I’m so happy! Six years after I started writing my debut novel, three years after finishing it, and 18 months after I got an agent, I have accepted a book deal from a UK publisher. Eek!
It’s not signed yet, as the contract is doing a back and forth between my agency’s contract lawyers and those at the publisher, which could take a few weeks. But the offer is formally accepted, so I feel able to share my good news here. I won’t name the publisher yet, only because there’s a contract clause that says my publisher has to approve promotional material from the author, including blogs and social posts. So I’ll have to keep that under wraps for a little while longer.
What I can say is that it’s not a big publishing house, but a successful independent company that focuses largely on digital publishing, with an Amazon/Kindle exclusive distribution deal, and print-on-demand copies for anybody ordering a paperback off Amazon. It’s a less traditional model of publishing and one that responds to the realities of today’s market and readership. Which is all good by me.
So the publishing journey begins here! The publisher said my MS is in very good shape, and won’t need a lot of reworking. They do want to change the current working title from The Other Me to something new, which I’m fine with, as I’m not wedded to that title and it has proven not very memorable among those who have read the book thus far. I’ll get approval on the new title and on the cover art (cover art! exciting!) so I’m happy about that.
I’m thrilled to be taking this next step and getting my book out into the world. I’ll post here all about what happens on this journey, with the publishing and marketing process, and I’ll keep my social feeds updated.
But for now, time to celebrate!
CJ Connolly 