I've been meaning to write this post for a year. Yes, you did read that right - A YEAR.
March 31st 2015 was the day I got 'the call' from Charlotte at Harper Impulse offering me my very first contract. To say it was a total shock is an understatement - I'd submitted The Meet Cute to so many publishers and agents without success that I'd all but given up hope of them getting published. In fact, I wasn't even sure which submission Charlotte wanted to talk to me about because I'd subbed to Harper Impulse so many times over the previous year!
It sounds like the biggest cliché, but as soon as Charlotte said she loved the Meet Cute collection and wanted to publish them as individual releases (I'd put them forward as an anthology) it was like a weight had been lifted. Most writers get attached to their work - I think that's normal, actually - but I'd really felt like this series needed to be 'out there'. It felt fresh and exciting to me, and to know that Charlotte felt the same was the vote of confidence I needed. It was also lovely to be told my 'voice' was engaging and the series would be an opportunity to build my name as an author ready for a full length release in the future. This was everything I'd been working towards - hooray!
The hardest thing was being sworn to secrecy until the covers were designed and the first titles were available for pre-order. All I wanted to do was shout my news from the rooftops and do the happy dance in Debenhams window, but I had to keep quiet for months! That said, I did tell a lot of my writer friends - I knew they were familiar with the drill and that they were good with secrets.
One year on and the first four Meet Cute stories have been published, the next two are out next week and the final three due to be released in May and June. Harper Impulse were my first choice publisher and it's been a wonderful whirlwind of a twelve months working with them.
And the only thing that's left to do now is leave you with the earworm that is The Call by Backstreet Boys because it's been going around my head the whole time I've been writing this...
March 31st 2015 was the day I got 'the call' from Charlotte at Harper Impulse offering me my very first contract. To say it was a total shock is an understatement - I'd submitted The Meet Cute to so many publishers and agents without success that I'd all but given up hope of them getting published. In fact, I wasn't even sure which submission Charlotte wanted to talk to me about because I'd subbed to Harper Impulse so many times over the previous year!
It sounds like the biggest cliché, but as soon as Charlotte said she loved the Meet Cute collection and wanted to publish them as individual releases (I'd put them forward as an anthology) it was like a weight had been lifted. Most writers get attached to their work - I think that's normal, actually - but I'd really felt like this series needed to be 'out there'. It felt fresh and exciting to me, and to know that Charlotte felt the same was the vote of confidence I needed. It was also lovely to be told my 'voice' was engaging and the series would be an opportunity to build my name as an author ready for a full length release in the future. This was everything I'd been working towards - hooray!
The hardest thing was being sworn to secrecy until the covers were designed and the first titles were available for pre-order. All I wanted to do was shout my news from the rooftops and do the happy dance in Debenhams window, but I had to keep quiet for months! That said, I did tell a lot of my writer friends - I knew they were familiar with the drill and that they were good with secrets.
One year on and the first four Meet Cute stories have been published, the next two are out next week and the final three due to be released in May and June. Harper Impulse were my first choice publisher and it's been a wonderful whirlwind of a twelve months working with them.
And I'm absolutely delighted to be able to share that I've just signed a second contract with Harper Impulse for not just one but TWO novels! I'm spending every spare moment writing to ensure they're as wonderful as they can be - the first will be out at the end of the year and the second in summer 2017.
And the only thing that's left to do now is leave you with the earworm that is The Call by Backstreet Boys because it's been going around my head the whole time I've been writing this...
I'm so so SO chuffed for you. I've been really enjoying Meet Cute- and can't wait to read a full-length novel. Amazing to read what it's really like to get that call. Congrats again- and here's to it being the start of an incredible writing life XxX
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Katey all your hard work has paid off. It must be amazing to see your name on a book covers. x
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Katey all your hard work has paid off. It must be amazing to see your name on a book covers. x
ReplyDelete