OMG, I want to frame this. My new book deal with a New York publisher is right at the top of today’s Publishers Lunch.
Publishers Lunch is a daily publishing industry newsletter put out by Publishers Weekly. Essentially, it’s the #1 place for announcements about new book deals between literary agents and publishers.
According to the website, their subscribers number more than 40,000 publishing professionals.
And, you know … little ol’ me.
I’ve been reading Pub Lunch since 2001 or so.
That’s a WHOLE lot of book deal angst.
Let’s be honest. If you’re a writer, it’s really hard to read about other people signing book deals with big New York publishers every day without feeling the teensiest sting of envy.
But I firmly believe, in my heart, that you need to get rid of envy every time it rears its ugly head.
Envy is the most toxic of all emotions.
So every time I find myself feeling envious of another published author, I do my best to stay humble, be thankful, and focus on the hard work of building my own writing career.
Envy doesn’t get you where you want to go. Learning, connecting, and most of all, working — that’s what does.
And now, I’m very proud to announce…
Here’s what it says in Publishers Lunch:
Laurence MacNaughton’s debut urban fantasy IT HAPPENED ONE DOOMSDAY, about an inexperienced crystal sorceress who scrambles to stop the end of the world without falling for a muscle-car driving mechanic who is fated to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, to Rene Sears at Pyr, in a nice deal, in a two-book deal, by Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency (World English).
How about that!
What’s even more amazing to me?
The tremendous outpouring of support and congratulations from others.
Not just friends and writers I know, but even strangers, literary agents, bestselling authors — so much, it’s amazing.
So all of that envy over all of those years? Didn’t need it. Wasn’t worth it. And I’m glad I let it go.
Because this book deal, right here, makes it all worth it.