Life After the Contract
Guest Blogger: Katie Ganshert
Several months ago, my hubby and I were talking when he asked, “Do you think you’ll ever look back on this as the good ol’ days?”
We were talking about my writing. At the time, I had an agent. I had written several books. I knew my stuff was going to pub board. I had all kinds of hopes and dreams and fears. But I didn’t have that elusive contract. My life was steeped in waiting, in the unknown. And anyone who has suffered through periods of waiting and not-knowing knows that insecurity and doubt like to join the party.
So the idea that I would one day look back on that time with nostalgia and fondness seemed ludicrous. The good old days would be in the future. When I had book deals. And books. And readers.
But hindsight is a funny thing.
Because now I have a contract. In a couple years, I will have two books on the shelves, and God-willing, more on the way. And I can’t help but think about that conversation with my husband.
I absolutely love where I’m at right now. I wouldn’t trade one little smidge of it for the world. I love that I have a book coming out. I love my publishing house. I love everything I’ve learned as I work my way through edits. But life’s a lot busier on this side of the book deal than it was on the other.
And I’m still adjusting.
In the past, I would focus on one project at a time. I’d brainstorm, plot, write, and edit one novel. I’d get in a groove. I’d have major tunnel vision. The time I spent on each novel was a concentrated effort. It felt magical, intimate. And as a result, I wrote fast. The first year I had an agent, I finished three books.
Then I got a contract.
Now I’m not able to focus on one story at a time anymore. I have to jump in and out of multiple projects as I work on edits and all the other things that crop up when you’re preparing for a book release. That groove I used to relish is much harder to find.
You see, a year ago, I was just a girl who loved to write. Who loved to tell stories. Now I’m an author who needs to think about things like sales and marketing and building a readership.
It’s sort of like the adjustment parents go through when they have that first kid. So many of us dream about having children. We’re so eager to hold a baby in our arms. Then it happens and all of a sudden, we’re parents. And the dream becomes reality and the truth about reality is that it’s hard. Parenting is beautiful and amazing and we wouldn’t change a thing about it, but still….
You might find yourself, talking with your spouse, reminiscing about the good ol’ days. Not because you don’t love your kids. Not because you don’t savor every blessing. But because life was simpler back then. Although you couldn’t fully appreciate that simplicity at the time, you can appreciate it now. And suddenly you’re reminded to delight in each moment, to enjoy each leg of the journey.
What’s the biggest adjustment you’ve gone through as a writer?
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Katie Ganshert is the author of Wildflowers from Winter, coming next May from Waterbrook Multnomah (a division of Random House). Visit her online at KatieGanshert.com.
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My Twitter name is @RachelleGardner.
My passion is partnering with authors to bring worthwhile books to publication. I started this blog as a way to create a community of writers, both published and seeking publication. I write about a wide variety of topics of interest to writers, and I consider the reader comments even more important than my own posts.
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Wow, thanks for this. My book is on sub right now and I needed to hear this. I’m definitely enjoying every minute of this journey and not wishing the days away, but it’s good to read this so I can make more of an effort to savor this time … however long it turns out to be!
My debut novel will be released two months after yours, Katie, so I’m watching you and learning lots. I love your new website and cover!
I’m learning so much from those who go before. I have a book in process to release in May, 2 manuscripts due in January, another release in October and several other in various stages of doneness. I think I can’t begin to imagine what life will be like in a year, but I’m trying to imagine with God imagines for Olivia Newport.
Olivia! I had no idea you were SO busy with not just one book, but others!! That’s crazy and exciting, girl!
I always tell my kids, “Enjoy where you are while you’re there.” And I try to live that. (Though being in a waiting place isn’t always fun.) I’ve enjoyed finishing my drafts. I enjoy revising the tar out of them. (And will probably enjoy that for several more months!) Not sure what 2012 or the Lord holds ahead, so I should enjoy what I can while I can.
That was very enlightening, Katie, thanks!
I suppose being an amateur writer is a lot like being an amateur carpenter. I don’t have to rely on books for an income, so I’m free to write whatever I want, whenever I want.
Perhaps the greatest adjustment that I’ve had to make recently has been to keep with the demands of my readers. My first Novel, Angel Blood: Family Secrets had a purposeful open ending. I left characters in the field, as one might say, so my readers want the follow-up novel YESTERDAY.
I have two other projects that I really want to write. One is non-fiction about personal vision renewal and the other is fiction. Until I get this sequel finished, I can’t get to the other books. When I didn’t have to write, it was fun. Now that I have to, it’s work. Add to that the fact that as a pastor I write 2 sermons and a Bible study each week and I have to chain myself to the computer when I’m not in someone’s living room. Oh how my A.D.H.D. wants to go skiing!
LOL! I understand ADHD! Mine isn’t so much a tendency toward skiing as it is toward books and chocolate.
I believe a writer’s life is always about waiting, in some form or another. My biggest adjustments — or perhaps challenges — are to be patient and trust the process of life and writing.
http://birthofanovel.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/marielena-zuniga-on-waiting/
The one big revelation or adjustment is waiting.
thanks Katie. your cover pulls me in…definitely a book I’d “pick up off the shelf”
like others I’ve had constant challenges to keep growing as a writer. Latest is learning social networking basics to build platform and market. Like your current state, it’s less about what feels like “real writing” and more about the whole writing experience. thanks for the post
Wooot! That’s your cover!!!! It’s gorgeous!!!
I know how you feel. Having a contract/book is a different kind of stress than before. Different and scary, but good.
Thanks for sharing, Katie!
Yo girl! I love YOUR cover, too! That’s like, the craziest thing, isn’t it? Getting an actual cover for your book?? Nutty, I tell you. Absolutely nutty.
Katie, I absolutely love the way they designed your cover, the colors, the focusing. I love it!
Thanks Laura! I’m glad you like it! I just posted it on my website the other day, so it’s been fun to see what people think.
Life always seems so much easier in hindsight than it actually is when we’re going through it.
Amen, brother.
Well howdy from FL. Wonderfully relatable post, Katie (and fun seeing you here)! Enjoying each leg, isn’t that what it’s all about…getting to that point!
Biggest adjustment for me so far is remembering I’m uniquely designed to parent these novel babies (even during their tantrums).
Love the cover! So proud of you!
~ Wendy
Thanks Wendy! Funny you mention tantrums, because my current novel’s been throwing one for about, oh, three months now.
Lovely post, Katie — poignant thoughts about time passing and change and (well-deserved!) success.
Congratulations on the gorgeous book cover and also the reference to your post about the importance of the right title, which I read in UK ‘Myslexia writing magazine.
Cheers and best wishes for continued success – happy writing!
Sweet Carolyn! I had no idea it made it to a magazine, so that’s fun!
I’m glad you like the book cover!
Katie, I’ve been where you are. First, congratulations on getting there. Second, no–there’s no time machine that will bring you back to the “sweet spot” of getting that first contract but not having the book printed yet. (I’ve looked for one. Not there.)
Enjoy and savor every moment, though. It’s a great problem to have.
Richard, what a good reminder to me right now! Because I now life is going to change even more once that book’s out. Right now, it’s all about anticipation and exciting (with a fair-share of worrisome) what-if’s. Thanks for the reminder, Doc!
Fascinating! I’m in that early-early stage…about to finish my WIP but no agent, no nothin’.
Thanks for the reminder to go on ahead and relish this time. Of course I hope to move through this stage, but it’s true, I’m enjoying the moment.
Love your cover and title! (A cover is a big, big deal. But you already knew that.)
PS – Those dumb emoticons looks so ridiculous when they turn up as actual faces! I think it’s time to send myself to emoticon rehab.
LOL! And thanks for the kind words about my cover and title! Seriously, enjoy this stage you’re in. Because in hindsight, you really will look back on it with fondness!
Hi Katie-
First of all, your cover is AMAZING. I love it..I would TOTALLY gravitate towards it on the shelf and can’t wait for the day when I actually see it up there!! Huge congrats!
Second, what a great post. Isn’t it funny how our lives progress and change. I know it’s for the better, but sometimes, “the good ‘ole days” feel simpler.
Congratulations Katie–and thanks for your timely question. In fact, it’s urgent. It reminds us that writing isn’t just loving the words. It’s being in business. I’m still challenged, after four published books, by all that requires. Yet I’m grateful for the journey. It’s teaching me to focus on the folks I’m trying to reach–my readers. The result? Better writing and better marketing, but also a better me. May you experience the same!
Thank you for the post, Katie. I’m not near even submitting to agents, but I am taking this time to learn and I love learning from those debut novelists like you. Thank you!
That is the most beautiful cover I’ve ever seen. I feel lucky not to be under any deadlines right now. Comparing it to motherhood is scary though. Best wishes with it all.
Wow! Thanks for the high praise, Catherine!
A good cover is like smelling bacon before it’s ready. I’ll be waiting with my plate for your book now see
Wow, Katie! Congratulations! Sounds like it’s been a fun adventure for you.
What’s the biggest adjustment I’ve gone thru as a writer?
Seeing myself as a writer.
I am still very new to all of this, and have written and self-publsihed my first book without any real planning, and having no idea what to expect.
Now, I am actively blogging and thinking about a second book…and am just now starting to realize that I am really enjoying this writing…and making plans to continue doing it for a while.
As I told my Sunday School class, last Sunday, I am just now realizing that I am now a writer! Not someone who has thought about maybe writing someday, but someone who is actually actively writing.
I know it sounds crazy, but that actually has been a bit of an adjustment for me!
I tried not to admit to that, but somehow, after you have seven books behind you and you’re working on eight and nine, you have to give in and admit that yes, you are a writer.
Oh, good!
Then it’s not just me…
Thanks for being so honest about this, Katie. Before contracts, we do have the freedom to work on what we want, when we want. And like raising kids, our responsibilities change. I’m in a very busy phase with parenting right now, but that too will evolve as they get older.
Congratulations!
I’m such a goals person that I get focused on the prize and don’t stop until I’m there. Then, once I’m there, I move on to the next prize. Thanks for the reminder to enjoy the PRESENT of the present. (Wow, I’m cheesy in the morning.)
Like I’ve been saying, can’t wait to read your novel!!
Beautiful post! So true. And what a wonderful reminder to be thankful for where you are because one day you’ll be somewhere else
Preach it, Katie!
Life really can become a whirlwind overnight, despite the fact that it may take us many years to “get there.”
Congratulations! Your book cover is beautiful, as is your new website!
Katie!!! Your cover is absolutely beautiful! Your words resonate with me, because I am a tunnel vision kind of person. I like to start and finish without being distracted by other things. I know that is something that will have to change, but that’s where I am right now. Love your new website, by the way! Lovely!
I can’t say I want to go back to BC (Before Contract.) I’m finding the struggles are similar. The “what ifs” and doubts still pop up and then there are the days I feel invincible as a writer–uber-confident. The next book(s) feel more important. I want to land those right, even as I work through this whole social media morass.
Love the cover too, Katie. (But you knew that!)
As someone still in the waiting (i.e. doubting) stage, it’s good to read this and get some much-need perspective. Thanks, Katie!
Hi there, Katie!
It’s a wild ride that’s for sure. Congrats on your book and may there be many more to come. Hardest thing for me is timelines and deadlines. Having to write faster than is ideal for me and keeping track of where I am in the story. The important thing is to enjoy the process and keep on learning.
Great post, Katie! This is such a good reminder to be thankful no matter what stage we’re in.
Congratulations, Katie, and thank you for a well-written post. It’s always interesting to me to see what other authors are going through, and it’s also good to be reminded to find the good points of the moment we’re in.
Your gentle reminder to appreciate where I am right now comes appropriately close to Thanksgiving.
The biggest adjustment I’ve made as a writer is to sacrifice my anonymity in order to live at least part of my life in the public eye.
You make such a good point. I’m terrible at doing multiple projects at once. Well, guess I will need to learn.
Wow! Enlightening and a bit scary. It would be so easy to lose focus with all that stuff happening.
I’m not there yet. (Doing first revision on first novel.)
Thanks for the reminder that when you “arrive”, it’s really just another station along the way.
And yes, I love your cover.
Thanks for all the kind words about my cover! I’m glad you’re all enjoying the post!
As a new parent this really hit home. My life is wonderful, I wouldn’t trade it for the world (even all the sleepless nights), but life was simpler before my son.
Your description brings excitement and a little fear into my heart, I can’t wait to be published (or to get an agent) but like a new parent, I don’t think I know what all is in store once I get those things. Good think I trust that God knows when I am ready and what I can handle. It’s in his hands!
I think the greatest adjustment I’ve had to go through as a writer has been in my reading. I find it almost impossible to read anything without editing it or searching it for follow-up ideas to write on. Reading for pure enjoyment is gone. Will it ever come back?
David, I can totally relate to this and I think most writers can. But I will say, I think I’ve gotten better at turning off my internal editor as I read. There was a period, after I’d devoured a ton of craft books, where it was pretty ridiculous. But now I seem to be enjoying books more. Or maybe I’m just picking better ones to read!
I’ve found that it helps with that when you let other people tear your work apart, especially when it involves several people reading the same work. There comes a point where you realize that just because something isn’t the way you would’ve done it it doesn’t mean it is terrible.
Beautiful reminder to enjoy each leg of the journey, Katie! I love the look of your cover!
I just hope I never get to the point where the “good old days” is a reference to the time before I began focusing on a writing career.
Hello from sunny Phoenix, AZ! Thanks, Katie, for the great insight. What has been the biggest adjustment? Well, I have one book published and it is part of a trilogy. Yet I am already working on another 7 book series. Book one is almost finished to send to an interested agent. In January, I will go back to the original trilogy and finish it!
So, the biggest adjustment is making time to write in the midst of working full time, ministry, and LIFE!
Your words of encouragement are helpful. My husband and I have been together for 23 years. I feel our whole time together has been the “good ol’ days”!
Blessings,
Ruth
Congrats. With all the tales of woe regarding the publishing industry, it is refreshing to hear something like this.
Yet if some of those things you mentioned, such as the need to now focus on the career side of writing seem to be things that are required for even thinking about getting a contract nowadays, did you listen to any of the adivce offered by industry professionals (needing a bazillion followers on Facebook, etc) or did you just say to yourself, “That’s all fine and good, but I think I’ll just focusing on writing the darn book first.”
Now THAT would most definitely be refreshing
Hi Larry – I wish I could completely refresh you and say I didn’t think about anything but the book before getting a contract, but if I did, I’d be lying. Part of the reality of being a writer (at least one pursuing a successful publishing career) is engaging in social media and building a readership/web presence.
However, I know Rachelle’s said it before, and I will gladly echo it, none of that means anything if you don’t have a good book. Learning how to write a good book must take priority if you write fiction.
Great post, Katie. I’m excited about your book!
Thanks for this. I am in the midst of doing interviews with publishers while waiting for one of them to make me/my agent an offer. The waiting is torture!
I have been working towards this for some 20 years or so, fantasizing about it, having the day-dreams, so being in the middle of it (and being cranky, impatient, and exhausted from working my day-job) is not exactly the about-to-(fingers-crossed)-get-a-book-deal fantasy I imagined…
Your post helped me realize that these feelings are not out of the ordinary, and I thank you for that
I hope you get a positive response soon! Waiting is extremely hard.
That’s so great, Katie! Best of luck to you!! I’m in the phase where I’m looking for an agent (just finished my first book this November). I hope to know what you’re feeling like.
I’ll make sure to pick up a copy of your books!
Thanks Vicki! I hope you enjoy the book! And best wishes as you embark on this crazy, fun journey!
So excited for you, Katie! And thank you for the reminder to enjoy the journey. It seems in life we are always looking ahead. As soon as the baby starts sleeping through the night then I can relax. Or as soon as I get that contract… Life moves too fast as it is, and so often we can’t see our own contentment, even in those trying moments, until we can look back and remember the joy of a simpler time. Congrats, girl!
Hey Amy-girl! You’re so right! Thinking about you as you travel this journey! I can’t wait to see what God has in store for you and your stories, chica!
This is something I hadn’t considered in my drive towards publication. A great post and something to recognise while it’s relatively relaxed. Thank you.
Loving your cover.
Thank you Rebecca!
I’m finishing up my novel, and starting to think about seeking an agent. So I have a question for all of you published writers: How do you balance it with working a full-time job and having a life? Are you married, and if so, are you spending less time with your spouse?
I’m a bit nervous that something else will suffer if/when I manage to become a successful writer.
Megan, I won’t lie. It’s tough! Until very recently, I worked full time as well as wrote, wifed (did I just make up a verb?) and mothered. It was a HUGE balancing act wherein I had to be extremely disciplined. I got up at four in the morning so I could get in my writing before work. It can be done. It’s difficult. But it can be done. And it’s not without sacrifice.
Well done Katie! I think that is an important perspective. We posted your article on the Writing Platform Facebook page.
Thanks Michael!
Katie, thank you for pulling the curtain back and showing us the behind-the-scenes world of an author under contract.–Tom
Can i bookmark your blog for personal?
I do not create a leave a response, however I glanced through some remarks on this page Life After the Contract | Rachelle Gardner. I actually do have 2 questions for you if you tend not to mind. Is it only me or do some of the remarks appear as if they are coming from brain dead people?
And, if you are writing at other online social sites, I would like to keep up with everything fresh you have to post. Could you make a list of every one of your public pages like your twitter feed, Facebook page or linkedin profile?
I discovered your blog site on google and check a few of your early posts. Continue to keep up the very good operate. I just additional up your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. Seeking forward to reading more from you later on!…