What's it like to be published?

Kimberlee Conway Ireton is seeking an agent for her YA novel, but has had a taste of publication in the adult market. How has it changed her life? Here's a portion of her blog post:

When I got the contract to write my book two years ago, my husband teased me. “It’s like you’re in the NBA,” he said. “Every writer wants to be published, just like every basketball player dreams of being in the NBA. And you’re in.”

It was true. By my own novice writer’s standard, I had arrived: something I wrote was going to be published with my name on the cover! It was a lifelong dream come true. I was ecstatic.

And then, in October last year, my book was published. It’s a beautiful book (I kiss the feet of the designers) and I’m proud of it. But here’s the thing: if Doug is right that publication is the writer’s version of the NBA, then publishing one book with one small press is the equivalent of bench warming. And the problem with bench warming is that no one sees you play. The big name big shots are out there making the baskets and winning the game, and you’re sitting on the sidelines, hoping your coach will put you in. And of course, he doesn’t. Because you’re a benchwarmer. And that’s what benchwarmers do: they warm the bench.

Read the rest.

Introducing Tales from the Trenches

Are you a newly published or prolific author and/or illustrator? Has your work appeared in book or magazine form? Have you just landed an awesome agent? We want to hear your story!

The printed Chinook has a new ongoing column called Tales from the Trenches, in which we interview authors and illustrators about their work and how they got started. If you have achieved Published and Listed membership status in SCBWI and would like to participate, please answer three of the following questions and send your responses to tfttnw@gmail.com.

We're looking for interesting stories that will inspire and inform our members. We might edit your answers for length and content, so please keep your answers brief but punchy. We look forward to hearing from you!

• Where did you get the idea for your story?


• How do your stories take shape in your head or on paper? For example, do you brainstorm organically or do you use an outline?


• How old were you when you wrote your first story? What was it about?


• Tell us about your path to publication. Did anything unusual or unexpected happen?


• Did you receive any rejection letters in the process? If so, how many? What did you do after reading them?


• Who have been your biggest coaches and cheerleaders during your career?


• Have the books you read as a child influenced your writing or artwork in your career?


• For illustrators: what is your process for illustrating someone else’s text? How do you “see” someone else’s characters?


• Have you ever been surprised by an illustration you did? Has something unexpected ever appeared in your work?


• If you are an author or illustrator who has published multiple titles, how do you manage your time so that you can continue to work on new books and promote your existing books?


• When writing a series, how do you stay true to the voice or voices of the series? How do you keep track of changing events and characters from book to book?