Ginny Baird's Blog: The Story Behind the Story... - Posts Tagged "path-to-publication"

Many moons ago, when I was a kid of not more than fourteen, my high school headmaster called me into his office to ask what I was considering as a career. At that point in my young life, I had no ambitions beyond my study of boys. Naturally, I didn’t say this in reply, and I was astonished when Dr. Fox recommended I become a writer. It turned out my English teacher had shared a volume of poetry with him that I’d written for a school assignment, and he thought it was quite good. My parents, however, were less than enthusiastic about my embarking on a path to poverty, suggesting I pursue a more practical profession. Though I did for a time, that old seed had already been planted.

Fast forward to several years later, when upon exiting a job in international development to become a full-time mom, I became plagued by recurring nightmares. Not one to take such matters lying down (ha-ha), I read several dream analysis books until I diagnosed my ailment. I had a “novel” inside me, which was dying to get out, and the personalities I'd dreamt of were my characters. Problem solved, I set out to write that book in a rapid fury, only to discover I’d have a devil of a time selling it. Finally, my little spy thriller found a home with a small Australian press that was on the leading edge of electronic publishing. In year 2000, that novel released in e-book (which meant on floppy disk) and print-on-demand. Its sequel saw publication six months later.

Unfortunately, in the day before e-readers, there wasn’t much of a market for e-books of any sort, and so—despite winning a few modest awards—those early books tanked. The first one did, nonetheless, catch the eye of a German film producer, who contacted me about it, asking me to send the script. While I’d never written a screenplay before, this sounded like too big of an opportunity to pass up! And so, I did a lot of self-educating the old fashioned way, meaning at the library and bookstore, as the Internet was still in its fledgling stages. The producer sadly passed, but since I’d written the screenplay anyway, I decided to enter it in the Nicholl Fellowship competition, sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Though I didn’t place or final, an extremely kindhearted judge sent me a handwritten note saying, “Top ten percent. Don’t stop writing.”

Wow! That was cool, and frankly so much more than I’d hoped for. And, that wee bit of encouragement spurred my ambition. By then, I’d sold a romance novel to Kensington Books in New York, and had a second one in the queue to be published. Romance was fun! Romance was hopeful! And, I loved adding humor to my stories. SO, why not try my hand at a romantic comedy screenplay? I seriously had nothing to lose, apart from a lot of postage, since all queries were sent by snail mail in those days, and scripts were mailed hard copy with some weird rule about only inserting two brads in the three-hole-punched paper.

The screenplay I wrote was called “All I Want for Christmas” about a child who asks Santa for a new mommy for Christmas, then wakes up to find one on her living room sofa—much to her bachelor dad’s surprise. By then, it was 2003, and I actually got interest in the script! It was (different producers told me) perfect for Hallmark! I signed an option. Yay! It got walked in. Yay! Nothing ever happened. Oh, well. Then the same project got optioned again, and again. Eventually, several times… Soon, I had a manager in LA and next an agent in New York City. I wrote more screenplays, and, well… The results were disappointingly the same. No matter how great a project is, it’s very difficult to get it set up for film. Those in the industry know this. I knew it, too. But, after a while, being human and all, I began to get discouraged.

Right around that time (2011), indie publishing came along, just as I was considering renewing my novel-writing career. I’d written a new romance I’d planned to pitch to publishers, but author friends urged me to consider releasing it on my own instead. Since this seemed like a good way to test the waters after my fiction-writing hiatus, I dipped my toe in gently with the two novels I’d regained rights to from the New York publisher, which had since closed that line. Then, I thought of my screenplays! Those poor little lost pups, with so much love and promise inside them—and yet nowhere to go. It wouldn’t be too much work to convert some of those to novellas. And so, I began with what ultimately became Books 1, 2, and 3 in my Holiday Brides Series and Books 1, 2, and 3 in my companion novella series, Summer Grooms.

These stories were a little different from most romance books out there in 2012 in that they were very sweet, with clean language, no love scenes, and a wholesome family feel, although they were clearly targeted toward adults. The books were, essentially, Hallmark-style novellas, and, luckily, they found their audience. When I discovered the readership for sweeter romances was broader than I’d originally anticipated, I decided to write more of them. And then, last year, a groundbreaking event occurred. I learned that Hallmark had opened a publishing division! This seemed almost too good to be true, and also such a great fit for my work and my brand.

I submitted to them immediately, and though my first concept wasn’t exactly what they were looking for, they enthusiastically accepted my second idea, which sent me over the moon! I’m totally thrilled to have my Christmas novel, An Unforgettable Christmas, releasing from Hallmark Publishing on September 24, 2019. It’s a really fun and romantic story, which is very close to my heart, as some of its elements are based on my family and also my Puerto Rican heritage on my mother’s side. There’s no guarantee that the book will become a Hallmark Channel movie, but the distinct possibility is there. I’ll be crossing fingers and toes, and hoping for the very best in that regard!

Meanwhile, it’s pretty amazing to think that my initial ambition of writing for Hallmark in 2003 will finally come to fruition in 2019. Yes. Sixteen years later! So, my message to all you struggling writers out there is the same as what that generous contest judge said to me. “Don’t stop writing.” The only sure way you won’t succeed is by giving up. Happy New Year, friends! Here's wishing you great health and happiness in 2019. May your fondest dreams come true. <3