A Life in the Day

I have always had a passion for the written word. It didn't matter where I happened to be, if there was a book, a newspaper, a magazine, a cereal box, I was going to read it. As I got older, I found myself editing restaurant menus, newsletters, my parents' work memos... anything with text, line spacing and graphics. But it was during a school field trip to the Harcourt Brace & Jovanovich building in Orlando, Florida, that I really fell in love with the industry. Watching and learning how textbooks were made and seeing people working in offices that smelled of printer ink, glue and wax with that slight hint of stale coffee in the air pretty much did me in. When I got home I told my mother that I would one day work in the HBJ building. In college, I pursued a mass communication degree and was the editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Learning to edit, design and manage a weekly periodical prepared me for the work that was to come... a call from Harcourt School Publis...

Decisions, decisions! Having spent the better part of my day and night reading blogs, articles and twitter chats between literary agents and authors, I'm still unsure of whether what I would like to do for my authors is feasible and tangible. Learning how to traverse the waters of the publishing industry in the trade market after being in the textbook industry (and the production side of that behemoth, to boot) is becoming a full-time job. Not a complaint, mind you. I have always enjoyed learning and researching topics of interest but this topic is not just one I want to know about for the sake of attaining the knowledge. This topic of interest is one I want to eventually make a living out of. A few things I'm still unsure of: Is it possible to be an agent for digital pub (epub) work only? Because print runs in the digital marketplace are traditionally less than in print (as in copies printed), is it possible for the agent to also be the publicist if only working with epub ...

I was talking to my best friend via e-mail today and realized that much of what she and I say to one another is what I'd love to tell all of my friends on a daily basis. Friendships, regardless of how or where they are borne are our most treasured assets and losing them, any part of them, makes us feel less worthy. Today's discussion between us was about our "what-ifs". Here's a bit of that discussion: There have been so many times in my life that I've wandered "what-if". What if I'd waited until I finished college to get married, what kind of life would I lead now? What if Millie had never died, would my husband be the same man I love today? What if he'd never lost his job? Where would I be right now? Every answer leads me to an image of a rather embittered woman, alone and possibly heavily medicated. Every bad thing I think has happened in my life has been God's way of reminding me that my life is truly in His hands. I can push and...

With the birth of a new decade comes the birth of new possibilities. While many make New Year's resolutions that have likely already been broken (been there, done that, have the t-shirt) I chose to begin the pre-teen years of this new decade with a renewed sense of purpose. Goals for the year include: Selling first manuscript for up-and-coming author. Launch literary agent career. Gain experience and contacts in the coming year. New blog, new direction, a new course set on the path to success! Currently reading: Fur and Fang by Sean Michael.