you!! (And still thinking, yo, why didn't you tell me?? lol) I want to hear all the details--we were too far away to talk at dinner.

Candice said...

So, so, so, so happy for you! You are awesome and they are lucky to have you and your amazing book!

Samantha Vérant said...

Ditto! SO HAPPY FOR YOU! You are made of GRRRR!!!!

Carolyn V said...

Congrats Sara! You are brave to leave an agent and get another. But I can't wait to hear what happens with your career in writing! =D

K. M. Walton said...

Glad you are on the other side of it all, as I'm sure it was a difficult decision to make. Congrats on landing a new agent so quickly. Nice work.

J.R. Johansson said...

Hooray! I'm so happy for you and Ghost Book! You both deserve extreme amounts of happiness. *hugs all around*

Michelle D. Argyle said...

So very, very happy you for you!

Jade said...

Congrats on the new rep! You are both brave and awesome.

Renee Collins said...

I swear I commented on this already, but Blogger ate it. At any rate, the comment went something like this:

YAYYYYYY, SARA!! I knew you'd land an agent with Ghost Book. It's too fantastic not to have been grabbed with ferocity.

You. Rock. :)