The Cherry On Top
Selling a book to a publisher is a rather extraordinary thing. You have the opportunity to work with an editor, refine your story to its highest potential, see a cover, and then share your baby with readers. In the process of birthing your book-baby you work, bleed onto the page, and subject yourself to the extremes of utter self-doubt and overwhelming joy.
At the end of it you have a book. And occasionally, a little bit of money. This, my friend, is also satisfying.
The avaricious intent, I must confess, lies somewhere inside the writer's soul, snuggled alongside the desire to share with readers the gift of a great story, beautiful words, and an emotional journey. We writers love our craft, our art, and our stories. We also wouldn't mind being able to feed our families and send our children to college.
A well-written, well-crafted book that you can be proud of is, of course, the ice cream in the sundae of a writer's life. The money? Well, let's just call that a little hot fudge. But this week, I got something even sweeter — a little cherry on top.
The cherry is a foreign rights deal. In these little fruity bits of joy, someone from another country — let's say Turkey — decides they would like to translate your ice cream into another language. They want to share your mocha fudge chip with people who prefer to read in a language other than English. As shocking as it is to imagine that there are people IN FOREIGN LANDS who want to read your books, it does, upon occasion, happen.
But here's the best part (close your ears if all this talk of money makes you uncomfortable): they pay you money for the right to do this. They really do. And you don't have to do a blessed thing! You just sit back, nod with delight, and LET THEM translate your book into a foreign tongue. And they give you money.
Ah. Sometimes, my friends, life is sweet.
So today I am celebrating the cherry on top of the sundae that is Radiant Desire. Today, Entangled Publishing announced a deal with a publisher who is going to bring naughty faeries to the good people of Turkey.
And tonight, I am eating that little cherry with a big ol' grin on my face. Thank you, Turkey! And thank you Entangled Publishing, for making this particular dream come true.
