Publications International, Ltd. - New Book?
/About 2 weeks ago an e-mail came across my cat writers site, advertising that a publishing company wanted to put together a compilation book on cats and dogs and was requesting submissions. I copied a few of my stories, tucked in a cover letter and sent it off, hoping perhaps they would include a prior work of mine in the book.
I got a phone call a few days later from their acquisitions Editor. They weren't looking for contributors. Rather, they needed an author to oversee the book and contribute 15,000 new words to a book that would be based on photos and short stories about unique or interesting dogs and cats.
"When's your deadline for book completion?" I asked.
"We're aiming for August."
"Thanks for calling."
I can't find the time to get done what's already on my plate. Add in an August due date and I'd be living on Starbuck Mochas. I did tell Blair about the offer though, and he agreed that it did seem too much, too soon.
"Yes, but everything comes into your life for a reason," I said. "Maybe I should consider this."
"Maybe the reason it came into your life is to teach you how to say no," he said.
Fair enough. I let it drop that night but kept thinking about the project. Finally after a few days I decided it was too late. They were submitting names of potential authors and I had missed the boat. All for the best.
Until my phone rang at 11am today. Same editor, calling back. She didn't exactly remember me but said she had received my work and really liked it and had we talked at all?
"Yes," I said. "I'm the one that ran screaming from the room when you mentioned the August due date."
"Oh," she said, sounding disappointed. And then darn it all, my ego kicked in.
"But I've been thinking about the project and wondering if I was too hasty in declining," I said. I could almost hear her sit up straighter on the other end of the phone. "Tell me again what you're looking for."
I didn't get a whole lot more details, mainly because I think I'm too afraid to press for them and find out what I may be getting myself into. At this point, I've agreed to have my name submitted as a potential candidate as author.
I do believe offers and people come into our lives for a reason and the fact that this one has popped back up after I wasn't sure rejecting it was the right move in the first place...someone's trying to send me a message.
I have no idea how the pay, author acknowledgement, or any of that works. What draws me to it is:
*Ego. Yes, I admit it. It would be nice to have another cat book to my name
* Networking. This company is also a children's book publisher. I write children's books. True, their books are more education oriented vs. novels, but I would assume they have some industry contacts.
* Cross promotion - getting this book out may also be another means of promoting Lessons In Stalking.
*The Challenge. Tell me I HAVE to do something and I'll find any excuse not to. Make doing the same task an option, and I'm all over it. I don't have to do this book. But how intriguing to see if in one year I could work on 3, maybe (fingers crossed) even 4 books: Lessons In Stalking, this cat book, my public speaking book (still in the works) and my Millicent middle-grade novel, still being reviewed by an editor.
If all 4 of those books come to pass...wow, I don't even know what. Catnip for all.
I got a phone call a few days later from their acquisitions Editor. They weren't looking for contributors. Rather, they needed an author to oversee the book and contribute 15,000 new words to a book that would be based on photos and short stories about unique or interesting dogs and cats.
"When's your deadline for book completion?" I asked.
"We're aiming for August."
"Thanks for calling."
I can't find the time to get done what's already on my plate. Add in an August due date and I'd be living on Starbuck Mochas. I did tell Blair about the offer though, and he agreed that it did seem too much, too soon.
"Yes, but everything comes into your life for a reason," I said. "Maybe I should consider this."
"Maybe the reason it came into your life is to teach you how to say no," he said.
Fair enough. I let it drop that night but kept thinking about the project. Finally after a few days I decided it was too late. They were submitting names of potential authors and I had missed the boat. All for the best.
Until my phone rang at 11am today. Same editor, calling back. She didn't exactly remember me but said she had received my work and really liked it and had we talked at all?
"Yes," I said. "I'm the one that ran screaming from the room when you mentioned the August due date."
"Oh," she said, sounding disappointed. And then darn it all, my ego kicked in.
"But I've been thinking about the project and wondering if I was too hasty in declining," I said. I could almost hear her sit up straighter on the other end of the phone. "Tell me again what you're looking for."
I didn't get a whole lot more details, mainly because I think I'm too afraid to press for them and find out what I may be getting myself into. At this point, I've agreed to have my name submitted as a potential candidate as author.
I do believe offers and people come into our lives for a reason and the fact that this one has popped back up after I wasn't sure rejecting it was the right move in the first place...someone's trying to send me a message.
I have no idea how the pay, author acknowledgement, or any of that works. What draws me to it is:
*Ego. Yes, I admit it. It would be nice to have another cat book to my name
* Networking. This company is also a children's book publisher. I write children's books. True, their books are more education oriented vs. novels, but I would assume they have some industry contacts.
* Cross promotion - getting this book out may also be another means of promoting Lessons In Stalking.
*The Challenge. Tell me I HAVE to do something and I'll find any excuse not to. Make doing the same task an option, and I'm all over it. I don't have to do this book. But how intriguing to see if in one year I could work on 3, maybe (fingers crossed) even 4 books: Lessons In Stalking, this cat book, my public speaking book (still in the works) and my Millicent middle-grade novel, still being reviewed by an editor.
If all 4 of those books come to pass...wow, I don't even know what. Catnip for all.
