Thursday, September 24, 2009

Hop! Plop! - My Road to Publication

In Case You Missed It ...

Recently, I've been asking guest authors to share their stories of how they got their first contract. Did they have an agent? Get out of the slush? Receive dozens of rejections?

I realize if you weren't one of my seven or eight followers back in December of last year, you probably missed my own story (or I should say series) of my road to publication.

So, now that I have over 100 followers, I've decided to post it again.

Hop! Plop! - The Life of a First Picture Book:

Part 1 - Conception
Part 2 - Gestation
Part 3 - Labor Pains

I know. You're probably thinking, "You bum! Too lazy to come up with a new post?"

Yes. I got nothing.

But in my defense, I have had two sick kids this week. The first FULL week of school. And I had looked so forward to finally having some time to myself!

20 comments:

Natalie said...

What a great story! It's wonderful to see that great things can sometimes come out of difficult experiences. I'm very interested to read Hop! Plop! now too. I'll have to see if I can find it. (And my first 2 children are the same ages as yours--I love having a 4 and 5-year-old)

Corey Schwartz said...

Thanks, Natalie. Hop Plop is in a lot of libraries. It's also on Amazon, but unfortunately the price is very high. (I'm also happy to sell you discounted signed copies if you ever need one for a birthday or holiday gift)

MG Higgins said...

Actually, I'm thrilled you posted these. It's a great account of what goes into the creative process and personal struggles overcome. Very inspiring!

Corey Schwartz said...

Thanks, MG. Your comment was a bright spot in my otherwise very unbright day.

lisa and laura said...

I LOVE publication stories. Writer porn makes me happy and reminds me that people actually get published. Thanks for posting your story Corey!

Paul Michael Murphy said...

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

Tess said...

These are the best kinds of stories. They remind us of the wonder of possibility....good stuff.

And, sorry the kiddos are sick :/

Susan R. Mills said...

Corey,
That is a great story. Thank you for sharing it again for those of us who are newer to your blog. And, I know what you mean about sick kids. I had them home last week, and again this week. Aye! When am I ever going to get anything done?

Rebecca said...

Great story! The back story about trying to conceive made me weepy (damn hormones). I read Hop! Plop! to my kids, we loved it!

kah said...

Aww, makes me want to have a kid of my own. I do have a friend that is having a hard time conceiving. But as soon as she does, I know the perfect book to get her as a gift. :)

storyqueen said...

Corey,

I'd never heard the full story before. So cool.

I hope the kids are feeling better. Maybe you just need to break out the old crock-pot......


HOpe you get some writing time.

Shelley

Amy Allgeyer Cook said...

Thanks for reposting these! It's always so fun to read other people's paths to publication. :)

Corey Schwartz said...

Thanks, everybody. Rebecca, so glad you guys enjoyed it. Sorry to make you weepy. I have two super cute kiddies now, so it's all good.

Sarah Wylie said...

"What a bum!" Sorry, I couldn't resist.

That's such a great story. Thanks for reposting so us newbies had a chance to hear it. I really enjoyed it! :)

Crystal said...

Thank you, Corey, for reposting the links to the story of your journey to publication. I love reading these stories! Your story was so compelling & inspiring . . . it shows that the road is not easy for anyone. So glad, too, things turned out well! :)

Kim said...

I wasn't here for the first go round so this was exciting to read. As someone who also struggled to conceive, I could relate to both aspects of your story. I love publication posts like this. They make it seem possible. Someday I hope to be able to post a Road to Publication story too. Thanks for sharing this...again.

Hardygirl said...

I love this story so much! What a journey.

sf

K said...

I'm so glad you posted this! First, I absolutely love this book (so does my two year old). Second, the writing in it is perfect, every word perfect, so I'm glad to read the three parts to its conception! Thanks for sharing :)

Corey Schwartz said...

Thanks so much, Kimberly. It is so nice to hear that someone loves it. Especially when I check my Amazon ranking and see that it is NOT selling! I guess i need to figure out how to promote myself better! I seem to be good at the writng and bad at the marketing!

Kelly H-Y said...

Hope your kiddos are feeling better!!!