My very own 007

I am so excited to announce that I signed with literary agent Jennifer Lawler of the Salkind Agency two weeks ago.  For the past two book contracts, I have been an unagented writer which means I have pounded the pavement to find a publisher for my book ideas and then negotiated the contracts for myself (a very scary proposition).  As it turns out, I love writing books– I love spending time with subjects, ideas, people I am passionate about, I love using that medium to help people get at their voices, I love having the word count to share stories adequately, and I love having the opportunity to share those ideas and stories with people all over the country who have their own rich stories to share.  It was a dream of mine to have not just an agent but the right agent and, because the right agent was so important to me, I’ve been slow about pursuing an agent.  But I sensed that I had found that special agent when I learned about Jennifer.  The author of more than 25 books, Jennifer writes extensively about marital arts and empowerment.  And she’s got a great, approachable, easy personality.  Oh, and if you were wondering how I REALLY knew she was the agent for me, well, she’s the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Sleep Training Your Child.  If there was ever someone I needed in my life, it’s Jennifer. 

So how does this agenting thing work?  Well, you contract with an agent for a specific book but you can certainly build your relationship over time with many books.  For now, I pitched Jennifer the book idea that I had before Beautiful You that deals with activism.  She liked it, felt like she could find a home for it, and now I am revising the book proposal with her suggestions in mind.  From there, I’ll turn it over to her and she’ll begin the work of approaching editors/publishers about it.  And, hopefully, one day in the not too distant future, we’ll be virtually toasting (since she’s in Kansas and all) because a home’s been found for this book that I am eager to send out into the universe.