Thursday, February 9, 2012

Banana Peelin' with Natasha Yim

Icing on this writer's cake is Thursday's Banana Peelin' author, the wonderful, Natasha Yim!
After reading this, I have to wonder, is there anything this woman can't do? Persistence must be her middle name.

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ON REJECTIONS—AND OTHER LITERARY DISASTERS

By Natasha Yim


We’ve all heard those success stories, right? The ones where debut authors wrote their 300 page novels in 6 weeks, sent their manuscripts to the first agent they found in the Writer’s Market, got a response in two days, and an offer for acquisition a week later. The stories that make you want to gag, cry, rip your hair out in frustration as you continue to labor over Chapter Three in a novel that’s taken 5 years out of your life. And if that success story belonged to a friend, you battle the demons of ambivalence as you graciously congratulate your friend and wish her the best of luck, while behind closed doors, you scream, “Why couldn’t it have been me???” at the writing Gods for all the literary injustice that you—and only you—have suffered.


Well, I’m here to tell you I’ve been there. And back. I’ve tumbled into the black hole of despair when it seemed like my writing was on the train to nowhere, and obsessively checked my email 20 times a day in the hopes that today was the day I got a positive response from an editor or agent (waiting for the mailman is soooo last decade). But perseverance is the name of the game in this business, and all good things can come to those who wait.

Take my picture book, Goldy Luck and the Three Chans, for instance. It’s a multi-cultural twist on the Goldilock tale. I first began writing the story in 2005, and revised and re-revised it for over a year until I felt confident enough to send it out to 5 different publishers. A couple rejected me rather quickly, two others made me wait 3 months, and the 5th, Tricycle Press, I never heard back from. Finally, after 7 months, I wrote a letter of inquiry to the editor, and received a fairly quick response from another editor that Editor 1 had left the company, but had passed on my manuscript before she left. Editor 2 really liked it and wanted to take it to acquisitions. I was on Cloud 9. Somebody liked my work! She had some great editorial suggestions, and we made several rounds of revisions. We revised, we emailed back and forth, then...nothing. My emails went unanswered. No more communication. I panicked. Did my last revision suck? Did she hate it so much she couldn’t bear to tell me, and decided that if she just ignored me, I’d go away?

Then one day, while considering whether I should attend the Book Passage Children’s Writer’s Conference in Corte Madera, California, I noticed that Editor 2 was on the faculty list. That was it. I was going to the conference. I was going to find out what happened to my manuscript. I was going to hulk around in dark shadows and stalk this editor. As it turned out, I didn’t have to be the creepy writer trapping the hapless editor inside a bathroom stall while she made empty promises to get me a contract so she could escape back into the Land of the Living. Coincidentally, she sat at my table for lunch and we got to chatting about Goldy Luck. She was really nice...and warm...and generous. She spent an hour with me giving me line by line feedback, and invited me to re-submit to her when I was done with revisions. See, it pays to go to writers’ conferences. I was back on Cloud 9. Three months later, I sent her my revisions. Then...nothing. I emailed to ask if she had received my manuscript, and got a quick response from the publisher’s assistant. Editor 2 had also left the company. Crap. And Double Crap. All that work! All that time!

However, not to be deterred, I asked for the name of another editor. I emailed Editor 3. Had she heard about Goldy Luck? Tricycle Press was, after all, a small publishing house. Editor 3 wrote back. Yes, she had. She was at the acquisitions meeting when it was presented. And Editor 3 was interested. But nobody could find the manuscript, so could I send another copy?

To make a long story—well, not quite as long—Editor 3 and I worked on the manuscript for another year and a half, then in August 2010, I finally got the phone call every writer dreams about. I got to hear those beautiful words, “We want to publish your book!” By this time, Tricycle Press and it’s parent company, Ten Speed Press, had been purchased by Random House, so it was now an imprint of RH. Not only was I getting a contract, I was thrilled to say I was going to be published by Random House, one of the Big 6 publishers! How exciting was that!

Not exciting enough, the literary Gods decided. We’ll just throw a few more bumps her way so she’ll really appreciate what it takes to get published. A week after I signed my contract, RH decided to close down Tricycle Press. My path to publication suddenly stalled Big Time. Contract cancelled. End of story. Well, I could have let it end there. But I didn’t. Did I wallow in drink? Hemingway would have. Tennessee Williams would have. But I’m a teetotaler. So, I did what any sober writer in her right mind would do. I sent the manuscript back out. This time to my former editor at Charlesbridge Publishing who had published my first book, Otto’s Rainy Day. Editor 4. Charlesbridge doesn’t publish many folk or fairy tales, but the editor was intrigued by the multi-cultural angle.

Two months later, in March 2011, Editor 5 (Editor 4 had now become head honcho since I’ve worked with her so passed the story on to Editor 5), contacted me. She loved the story. More revisions. Another acquisitions meeting. Another stall. Now, it’s the Marketing Department. Folk and fairy tales aren’t usually Charlesbridge’s thing. Do they want to take Charlesbridge into a different realm? Oh, to be a fly on the wall of that discussion. In the end, they decided to table any decisions till the fall. Another 3 months of waiting!

Finally, in October 2011 (Oct. 5, at 8:05 am. to be specific—you tend to remember these things), my agent Karen Grencik (Red Fox Literary Agency) called and told me Charlesbridge wanted to publish the book! As of this writing, she is still negotiating the contract which we hope to finalize and have signed by the end of the month.

The moral of the story: Believe in yourself as a writer, believe in your story, and never give up. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Richard Bach, “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” Enjoy the journey!


Natasha Yim is the author of Otto's Rainy Day (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2000), Cixi, The Dragon Empress (Goosebottom Books, 2011), and the upcoming Sacajawea of the Shoshone (Goosebottom Books, Oct. 2012) and Goldy Luck and the Three Chans (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2014). She has also been published in the children's magazines, "Highlights for Children", "Appleseeds", and "Faces", as well as in adult local and regional magazines and newspapers. Her ten-minute plays have been performed in venues around Northern California, Los Angeles, and at the Short+Sweet Ten Minute Theatre Festival in Sydney, Australia.


I am so thrilled to have had you on the series Natasha! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences.  Becoming a published writer appears not to be for the faint of ! (I think I need to start working out!)  Good luck to you and congrats on your new book deal! You Deserve it, and that's with a capital "D".

22 comments:

  1. Wow, What a great example of persistence.

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  2. That was a wonderful post. Even though it was all on one page...it was a real page-turner. I loved all the characters...Editor 1, Editor 2, Editor 3, Editor 4, Editor 5, and Karen Grencik A.K.A.-The Agent. The settings were very interesting, too...all the publishing houses, the conference, black hole of despair, land of the living, and cloud 9. I liked your quote at then end from Richard Bach. But if I had to pick a quote from your post that really caught my attention...it would have to be, "Crap. And Double Crap." That made laugh.

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    1. Penny, you are FUNNY! I have to agree with you that "Crap. And Double Crap" was attention grabbing. It still makes me smile!

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  3. Oh, my gosh, that is some kind of a crazy story! I'm so glad it has a happy ending and thank you for sharing your long, slippery journey to publication.

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  4. Thanks for giving us hope, maybe? As a yet-to-be-published author, I am amazed that even published authors can be subjected to something like this. Persistence does pay off.

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  5. Holy Cow! Now that is a story! Way to go Natasha for sticking with your project. I admire your drive and determination. Good luck with Goldy Luck :)

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  6. Wow! That is taking don't give up to a whole new level :) So glad you didn't! And given the current challenges in publishing, the many rejections from last year, etc., a good reminder that perseverance pays off! Best of luck with Goldy Luck - it sounds like fun!

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  7. Holy cow, that is a nightmare. And all this happened to an already published writer? I am frightened...yet strangely energized. That was an excellent terrible story.

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  8. I think my jaw hit the floor five times while reading this! Wow! To quote Renee "That was an excellent terrible story."

    Moral: Believe in your book!

    Can't wait to read "Goldy Luck!"

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  9. Natasha Yim, you're my hero!!! I am inspired, buoyed, sea-sickened, and elated at your amazing tale of what has got to be one amazing book. Thank you so much for sharing your story and your emails! :) Goldy Luck is on my Must Read List for 2014.

    Talk about "Anything can happen, child - anything can be!" (Shel Silverstein) and "Crap. Double Crap." (Natasha Yim.) ((LOVE IT))

    Not Anonymously Yours,
    Melissa Kelley (melissaK)

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  10. BTW, Elizabeth? On realizing it was Thurday when I woke up this morning, I thought immediately "Banana Peel Day!" and smiled like it was Date Night. I'm hooked bad! And loving it like crazy. Thanks so much!!!

    Not Anyonymously Yours (but no "profile")
    Melissa Kelley (melissaK)

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    1. Wow Meilssa! Thank you so much! I am so l glad you enjoy these posts. I am so grateful to these authors for their stories. I have learned a lot in just the past few weeks based on what they have experienced!

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  11. Thanks for all your very sweet comments, everyone! And thank you, Elizabeth for having such a wonderful blog where writers can share their stories, and for inviting me to share mine. Fortunately for me, it was a story that has a happy ending. Publishing ISN'T for the faint of heart. When you get rejections (and all writers do—it's part of the process), allow yourself a moment or two of self-pity, then move on. You may get rejected by 10 agents or editors, but it only takes 1 to get you published. I hope this story does inspire everyone not to give up, but the story that I find truly inspiring is Kathryn Stockett's (author of The Help). She was rejected by 60 agents!! The 61st one accepted her, and the rest is history. See, It only takes 1. I challenge you all to go out there and find that 1 editor or agent who likes your story enough to offer you a contract.

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  12. Wow! You have the preserverance and the tenacity to go on. I am too emotional and I guess, I can't move on due to fear. You are truly a great writing warrior. You are definitely my mentor. Thank you for sharing this.

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    1. Sadly, that's the lot of us writers—fear. Fear of rejection, fear of writer's block, fear of deadlines, fear of running out of coffee in the middle of a project. Fear can also be motivating, so if you need help moving past your fear, contact me.

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  13. Natasha, your experience exhausted ME, and I only read about it! Good for you to keep going. I pray for your kind of strength everyday!

    That being said, I am also VERY jealous that you have Ms. Grencik as your agent. I dream of the day she will become mine!

    As always, great job Elizabeth... This is getting huge, girl! Congrats, congrats, congrats!!

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    1. Karen is wonderful! I love how she keeps me in the loop about everything, and answers my emails promptly.

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  14. OMGoodness! What a rollercoaster ride you had on this one, Natasha :~O You are a shining example of following your dream!

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  15. Wow. That is one heck of a story. Congrats Natasha. I hope I can persevere in my writing career the way you have. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

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  16. What a roller coaster! You must have nerves of steel. Hope you get that contract soon.

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  17. Thank you for sharing such an inspiring story. Your post gives me the energy to keep going with my own work.

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  18. Hannah, I just inked my contract last week. Yay! And because we had done so much revising BEFORE acquisitions, there were only a few editorial tweaks my editor wanted to make, see we're done revising too. Just working on back matter now, and waiting to see who the illustrator will be.

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