I am so excited! I just got this author website up and running, I’m writing my first blog post, and I’m preparing to pitch my book to several agents at a writer’s conference in about two weeks. My author life just jumped into hyper-drive.
A new chapter in my life has begun. Although I’ve been writing for a lifetime, I recently retired from my career and started giving my writing the time it needs and deserves. I kept getting the same questions from friends and colleagues: What are you going to do when you retire? What are you going to do with all that free time? The funny thing is, I’m just as busy now. I’ve been able to spend more time with my family as well as with my computer in my home office writing away. I’m as happy as a clam. (Such a strange saying. Does anyone really know if a clam is happy?)
Since I switched from being a full-time teacher to being a full-time writer, I have continued revising the book I had already written, developed a beginning that I finally like, worked on my query letter . . . again, practiced my pitch to anyone who will listen, and signed up for another writer’s conference. Although I’ve sent query letters to a several agents over the last few years (a gutsy thing to do in itself), I’ve never pitched directly to an agent at a conference. I signed up to do two agent sessions at this conference. That is really crazy!
The thought of talking directly to an agent seems so surreal. I’ll admit I’m scared. Yet I know these agents are just people, too. They just want to find a good book they can get behind. I’m just hoping that book is mine! And if it isn’t, it will still be a great experience that will help me develop the business side of my writing career. I will learn, move on and keep trying. Taking this step forward suddenly turned the dream of publishing my book into a feasible reality. A long term goal is now within reach. After all, isn’t that what I’ve been working for all this time?
Any-hoo, thanks for reading my blog. In future blogs, I plan on sharing about my journey to get published, tips I’ve learned while researching the business of publishing, tips on writing, and probably some posts about my family and life. I’m not a published author yet, so take my thoughts for what they’re worth to you. I’m author with a dream and a desire to pursue it, probably a lot like you. If you want to go on the journey with me, I hope you’ll subscribe to my blog.
Happy Reading and Writing,
Robin