I. SOLD. A. BOOK.
This happened back in July, but I’ve been so busy, I realized I never officially announced it on my blog. Gold Spun, my Rumpelstiltskin retelling has been acquired by CamCat Books. It is coming out May 2021 and you can add it on GoodReads here to get an update when it’s out. I am loving working with the CamCat team and super excited that Gold Spun will be available in multiple formats (ebook, paperback, hardback, audio, large print). I geek out about audiobooks and hardcovers, so be certain I’ll be sharing updates as we get closer to pub day. I wanted to share the timeline of my path to publication.
2011: I participated in NaNo for the first time. I won! I wrote 50,038 words of a science fiction novel that is so rough it will probably never see the light of day. But this win encouraged me to keep writing.
2015: After several half-hearted attempts, I again did Nano, winning with a draft of a new fantasy novel. I would go on to edit this novel, work with an editor and submit it to agents.
2017: I wrote a few short stories for Nano, all based on fairytales and mythology. I didn’t win NaNo, but one of the short stories was a Rumpelstiltskin retelling, which later inspired Gold Spun. My first fantasy novel had since been rejected – A LOT. I was still submitting it, but I focused on writing Gold Spun.
2018: I signed with my agent for the first fantasy novel. Yay! I worked with his team on edits for my first fantasy novel and hired an editor to work with me on Gold Spun.
2019: The first fantasy book hadn’t sold, but I finished edits on Gold Spun. My agent started to send it out.
2020: About six months into solicitation, Gold Spun sold to CamCat Books. Even bigger YAY! The rest of this year and early next year, I’ll be working with the CamCat team on edits for Gold Spun, a cover, marketing, and all the other details that go into making a book. Gold Spun is scheduled for a May 2021 release.
I hope this provides some encouragement to those who are struggling with rejection or the fact that it feels like the process is taking a long time. And note, this is only my experience. Plenty of authors published much faster than I, but for everyone it’s an individual journey. If you are a writer, I encourage you to keep writing and keep putting yourself and your work out there. Also, NaNoWriMo is next month, and I highly encourage participating.
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