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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Success! Success! It Keeps Happening!

Here's another wonderful success story for you, from the author herself:


I was terrified to enter my first Secret Agent contest, submitting the intro to my Ancient Egypt historical fiction in February 2010. I thought it was good, but looking back... not so good. Around the same time, I started querying. 


But the feedback from the agents was all the same.


The writing is good, but it didn't grab me.


I was ready to throw my computer out the window when a writer friend and another agent gave me some stellar (albeit painful) feedback. I revised again and finished just in time to enter the first ever Baker's Dozen contest.


I got a partial bid! Then, a couple months later, another agent made an offer of representation!


A dream come true, right?


Not so much.


Before anyone skewers me, let me tell you I did jump up and down for joy and might have squealed in my classroom a few times. (Fortunately not when there were students around. That would have been awkward.) The offering agent wasn't one I'd actually queried, but instead someone another agent had passed my manuscript to. And while he had a number of sales, they weren't in historical fiction, and his client approach was the opposite of what I was looking for.


But after a year of querying, I so wanted an agent. Fortunately, my amazing writer friend gave me the smack upside the head I needed. (He was very nice about it).  I declined the agent's offer of representation and started a new book, even though I felt like banging my head against the nearest wall.


Fast forward to December 2011. I told myself Book #2 had to be finished for the 2nd Baker's Dozen Auction. I barely got it finished in time, and was accepted to the auction. Yay! Then I started querying, happily surprised at the number of requests coming in.


Then there was a bidding war for my book the day of the auction! Shortly after, I received an amazing email from Marlene Stringer asking for the full, and then came her amazing offer of representation.


And now the best news, hot off the press (or, er... Publisher's Marketplace)!


Stephanie Thornton's THE SECRET HISTORY, in which a theater tart-turned-Constantinople's premier courtesan must decide what's more important: pleasing the emperor who claims to love her or keeping the son he can never know about, to Ellen Edwards of NAL, at auction, in a three-book deal, for publication beginning in 2013, by Marlene Stringer of the Stringer Literary Agency (World English).


4 years. 2 books. Countless bowls of peanut butter chocolate ice cream.


I learned two things along this roller-coaster ride. First, be brave. You've got to put your work out there, even when the very thought makes you want to move to some distant mountaintop where you'll never have to see another human again. This is a great blog to do just that--Authoress runs the absolute best critique contests I've ever seen. And second, never, evergive up, even when you want to curl up and die. Rejection isn't permanent (and I'm pretty sure dying is).


~ Stephanie Thornton

23 comments:

  1. Congrats Stephanie and thank you to Authoress for this lovely blog! :)

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  2. Congratulations, Stephanie! THE SECRET HISTORY sounds super intriguing. :D

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  3. Congratulations, Stephanie! I've seen THE SECRET HISTORY around, so this is especially wonderful news.

    (And thanks for sharing, Authoress!)

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  4. Thanks for sharing such a phenomenal story, Stephanie. This publishing life is an emotional rollercoaster and I really appreciate your honesty about the challenges and doubts you faced. Congratulations on the book deal!

    I look forward to seeing your name often in the future.

    -Kirk

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  5. Congrats, Stephanie! I remember your entry and will DEFINITELY read THE SECRET HISTORY! :)

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  6. HURRAH, Stephanie! Huge congratulations! I love these stories where things all work out in the end...and a three-book deal, amazing! =)

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  7. Yay! Congrats and best wishes! Your good news is so encouraging for those of us still waiting. I can hardly wait to read your book, it sounds terrific!

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  8. Super exciting! Congratulations for being brave. Authoress thank you for sharing this awesome story.

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  9. Great story, and sounds fairly representative of many writer's struggles. Thanks so much for sharing!

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  10. Awesome! Great post. Congratulations, Stephanie. Perseverance is so important. As well as believing in yourself and never giving up, all of which you did. Well done!

    Thanks Authoress for posting this piece of inspiration.

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  11. Brilliant post, Stephanie. You've hit the nail on the head - we have to keep going and persevering no matter what knockbacks and rejections we get. :)

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  12. Congrats, Stephanie! A three book deal. Wow! Enjoy it, but don't forget the next book.

    As someone once told me, the only way you can fail in this business is to quit. So keep writing!

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  13. Yay for Stephanie! I was thrilled when I saw her announcement - couldn't happen to a nicer lady! :)

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  14. I love hearing these stories. Hope is a great motivator. hanks for sharing, and congratulations.

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  15. Mazel tov on your wonderful news! Talk about bravery - turning down the wrong agent was very brave indeed! Good thing you had someone in the know to advise you! Wishing you every success!
    Some Dark Romantic

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  16. Ack! I'm late to the party! (I promise I have a good excuse--I'm out of the country!)

    Thank you everyone, for your kind words, and to Authoress for running this amazing blog. I've loved reading so many success stories, fantastic SA and Baker's Dozen entries over the years--this truly is an unbelievable community of supportive writers.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!

    Gelato for everyone!

    *breaks into an Egyptian happy dance*

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  17. Great success story - I love that you had the guts to start over with a new manuscript and wait for an agent you really felt a connection with! Thanks for sharing!

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  18. Love these stories! Thank you for sharing snd congratulations. I can't wait to hear about the next successful author.

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  19. Love these stories! Thank you for sharing snd congratulations. I can't wait to hear about the next successful author.

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