Bailey Poolman
asked
Heidi Heilig:
How did you go about getting a book deal? Was it difficult and time-consuming? What is the process like after you finish the whole editing process? What's been your favorite part of the entire process?
Heidi Heilig
This is actually a lot of questions in one! :) I'll try to keep the answer brief:
The bulk of the work of actually getting the deal was done by my agent (i don't want to take credit where it isn't due!) I wrote the book and was going to throw it on Wattpad, but then my mom (who always has good ideas) told me I should try to find an agent, so I did.
I gave myself 6 months to try (after which I told myself I'd just go back to the original idea of Wattpad and writing whatever was next). Then I worked on the Query Letter (QueryShark was a HUGE resource for me), and then just searched for YA agents who rep'd fantasy and historical novels. I sent queries to something like 17 agents over the course of 3 months. Two of them ended up offering rep, and I chose Molly at The Bent Agency. Together, we did one round of revisions with her, and then about 4 months after we signed our contract, she sold the book using her special agent magic. It wasn't too time consuming or difficult (for me) though I'm certain she was running around and doing a ton of work!
After the whole editing process--i actually am not 100% sure since I only JUST finished. Between big-picture edits, line edits, copy edits, and post-ARC tweaking, there is a lot of editing! I think the book is only now (two and a half months out) finally ready for print. In the meantime, I'm working on a lot of blog posts and scheduling time away for various trips to book events next year. Soon i might plan a launch party? I'm eager to see what comes next.
My favorite part hands-down has been all the wonderful people I've met on this journey. The people at HarperCollins and at Hotkey, the book community, fellow authors and bloggers and of course readers. As a writer, you spend a lot of time hanging out with the people you made up, and i never could have imagined a community as vibrant and welcoming as this one.
The bulk of the work of actually getting the deal was done by my agent (i don't want to take credit where it isn't due!) I wrote the book and was going to throw it on Wattpad, but then my mom (who always has good ideas) told me I should try to find an agent, so I did.
I gave myself 6 months to try (after which I told myself I'd just go back to the original idea of Wattpad and writing whatever was next). Then I worked on the Query Letter (QueryShark was a HUGE resource for me), and then just searched for YA agents who rep'd fantasy and historical novels. I sent queries to something like 17 agents over the course of 3 months. Two of them ended up offering rep, and I chose Molly at The Bent Agency. Together, we did one round of revisions with her, and then about 4 months after we signed our contract, she sold the book using her special agent magic. It wasn't too time consuming or difficult (for me) though I'm certain she was running around and doing a ton of work!
After the whole editing process--i actually am not 100% sure since I only JUST finished. Between big-picture edits, line edits, copy edits, and post-ARC tweaking, there is a lot of editing! I think the book is only now (two and a half months out) finally ready for print. In the meantime, I'm working on a lot of blog posts and scheduling time away for various trips to book events next year. Soon i might plan a launch party? I'm eager to see what comes next.
My favorite part hands-down has been all the wonderful people I've met on this journey. The people at HarperCollins and at Hotkey, the book community, fellow authors and bloggers and of course readers. As a writer, you spend a lot of time hanging out with the people you made up, and i never could have imagined a community as vibrant and welcoming as this one.
More Answered Questions
A Goodreads user
asked
Heidi Heilig:
your book is a fascinating story and it amazed me! what made you want to write it? thank you
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Dec 21, 2015 05:51AM · flag