Expecting A Bouncing Baby Book

Getting a book contract is kind of like getting pregnant. No, you don’t have to sleep with anyone in order to get published. But like creating a child, the process of creating a book should be fun and leave you with a sense of satisfaction.

However the analogy really takes off once you get that call informing you that a bid has been made. It is the novelist’s version of a blue plus sign. You’ve been hoping that this day would come—praying even, and now it’s official. You’re thrilled, ecstatic, your dreams are coming true!

And then the morning sickness sets in---otherwise known as revisions. Some people have a worse time than others (my editor informed me that mine was a light edit. But this is my first child…er…book, so I have no basis for comparison).

Then the edits are done and you reach your second trimester. As any expectant parent can tell you, the second trimester rocks. Everything’s been accepted. There may be some line edits and the like that need to be tended to but nothing major or too daunting. Your cover’s done and it’s ‘showing’ on Amazon. Life is great.

But the third trimester is just around the corner.

That’s right—your due date is fast approaching and all of a sudden it hits you. You have no idea what the hell you’re doing. You don’t know what to expect and you’re not sure what exactly it is your supposed to do in order to ensure that your book starts off life on the right foot. Will your baby be popular, loved even? Or will it be mocked or worse yet--ignored.

The weight of the whole thing is almost unbearable. You just want the damn thing to be out. But then again you know that once it is out a whole new odyssey will begin. Since the experience is different for everyone talking to those who have ‘been-there-done-that’ doesn’t help all that much. Everyone has different and usually conflicting advice. And then there are the questions about the father aka publisher. Will they be supportive? Indifferent?

It’s crazy, it’s overwhelming, it’s nerve wracking and it’s incredibly wonderful. After all, this is a planned pregnancy and personally I can’t wait to share my child with the world.

Kyra
www.kyradavis.com
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte--May 2005