Mama Diaries

Saturday, December 10, 2016

The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow


Happy 1st book birthday to THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW! It's been a year since the mystery of the Begonia House was revealed to the world, and now the paperback will be available January 3rd, 2017. The new cover stays true to Fairday's snazzy style, sprinkling in a few added charms. Can you spot the differences from the hardcover? ;) 


Catch the book trailer to find out about the mystery...




Planning to pick up the paperback? Pre-order a copy and you could win a $50 VISA card to treat yourself after the holidays. Contest is open to all! For more details on how to enter, click here.

For more information about the book, visit the DMS at fairdaysfiles.com



The Process of Publishing a Book
By Jessica Haight & Stephanie Robinson

Be ready to put forth a lot of effort!

When we started the publishing process we had no idea what we were getting into. Our book was written, but what were the next steps after having it edited and “ready to go”? We learned a lot along the way, and we'll share some of the highlights here. 

Stephanie Robinson, Unicorn Writers' Conference
1. If you want to write books, start going to writers’ conferences. We gained something from every one we attended, and it’s also awesome to be surrounded by so many people who share your passion for writing. Very inspirational!

 
2. If you decide to go the traditional route, it is important to research the agents you would like to query. You want to make sure the person representing your book loves it too! Be patient. After you write your query and send it off- you’ll have to wait for 1-3 months before you hear back about whether they would like to pass, see a partial manuscript, or read the whole manuscript. During this time- keep writing. Work on your next book!

3. Once you connect with the right agent, you will sign a contract with them. Read it over carefully and check it with other professionals before you sign your name. Make sure you understand what you are agreeing to and what they will do for you. We were thrilled to sign our contract with Talcott Notch Literary Agency, but we’ve heard nightmare stories from friends who had contracts that weren’t acceptable.

Gina Panettieri, Talcott Notch Literary

4. Your agent will start querying editors. After you’ve found the right agent, they will know what to do during this process and will check in with you to let you know where and when they are sending your work. When you hear back from editors, you will typically receive general remarks that you’ll need to consider. Remember, reading is subjective and even JK Rowling was rejected before her first Harry Potter book was published.

Signed contract with Delacorte Press
5.  When you sign with an editor you will most likely do a happy dance and run around screaming, like we did. Depending on the size of the publishing company the time frame to begin edits will vary. We signed our contract in October, but didn’t begin working on edits until March. The editing continues as the art department works on illustrations and cover art for the book. Once all the pieces are in place, the book is printed as an ARC- advanced reader copy.
 
6. ARCs have errors and the publishing company is working to fix them, but time is limited to get them done and errors cost money to fix. We read through our ARCs and made a list of all the mistakes we found. We were able to fix one of them because it isn’t easy to fix them at this stage, but luckily the editors had already fixed the other mistakes we had found (though we didn’t know for sure until the book was out).   

The ARCs for THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW
7. After the ARCs you will keep working on your other writing while you wait for trade reviews to come in. Ours came a few months before the book was out.

8. Release day! You'll be a bundle of nerves seeing your book out in the world. It's exciting, but you may feel a little vulnerable. Make sure to celebrate and enjoy the moment!
Voila! The finished product.
If you decide to publish traditionally, take your work seriously and protect your creative space. You are your own best advocate, so believe in yourself and fear not the unexpected! ;)


56 comments:

  1. It's a long process. I guess one finds out how long when one is going through it. Congrats.

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    1. Liz- Very true! Being in the middle of the process you see how long each step really takes. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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    2. Definitely. You need a lot of patience to be an author!

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  2. A wonderful read Sherry and thanks for introducing me to this book,. I hope all goes well for the new edition.
    I have problems with your page, Is it my end or yours as everywhere else is ok.
    Yvonne.

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    1. Yvonne- So glad you enjoyed the post! Thanks for your comment. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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    2. Who knows, Yvonne. I got a new computer, and I get the message that my blogs are unstable because they are not supported by an identifiable server. They're on Comcast, while everything else I do is on Google. I think there was a problem before I got my new computer. Honestly, I'm not sure if it is a problem with me or with Blogger. I guess if other people comment about having problems with my blog, it would be just me, but so far, nobody else has said anything.

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  3. I skipped the agent part, but I do remember all of the editing. The first round is the hardest as that's when you realize how dumb you are when it comes to writing.

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    1. Alex- With the first round of edits we were horrified that our editor thought we had no idea how to spell, use punctuation, and write in general. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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    2. You were lucky to get a publisher without an agent!

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  4. Happy bookday to Fairday and the ladies!

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    1. Dezmond- Thanks a million! :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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  5. Yeah, read every last detail indeed. One doesn't want to get screwed over at their feed

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    1. Pat- Contracts are not for skimming unless you are prepared for scamming. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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    2. You really have to be careful with contracts!

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  6. Sherry- Thank you so much for having us on your blog this weekend. We really appreciate all of your support! :)
    ~Jess and Stephanie

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    1. You're welcome! It's a pleasure having you as a guest.

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  7. Congratulations to Fairday and her authors on one year of being out there in the world! It takes SO LONG to get there, but it's so worth it in the end!

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    1. Dianne- Thanks so much for your kind words! It does take a lot of hard work to get there- but the work and time is definitely worth is. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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  9. Happy Book Birthday!

    It is a long process and it involves much heart-ache along the way as well as much happiness!

    Wishing you both much success!

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    1. Nas- You are right- the path involves a lot of ups and downs in the emotions department, but definitely lots of happiness. Thanks for your good wishes. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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  10. Happy Book Birthday. Great cover and wonderful advice. Wishing you much success.

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    1. Mason- Thanks for the book birthday wishes. We are glad you enjoyed the post and we appreciate the good wishes. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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    2. It's a great book, and I'm sure readers will enjoy it.

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  11. Happy Book Birthday, Jess and Stephanie!

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  12. Yay and happy birthday! Lovely post with great pictures to enjoy. Thanks so much.

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    1. Lee- Thanks! So glad you enjoyed the post. :) ~Jess and Stephanie

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  13. Congratulations to Jess and Stephanie! Excited for them, and wishing them well.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog for Alex's interview. It's good to see you! :)

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    1. Karen- Thanks for the good wishes! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

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    2. I enjoyed your interview with Alex!

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  14. Congratulations to Jess and Stephanie! Awesome that it's now in paperback.

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    1. Thanks, Kelly! We are excited. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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    2. It's good to have different formats.

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  15. Congratulations and thank you for sharing your journey with us. Well done for working so hard and good luck with the release in January.

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    1. Nicola- Thanks for your kind wished. So glad you enjoyed learning about our journey. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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    2. Both ladies have worked very hard on this!

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  16. A great read - I was lucky enough to win a hard back copy a while ago - it's great to see it featured here.

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    1. Tracy- Thanks. :) We are so glad you won a hardcover copy and enjoyed it. ~Stephanie and Jess

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  17. Congrats to Jess and Steph on their book's birthday! The publishing process never fails to be a long and convoluted journey, for sure...

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    1. Yes, but when it's published, the journey is worth it.

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  18. Terrific guest post! I can't spot the differences in the new paperback. Old eyes...

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  19. Happy book birthday! And happy holidays too:)

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    1. Optimistic Existentialist- Thanks! It wouldn't be a birthday without cake. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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