Agonising wait...

[kungfupannda]

My agent called me on Friday following an email from an editor at one of the big publishers. The editor said she loved my second book (1st one had a couple of near misses but wasn't picked up) and asked whether it was still available, as she knew there'd been interest from another editor, and what rights we would be offering.

My agent seems to think an offer might be on its way. I'm desperately trying not to get my hopes up as I know the editor could change her mind, or be unable to get it past the acquisitions meeting etc etc.

So it's now just a questions of waiting. And checking email and phone a thousand times a day, obviously.

Helpfully, about five minutes after I had the conversation with my agent, I got a commission through from a magazine I write for regularly, asking me to do a very complicated piece at short notice as they'd been let down. So I actually do have to concentrate on something other than email checking, which is probably just as well!

Soothing noises and back stroking would all be appreciated...

[DonkeysYears]

I'm good at back-stroking! How exciting. Really hope you get good news!

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

Best of luck, Kungfu. I hope you get a lovely offer.

[DonkeysYears]

Please keep us posted!

[kungfupannda]

Thank you. No news today. not that I checked my email three hundred and forty-five times oh no not me

[ImperialBlether]

I'd be beside myself! How exciting! Please let us know when you hear anything.

What sort of novel is it?

[kungfupannda]

Still nothing.

Imperial, it's allegedly literary fiction with fantasy elements. Or something like that.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

That sounds fabulous. I hope they realise if they publish it, we'll all buy it.

[gohaze]

Very best of luck, no news is good news as they say

[kungfupannda]

Maybe I should drop an email to my agent saying 'and Mumsnet will all buy it and there's loads of them!'

Do you think that will swing it?

Right now, if I thought going and performing a naked dance with tassels outside the editor's offices would swing it, I'd be stripping off and getting on a train to London. In that order.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

It depends if they understand the true power of Mumsnet or they think we are all silly mums who talk about nothing but buggies In which case you will sound deranged, damn it.

[gohaze]

Er there's no way I'd dance in tassels, def would put any would be editors off" interesting point you've raised though about fan base. I know of successful indies who've managed securing an editor As have people using self publishing platforms such as WattPad. Editors don't want to lose money in us and therefore a pre existing fan base is a very big plus.

[BigPawsBrown]

I think at this stage no news is good news as if a serious deal is to be put on the table you'll have to go through acquisitions, sales and marketing boards etc. If your agent is anything like mine s/he will spare you the details of these and just let you know the outcome afterwards. Good luck. The waiting is horrible.

[kungfupannda]

Small update. It's been mentioned at an acquisitions meeting and some other people are now reading. They've asked for my other novel and details of the one I'm working on now.

It could still go wrong, I know, but even if it does, clearly I'm not a million miles away from where I need to be.

[repeats to self] it's a learning experience it's a learning experience it's a learning experience...

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

So all good news then.

Will keep fingers crossed.

[BigPawsBrown]

How exciting! What genre is your book?

[kungfupannda]

Literary fiction with fantastical elements, allegedly.

[Tisiphone]

Very exciting, Kungfu! I'm still plugging away at finding representation, so much envy from me...

[Greenstone]

Best of luck. You must be beyond excited!

[TravellingHopefully12]

Just saw this...how did it end Kungfu?x

[MissBattleaxe]

ooh yes I'd love an update!

[kungfupannda]

Forgot about this thread!

The whole saga ran and ran and ran....and then got nowhere. I think the whole process was about 6 weeks from start to finish.

My agent sent my first novel, which the editor wasn't as keen on, but she liked what she saw of my new project. It went to another editorial meeting, and had department support, and then it was supposed to go to an acquisitions meeting, but didn't due to lack of key people there. It was mentioned again as a possible cross-genre novel, and another 2 departments got involved before it went to the final acquisitions meeting. The literary fiction people were apparently on board, but the thriller people hated it. Final decision was 'marmite book' and they couldn't reach agreement, so it was a no.

I went catatonic for about 12 hours and then felt surprisingly okay about it. The editor sent a lovely follow-up email to my agent, and an editor in the US office asked to see it, but we never heard any more about that.

I've now finished the first draft of my third novel and I'm editing it at the moment. The plan is for it to go to the same editor, so we'll see how we get on.

All part of the learning experience

[ImperialBlether]

It is incredibly stressful, isn't it? I haven't got as far as that; still trying to get an agent and I have to force myself not to phone them up and tell them to get a move on! Well done on getting so far. It's a huge achievement in itself.

[MissBattleaxe]

What a palaver and how stressy! What I admire about you kungfu is the fact that instead of hiding under a duvet and cussing the world, you're cracking on with No 3. Superb attitude.

Just think of all the hurdlers who fell whilst you carried on round the track. That's what keeps me going.

[kungfupannda]

I did hide under the duvet and curse the world! DP kept saying 'are you talking yet?' and getting a blank look.

Then it occurred to me that at least something had happened. Writing involves such long periods of feeling like nothing is happening and you're getting absolutely nowhere, that a near-miss is actually a big positive.

The worst thing about it is that the editor sounded absolutely lovely. I saw some of her emails and I think I'd have liked her. Need to write something she can get through an acquisitions meeting without being scuppered by the bastarding thriller department.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

Oh Kungfu, I have been there with the near(ish) miss. I actually got to meet the team who would have been working on my book if it had been acquired (though everyone was splendidly straight with me about the trickiness of the process, so there weren't false hopes raised) and they were absolutely lovely and I would have loved to work with them.

I have filed that meeting away as a very pleasant memory which I revisit from time to time. Plus, they gave me a goodie bag of books for my kids and you know, free books!

MissBattleAxe, my dh does a very good line in motivational chats, and his way of putting it is that you WANT it to be a hard process that takes determination, because you can choose to keep going rather than give up and that will separate you from the people who give up at the first hurdle.