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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Baker's Dozen Success: From Auction to Sale!

Here's a breathtakingly exciting success story for you (our third success from the 2011 Baker's Dozen!), told in the author's own words:



In 2010, I wrote and revised a story about a feisty time travel student who finds out that her future self has been into some serious space-time shenanigans in the distant past. With a boy. A cute boy.


I queried a few agents at the beginning of 2011 and was promptly form-rejected by all of them. For good reason. The query was terrible, and the story needed help as well. One of the agents that rejected me was Victoria Marini. Which made me very sad. But we'll get back to that later. 


I went to a wonderful workshop in the spring and received some amazing editorial feedback that got me on the right track. It meant a total rewrite--not revisions, a rewrite--but I knew it was necessary. By November, I was ready to query again, and this time? Requests. And an encouraging number of them, at that.


When the Baker's Dozen announcement went up, my crit partners sent me the link and told me to enter. I hemmed. I hawed. I caved and entered in the last entry window.


I am so thankful I did.


It opened at 20 pages, and in the amount of time it took me to e-mail my friends that I'd gotten a bid, it had gone up to a full. I eventually ended up having four agents request the full from the Auction. Victoria Marini was one of them.


Eventually, four agents tossed their hats in the ring, and again Victoria was one of them. After chatting with her on the phone, I loved her ideas for revision. And, oh my goodness, I wish I could bottle and sell her energy and enthusiasm. I thought we'd work really well together, and I signed with her. My instincts were right.


From Publisher's Marketplace:


Karen Akins's LOOP, in which a time traveler accidentally brings a boy from the past into the 23rd century, only to discover he's already in love with her future self and is keeping his own set of secrets, pitched as HEIST SOCIETY meets BACK TO THE FUTURE, to Terra Layton at St. Martin's, in a two-book deal, by Victoria Marini at Gelfman Schneider (world).


SQUEEEEE!!!!


The extra fun part? Terra actually did a little spying during the Baker's Dozen Auction, and she wrote down LOOP as one that she thought sounded great. She found the post-it note the other day. Sigh. It was meant to be. 


Karen Akins

22 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this, Authoress!! (((mwah)))

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  2. First of all, CONGRATULATIONS!!! And second of all, the book sounds awesome! I love time travel stories. Can't wait to check it out!

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  3. Aw, I love happy endings. Congratulations!

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  4. I LOVE these stories! Congratulations!!!!

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  5. What an amazing story! Congratulations!

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  6. Cool - what a fun way to land an agent! And congrats to Karen on her book deal!

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  7. THat is completely awesome! Congrats!! :)

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  8. Yays and w00ts all around. I love all the pieces falling into place like that.

    I'm a fan of time-travel stories as well and this one definitely sounds like a great read.

    Congrats!

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  9. I loved LOOP in the BD auction--so happy it found a home so quickly, and can't wait to read it!

    Congrats, Karen!

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  10. That sounds like a dream come true!! Thank you for sharing...I can't wait to buy the book. Congrats, Karen!

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  11. What a totally exciting success story! A great agent and a great publishing house too!

    Congratulations Karen!

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  12. Wow! Huge congrats! I remember seeing this in he auction and thinking it'd do well. Can't wait to read it!

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  13. Congratulations Karen! So very awesome. Sounds like you got your money's worth out of that workshop!

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  14. Congrats!!! (and to quote someone else: 'you ain't seen nothin' yet')

    :)

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  15. It sounds like a great premise :) cool story!

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  16. Awesome story! Congratulations! And your book sounds awesome as well! I love time travel stories! Thanks for sharing!

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  17. so that was a story that brought a happy tear or two to my eyes. Congrats.

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  18. Congratulations.

    This blog is sooooo inspirational. I love reading these success stories. I'm still polishing my own gems, as my gut is saying they're not yet ready to be put out there. But these stories keep me going.

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  19. Congratulations to Karen, and seconding what Jo-Ann said. Very inspirational. Thanks!

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  20. What a great story! I love that you keep posting these.

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  21. CONGRATS!!! LOVE hearing stuff like this. AND Karen is just lovely, as is Victoria, so I'm GEEKED to read this book!!

    Authoress, you are awesome as always for providing an outlet for talent like Karen's ;o)

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  22. I remember Loop and your hilarious and witty first page from the baker's dozen....something about your MC hoping it wasn't about a dead cat! I loved your piece and am so thrilled I get to read the whole thing! Congrats Karen!

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