I’m confused. How did your book know that it was gay?
I’ll recommend this to my wife and mother in law, both of whom love to read and love baseball and really love to read about baseball.
I know you said you contacted 10 agents, and two wanted you (shakes fist in rage).
How did you find the 10? Were you recommended to any of them, or contact them cold? Do you send any synopsis with your cover letter? What did your cover letter say?
In short, what did you (or anybody else) say to the 10 agents, and what do you think ‘made the sale’?
If I buy your book, can I beat you up too?
Wished listed your book for future reading and maybe even buying. I have to win the lottery first.
Thanks to everyone for their interest/purchasing/consideration/recommendation, etc.
For bup’s questions… I did have a couple of referral/recommendations, including for the agent I now have, and others were cold. My experience is that a recommendation can speed up the response but will not make a difference in the agent’s decision. The friend who put in a good words was surprised and delighted when she learned the agent was now representing me; she confided later that she’s recommended a dozen friends and I was the first the agent represented.
I wrote a query letter only with basic info and a well-honed, much revised and critiqued letter (critiqued by the same friend) giving a summary of the book and my background info.
Most requested “partials”, i.e., a few chapters, and a few then went on to request “fulls”. I kept a record and have exact count somewhere, but I remember only one or two flat rejections so the letter must have been a good one. Incidentally, one agent actually contacted me first after reading a short story in a magazine, and that’s not uncommon.
Will there be a Kindle edition? My son might like your book, but there’s no way we can acquire a hard copy here.
I just read the description. Damn, that’s a compelling idea for a story.
Did you have any say on the cover art?
There will be a digital text edition, but I’m not sure where you buy it or if it works with Kindle. (http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375891564)
They sent me the cover art for my approval… I don’t know if they would have changed it if I didn’t really like it. I do like it, so it wasn’t an issue.
Congratulations! I am working on writing my first article series (and my first book will follow, hopefully), so you’re living my dream right now. I would be jealous, if we were in anything like the same genre, heh.
The excerpt looks awesome, and I will look forward to reading the whole thing. May all your mses sell millions, and may every editor maim your children painlessly!
(And because I’m a pedantic asshole… you should make them fix “warrantee,” because it looks like you meant “warranty” in that context. Please don’t hit me.)
Ulp.
Kindle edition just went up tonight on Amazon!
Congrats cricetus! You are indeed lucky to have your first attempt published. That’s a rarity, indeed.
May Mudville be a sellout!
Could Cricetus be conceivably selected in the 2010 Celebrity Death Pool? 
Wow, you know Diogenes the Cynic? Cool!
Your book sounds awesome to by the way. 
Congrats! How exciting! The cover is great. The synopsis is intriguing! Kudos for seeing the project through, and turning it from an idea into a real thing. Very inspiring!
Cricetus, how are you feeling???
Ha ha ha. I’ll eat some extra bacon with breakfast and have an extra drink with dinner. I want to support anyone who bets on me.
I just read the excerpt too and loved it. (Maybe I read at a 3rd grade level? ) I’m looking forward to reading the whole thing.
I remembered to place my order today. I should get it next week.
I hope it wasnt yellow!! :eek:
S^G