BREAKING NEWS: AN AGENTS & BOOKS BOOK!

This is what it's like when an agent gets a book deal

Hello Friends!

If you’ve been reading A&B for a bit, you know I’ve been writing and trying to publish a book of my own for a while. With my wonderful, kind, patient, smart, savvy, and hilarious agent Michael Bourret, and his assistant Mike Whatnall, we’ve actually gone out with several projects (two picture books, an adult novel, and a middle grade novel/series/thing) with no luck. The latest project we’ve been working on is a book based on this very newsletter.

And you know what? WE DID IT. We sold the book!! I’m going to be writing a book about how to deal with all the feelings and mess of writing and publishing a book and it’s going to be called:

I’m kinda losing it. When Michael called me with the news, I couldn’t believe I was getting “the call.” The same call I’ve made probably a hundred times, if not more. He told me and I just put my head down on my desk. I probably said something like you’re fucking kidding me. I wanted it so badly, you guys. I’ve wanted it so badly for so long. And it finally happened. We did it. We did it, Joe.

It is a very weird feeling to achieve a lifelong dream when you’re 44. When you’re younger, you don’t have the perspective to enjoy it. Or maybe that was just me. When other things I really, really wanted happened to me—getting into grad school, getting engaged, stuff like that—I was thrilled, overjoyed, and barreled right through to the next step, barely appreciating it. I didn’t think too much about what would happen if I didn’t get what I wanted, mainly because that’s my personality and because it hurt too much. I avoided pressing that bruise as much as I could.

When my novel didn’t sell, I had to face the fact that I might not (ever) sell a book, one that I’d written. It’s not that I was going to quit—no way—it was just that I had no control over that part and there was no guarantees ever and there was nothing super special about me that meant I deserved or am owed a book deal. (Just because I’m an agent doesn’t mean I automatically get a book deal.) I had to mentally prepare for this both happening and not happening, to say to myself this might not happen and I will still be ok and if and when this does happen, it’s not going to change my life in the ways I think it will. I had to make my peace with it. And I kinda of had! When I thought about not ever publishing a book, it still hurt, but it didn’t knock the wind out of me. I was doing all I could, all that was in my control. Holding on too tightly to that idea wasn’t helping. I was still writing and sending things out. I still wanted it like the dickens, but I was not going to get it with the force of my longing alone.

And then it happened. Stephanie Hitchcock at Atria bought the book, and I’m going to write it and I hope that some of you will be interested in reading it. It will, of course, go deeper into the hows and whys and ¯\_(ツ)_/¯s of publishing and writing books (and if I have my way I’m gonna try to get the little shruggie guy on the spine lol). I’ll be writing here about the process and the hurdles and pitfalls and things I learn. I’ll hopefully get to do some cool events when it comes out.

I’m celebrating and I’ve celebrated and I’m arriving to my keyboard in the morning with bells on. I also know that it is hard to enjoy someone’s good news when you are also desperate for your own. I’ve been there, too. Your feelings are valid.

No, there’s no way to preorder it yet. I’ll keep you posted. No, I don’t have the pub date but we’re aiming for Summer, 2025. Yes, I already have ideas for the cover, but I have to write the book first. No I don’t know where it will be published besides the US but there should at least be an audiobook. Yes, you can make requests for things I should cover in it, but this puppy’s gonna be long already and I’m going to have to make some tough choices. I truly can’t wait to write this book.

Thank you all for reading this newsletter and telling your friends and leaving wonderful comments and asking brilliant questions and hanging out with me as we talked about books and publishing and feelings and ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The newsletter’s not going anywhere—don’t worry. There will be stuff that’s only here and other stuff that’ll only be in the book. I’m so excited, you guys. It’s gonna be a book!!!!

XOXOXOOXOXOXOX,

Kate