Skip to main content

Got my contract!

Captain’s Log, Stardate 07.06.2006

For all you writers—check out my Story Sensei critique service Summer Sale! Get a 10% off coupon just for entering!

Blog book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is LOVE ONLINE by Kristin Billerbeck and Nancy Toback.
My Monday book giveaway is RECONSTRUCTING NATALIE by Laura Jensen Walker.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On FRIDAY (not Thursday), I'll draw the winner for LOVE ONLINE and post the title for another book I'm giving away—PLUS . . .

Save the date! On Friday July 7th, to celebrate the release of THE REDEMPTION by M.L. Tyndall (my good friend), I'll be posting a contest for a free book AND two free tickets to see the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Curse! But you can only enter all day on Friday, July 7th!

Ronie’s trip to California: I got to spend some time with Ronie and her family when they visited Dineen’s place yesterday!


TMI:

Writing: I got my contract yesterday! How weird to see it in black and white. I’m going through it now, although I understand less than 20% of what’s going on. I think I’ve even been assigned my 10-digit ISBN numbers for three of the books in the series. Now THAT is hecka surreal.

My agent Wendy already went through the contract so I don’t expect to find anything worse than maybe a typo or two that escaped her fine-toothed comb. She has been FABULOUS throughout this entire thing.

Okay, let’s be crass and talk money in suitably vague terms. I can’t imagine NOT having an agent for this. She negotiated a higher advance than I ever dreamed I’d get. Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally true when they say not to quit your day job, but her diligence has given me a little more pocket money.

If you don’t have an agent when you get a contract (or even before that), get one NOW. In fact, much of the number-crunching was actually done on the Profit and Loss statement drawn up BEFORE my manuscript even went to committee, before it was approved for publication. So it was vital that I had Wendy as early as that stage of the process.

Comments

Ruth said…
That is so cool that you got your contract, I am so excited for you! :) I'm surprised Zondervan hasn't already assigned your books the new 13 digit ISBNs...aren't they supposed to go live next year or something? I've been seeing books with both 10 and 13 digit numbers around here at work. Anyway, thanks as always for your terrific insight!
Anonymous said…
Ain't it grand? And hecka surreal. ; )

Have fun, lady! And congrats!!!
donna
Congrats on getting your contract!
Anonymous said…
CONGRATULATIONS...how exciting to have the contract in hand. :) I'm thrilled for you. :)
PatriciaW said…
Congrats Camy! I'm sure it's a tremendous feeling. Imagine how you'll feel when you see the cover art or actually get your author copies? Savor the ride...
Julie Carobini said…
Congrats, Camy! It's a relief, isn't it?

Happy writing,
Julie
Unknown said…
That is so awesome! Congrats!
Sharon Hinck said…
Isn't it fun reading all the gooble-dee-gook? LOL! But even with all the legal jargon, it IS exciting. You're being partnered by a major publisher and your book is going to get out there and touch hearts. HOORAY! A special moment. Be sure to celebrate it somehow. :-)
Geekwif said…
Congratulations! Even with all the legal gunk, it must be so exciting to have it in your hands!
Just Nancy said…
Congrats on the contract! It really is an amazing feeling! Enjoy it and celebrate!
Anonymous said…
Congrats! What an awesome feeling, especially if you're liking the numbers you see! ;-)
Anonymous said…
Congratulations, Camy. It must be wonderful to hold that contract in your hands and to "feel" the reality of it.

I was following your next clue for the treasure hunt and sort of going off on tangents. I came to 2 places that reminded me of something that I feel is important.

I may have mentioned somewhere that my mother was always upset that at church they prayed for the missionaries and the people who were ill but never prayed for the people that the missionaries were ministering to, to have the Holy Spirit prepare their hearts for what the missionaries were doing for God's glory. Never were the caregivers of the sick mentioned and she herself knew from almost 10 years of caring for my father after his stroke, how much prayer support she truly needed.

Anyway, to get to the point: I think we should be praying *now* already for the Lord to prepare the hearts of those who will be reading your books. He knows for whom these books will be a special blessing and our prayers will be meaningful.

I think I told you about the other Christian writer, Angela, who first got me on blogs. She wrote to her newsletter group about 6 months before her book came out to ask us to pray that God would prepare the readers for the message he wanted to convey to them through her book. Once it was out, she was amazed at how many people were touched by God through what she had written. The book is already in its third printing.

Please also pray for Angela herself. I haven't heard from her for over two months. In her last blog entry on April 29, she wrote about damage done to her home by weather and some challenges she was facing. I've written her an e-mail but received no response. So I'm worried about her because she always answered any e-mail promptly just like you. Thanks, Camy and anyone else who will pray.
Rebekah said…
Congrats, Camy!!! I'm so happy for you. I look forward to reading them!!
congrats!!

So not going to be jealous that you hung out with D and Ronie without me... hell what am I saying, yes I am!
Carmen said…
congratulations on your contract. I'm jealous. I keep getting good feedback from agents, (great plot but hard sell, great read but too short, great concept, etc.)

I guess I just keep plugging. Any advice you could give would be much appreciated. :)

Popular Posts

Lavender hand lotion

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.05.2009 I have to tell you, I LOVE Etsy.com ! Etsy is dedicated to providing a marketplace for people who like to make handmade products and people who appreciate them (and buy them). It has everything from handmade gifts (like my mom’s Bucilla Christmas stockings and ornaments and tree skirts and wall hangings and … well, just click here to see what she has! ) to soaps and lotions and jewelry and knitted items and hand-painted yarn and ... I could surf that website for DAYS. Anyway, lately I’ve been concerned about the lead content in my lotions, especially since I’m using them more now that it’s turned colder and drier here in California. I have to use lotion on my hands everytime after I wash them. So I went onto Etsy and searched for organic hand lotions, and bought this lavender lotion from Lue Cosmetics . What was really nice is that the owner, Jane, sent me a direct message via Etsy right after I made the purchase to ask if I’d received it yet and ...

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...

NaNoSuccess!

Captain’s Log, Supplemental I finished! Now I’m going to bed.

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

Sourdough Treacle Buns recipe from Lady Wynwood's Spies

If you read my Christian Regency Romantic Suspense novel, Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 2: Berserker , you will have noticed that Miss Tolberton brings humble treacle buns to eat with tea at the church. Not only that, but the treacle bun appears in a surprising way in Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 3: Aggressor . I got the idea for treacle buns from looking through old cookbooks from the 1800s. Commercial dry yeast cakes for making breads were not available until 1825, which is 15 years after the date of my book, so most breads during the Regency period were made with sourdough starters. “Black treacle” is the same thing as molasses, and was mentioned in cookbooks published during the Regency period, but in those books, I couldn’t find a recipe for treacle bread or treacle buns or brown bread. This seemed a bit strange to me since brown bread (made with whole wheat and black treacle) has been around since before the Regency period, but I am guessing that it was such a common food, m...