TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK

The manuscript is out there, seeking a publisher with all the force a 93-thousand word thriller can muster.

It's only been a short while, but every time the phone rings at home, the hairs on the back of my neck rise a little.  Could this be the call?  Damn!  It's just AT&T wanting me to upgrade my service or some other annoyance that I don't care to hear from.

I want to scream into the handset, 'Don't you know I'm waiting on the call!  Stay off the line!'


Truth is, there's no sense in driving myself crazy because this step, much like the one before it and the one before that, can take some time.  How's does a year sound to you?  Only the crowd that includes Stephen King, James Patterson, J.K. Rowling and John Grisham can get projects green-lighted in less time.

For us mere mortals, the process is tedious.  Once an editor likes the project, it then goes through the wash with co-workers and bosses before a final go-ahead is given.  If that happy day arrives, your agent is given an  offer.  That offer basically includes an advance (less these days unless the Almighty has written you a blurb), royalties, territory (the area it's going to be sold) and other terms spelling out everything that comes to mind.  The deal can be for one or multiple books, and if you're fortunate, another editor from a different publishing house might be interested which leads to the sweetest words a budding author can hear "AUCTION."

So now you've got a signed contract and several bottles of good champagne later, the editor lets you know that 93-thousand word thriller you've already whittled down a million times needs further content changes that of course you will make.  Remember, you aren't King, Patterson, Rowling or Grisham yet.

When the manuscript achieves editorial approval, it's on to copyediting because even spell check isn't perfect.
You still have to proof-read each version as it's completed.  The good news is while all this is going on, the publisher is working on the design of your book, including the cover.  In addition, your new best friend, the editor, is co-ordinating with the sales and marketing departments to make the book look and feel the best it can be.  Long before the book is published, your personal sales force will deal with bookstore buyers and any other takers to place orders for your soon-to-be blockbuster.  All the complicated data derived helps the publisher determine how many books will be printed.

From finished manuscript to the point where passersby are looking at you strangely for striking a pose in front of bookstore windows, the process takes about a year or more.

Surely while all that was going on, book two is nearly finished...

The Dog Days of Writing

By now, I expected to be in the midst of a book signing tour, answering tough and insightful questions about my novel, smiling through the pain of writer's cramp.  Instead, I'm having an Ernest Hemingway moment, knocking back my favorite go to beverage, a rum & coke with lemon.

My novel is done and yet, each literary agent rejection or no response sends me back into tweaking mode. those rejections sting at first but I look at them as merely a test of conviction and perseverance. I think what I've written is good and worthy of print. It's sort of like dating. You just have to find the right agent and hope you make a good enough impression that your feelings are returned.

The one good feeling you can return to time after time is that you've actually finished a novel. No small feat by any measure. Doing so often means you've neglected your family and friends for a period of time. The disappointment comes when you have nothing to show for your hard work. My wife, sensing my frustration of not securing an agent yet, remarked: "Not as easy as you'd thought it be,eh?"

Slap!

That was not me slapping my wife, but instead reality going upside my head for anticipating success quickly. I've been a journalist for 28 years so I know how to write, interpret facts and deliver a story. Convincing an agent of that is as college football analyst Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast my friend." My novel, Operation Sandstorm, is a spy thriller and I've come to realize a majority of agents are hesitant to take on a first-time novelist in that genre because publishers are concerned about taking the risk of getting enough books sold to cover their cost.

Now, if I wanted to write a book that fit into the YA (young adult) crowd, which is highly popular now, I'd probably peak an agent's interest. Or, if you have a vampire detective investigating killer werewolves with a shape shifting assassin on the loose, you're as good as gold.

Those topics don't work for me. I grew up on spy thrillers. I started reading Ian Fleming long before it was age appropriate for me to do so. I transitioned into a series of escapism novels perfect for a budding teenager known as Nick Carter: Killmaster. Thank goodness for EBay because I tracked down a number of the titles and they're now part of my library.

Because of my profession, I've had the unique and wonderful opportunity to meet and interview writers in the thriller or mystery genre that I respect and enjoy reading. An inspirational moment came years ago when I lived in St. Thomas of the United States Virgin Islands. Robert Ludlum, my favorite author at the time, was vacationing on the island. He was informed that I wanted to interview him and he agreed. He invited me over and we sat out on the terrace overlooking the ocean for a couple of hours as he let me explore his mind. A cherished moment made more special by the personal note he sent me weeks after, expressing his delight over the interview. I still have that letter tucked away in one of his books.

So when I chat with the contemporaries; Vince Flynn, David Baldacci, James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell, Sara Paretsky, and so forth, I long to join the club. My favorite book of all time is The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth. I went overboard in thanking him for writing such a masterpiece when I interviewed him but I'm not alone in that assessment as Tom Clancy agreed when the topic came up in conversation.

If you've written anything that hasn't sold yet or haven't found someone to represent your work, I'm sure you've had the experience of going to the bookstore and thumbing through the pages of those who've entered the kingdom. You're often left with that feeling of 'This person is published and I can't get a nibble! What the hell!' But, don't give up!

I'd love to sit around and chat some more, but there's tweaking to be done and a few more agents to target. Somebody out there has got to like me!