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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Jumping Right In With Another Success Story!

It's wonderful to come home to happy announcements, and I'm pleased to share the following success story with you!

Hi Authoress! I can't thank you enough for hosting all your Secret Agent contests. I have learned so much from them -- from both the contests I've entered and the ones I've simply stalked :) I entered my first Secret Agent contest in January 2011 with my first manuscript, and even though the SA didn't pick me as a winner, she said in her comment that she liked the voice. I shelved that manuscript soon after, but the comment made me think that I wasn't totally crazy to be attempting this whole writing thing. A huge thing for me at that stage of the game!


By August, I was ready to start querying my second manuscript, and I got into another SA contest. I didn't get picked as a winner for that one either, but somehow the agent missed commenting on my entry. I asked you about it, and you contacted the agent. Not only did she comment, but she asked for the first 10 pages. I sent it, ended up for a request for "a bit more," and another e-mail entitled "time to send the whole thing." She ended up passing, but again I felt like I had to be on the right track and just needed to keep writing. I did and had another manuscript finished by April. My new years resolution was to let this one sit for longer than I'd let the other ones sit, so even though it was all revised, beta-ed, revised, beta-ed again, and polished, I was trying to do everything I could to keep from querying! But I figured I could at least enter a contest -- for feedback only, of course! :)


I was pretty sure I wouldn't be picked as a winner, and if by some chance I did, it'd be an honorable mention or something, and I'd only end up with a partial request. I was going in with the right attitude, right? Low expectations, focus on the feedback, don't get carried away. But then, something changed when the agent started posting her comments. With each comment I read, I was completely falling in love with this agent. She was so insightful with entry after entry and was able to bring this incredible perspective to each one -- not to mention that she did so in a way that was super respectful of each writer's abilities. By the time I found out the agent was Tricia Lawrence, the new agent at Erin Murphy Literary Agency (an agency I had been salivating over since the beginning of my querying journey), I was totally smitten. And when I found out that I had been picked as one of the winners and that she wanted the full manuscript, I was...uh....crazy excited, to say the least.


Of course, that level of excitement was nothing compared to how I felt when I got that e-mail a month later asking when we could talk on the phone. And even that didn't compare to how I felt when I got off the phone, having spent an hour and a half talking to someone who was exactly what I wanted in an agent: someone who loved my book and had the same vision for it, someone who I could brainstorm ideas with, and someone who I trusted completely. 


 So, thank you, Authoress! You've helped make yet another aspiring author's dream come true. May the good karma come back to you in the form of lots of book deals and lots and lots of chocolate! 

Ann Bedicheck Braden

20 comments:

  1. Yippee!! Congrats, Ann! And thanks for all you do, Authoress! :-)

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  2. Keep writing: That seems to be the trick.

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  3. *does the cabbage patch*
    *shakes hips*
    *tackle hugs Ann*

    I'm so so so so so grateful for everything you're doing and have done, Authoress! I've been cheering for SSG (Ann's brilliant book) since I first saw it making the contest rounds. Now I'm rooting for it almost as hard as my own, because thanks to you and another amazing contest blogger (hey Cupid,) Ann and I are AGENT SISTERS!!!

    *smooshes everyone*

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  4. Congrats and welcome to EMLA, you're going to LOVE it there!!!

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  5. Laurie Thompson/http://lauriethompson.comJune 26, 2012 at 10:44 AM

    I love this post and what it says about Ann, Tricia, and the SA contests. Great work, everyone! :)

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  6. What a great success story! This was such an encouraging story to read this morning. Thank you so much for sharing your journey Ann!

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  7. Oh, I just love reading these. :) Congratulations, Ann (and Tricia)!

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  8. Congratulations to Ann and Tricia and welcome, Ann, to EMLA!

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  9. Congratulations! And welcome to EMLA. You'll love it. :)

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  10. These success stories make me feel good all over. Congratulations to Ann!

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  11. What a beautiful and inspiring post. It's always refreshing to see true gratefulness, as well. Congratulations to you both!

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  12. Congrats, Ann! And welcome back, MSFV!

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  13. Yay for Ann and her amazing manuscript (that's right, I've been lucky enough to read it)!! And yay for MSFV and Authoress!!

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  14. Awesome! Congratulations! So very, very happy for you!

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  15. This is such a great story, not only because I really want to read Ann's book, but because I think it gives us all that hope that we need. Thanks Ann, for sharing, and thanks Authoress for all you do, we're glad you're back!

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  16. Welcome back to the bloggy-verse Authoress :)

    What a great story! I love reading these success stories :)

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  17. What an awesome, inspiring story! Congrats and well done, everyone :)

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  18. Congrats Ann you've done it very well . I so love reading your success story .

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