Category: new manuscript

Booknews in Triplicate

Posted on by Diane Zahler

There’s a lot of book stuff going on!

  • Baker’s Magic:  I did my annual school visit at Mill Road School this week (postponed after a blizzard happened on the original date), talking about Baker’s Magic to groups of fifth graders. Authors Nancy Castaldo, Jennifer Donnelly, Jennifer Castle, Nancy Furstinger, and I had a great time. My PowerPoint worked, and the students’ questions afterward were excellent. I brought mini-Bouts buns, and nobody refused to eat them. And oh the pastries during the book signing afterward…!

The audiobook of Baker’s Magic got a starred review  from Booklist — my first starred review ever. And it’s on the Audiofile list of 20  Exceptional Audiobooks. I knew that audio was amazing. Especially whoever read the recipe at the end!

 

  • The Marvelwood Magicians: ARCs have arrived, and they are beautiful. I’m thrilled to see this story in almost-book form! The publication date is now official: September 19.

 

  • The new secret book: I’ve sent the finished manuscript to my editor. Now comes the waiting. I actually kind of like this part — before I know if she likes it or hates it, before I have to rewrite, before I know for sure what’s going to happen. I can imagine almost…anything.

 

Pressing SEND

Posted on by Diane Zahler

I’ve sent off a new manuscript to my agent.

 

This is the

♦best feeling ever

♦worst feeling ever

Pick one. Or both.

 

I thought about the story for a year. Worked on it for seven months. Revised it. Revised it again. Made my husband read the whole thing at least twice. Got to the point where if it had stayed in my computer for ONE MORE MINUTE I would have gone mad.crazy-writer

 

Pressed SEND. Died a little.

 

 

 

I had an editor once who asked me, when I turned in a contracted manuscript, “Do you love it?” words-1

 

Um, yes. I wouldn’t have sent it in otherwise.

 

I think what she was really asking was, “Will it get starred reviews? Will it sell enough to justify its print run? Is it great?”

 

To those questions, if they had actually been asked, I probably would have replied:

 

I don’t know.yesno

I don’t know.

I don’t know.

 

 

I don’t think it’s my job to know these things. It’s my job to write the best story I can write and then press SEND. I can hope that it sells, that it gets good reviews, that it’s great. (I can really, really hope so.)

 

But I can’t know anything for sure except that I’ve written the best story I can write.

 

And I’ve pressed SEND.sendq