This post should come accompanied by bells and whistles and rainbows and lollipops and cascades of fireworks and volleys of celestial trumpets because - I'M A HAPPY WRITER!!!!
It should really also be illustrated by a picture of my wonderful, wonderful new agent - the sublime Broo Doherty - because she's just worked several miracles in a nano-second.
In the very short time she's been my agent, Broo has worked tirelessly on my behalf to improve my writing lot because she's brilliant and a total star...
Today she's told me that she has had the rights to all my out of print titles reverted to me (something my previous agent had been asked to do for years and said was "difficult if not impossible") - so that Going the Distance, Running the Risk, Stealing the Show, Jumping to Conclusions, Walking on Air, Nothing to Lose and Tickled Pink can now all be sold again to a new publisher (hopefully my current one!!!), re-jacketed and re-published, giving me my full back-catalogue in print again for the first time in years and years. This will give my finances a desperately-needed boost and will, hopefully, up my presence on the bookshop shelves.
And as an added bonus (this is an understatement - vbg) she's also just told me that she's sold Hubble Bubble, Seeing Stars and Happy Birthday to the German publishers!!! For a stonking sum!!!! Half of which I get on signature of the contract - and which will keep the bank manager off my back for the foreseeable future. You have no idea how delirious I am this morning. I laughed, cried, yelled, cried some more, and am still wearing a huge and silly grin.
The German publishers apparently love my books - thanks to the great sales of Love Potions (proved by those fab royalties last year) they had already bought Heaven Sent - so they'll have my entire magical series in print in Germany and are intending to really up my profile as a rom-com writer in Germany. I AM SOOO HAPPY!!!
This has (naturally) increased my enthusiasm for Being A Writer, and for finishing Moonshine (they want to see that too) and for brushing up on my O level German just in case they'd like me to pop over any time soon...
My admiration for Broo knows no bounds. She's simply amazing.
THANK YOU, BROO!!!!!! You've changed my life!!!!
May disappear for a while now to finish Moonshine in a spurt of excited and unusual (for me) optimism that maybe being a writer isn't really a stupid way to try and make a living...
36 comments:
YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES!!!! Oh, this is so wonderfully brilliant!!! I am over the moon for you, you so deserve it, and it's about time!! Ooohhh, I want to hug Broo! Now to conquer America!!!
Much love,
Mags xxxx
Thanks Mags - I knew you'd be pleased but didn't want to disturb you while we're both in deadline hades. It has cheered me up no end - and I'll send Broo a cyber hug from you. Not holding breath for America - but who knows what might happen now. Good luck with the deadline - I'm still faffing...
Er...where is my commission? (Whistles) Christina I am delighted. I am thrilled - it is exactly what you deserve. I hope some it it rubs off.
P xxx
PS celebratory lunch? On you now you're mega rich? :)
Phillipa - commission, lunch, champagne - on me - anything you want, because without you Broo and I would NEVER have got together. THANK YOU!!!! And this is - as you've been saying for ages - going to be THE year for the Brooettes so the next celly will be on you!!!
You must be writing hot stuff if the Germans like it! Any chance of putting up a favourite passage?
What a fantastic post, Chris!
So, so, delighted for you and, as Margaret says, you deserve it.
What about your shorter ones that went into LP? I bet the Germans would gobble them up, too.
Happy Moonshining
xxPat
That's wonderful news, I'm really thrilled for you :o))
In the library we often buy in re-jacketed books by authors like Katie Fford for instance, and do a display and they always attract a new audience, so I'll look out for yours!! I've got a very old copy of Going the Distance on my bookshelf, with a photo of a pretty, dark-haired girl in a blue dress on the cover - very ninieties!!
Pat - thanks so much! I'm still all overcome with the novelty at the mo. Blimey - hadn't given the shorter romances a thought - will do so - pdq.
Gorilla Bananas - thank you! And I LOVE the pic!!! Not sure why the Germans love my books - but I'm delighted (understatement) that they do! I've never thought of putting lumps of book on the blog - maybe I should??? Thanks for the suggestion.
Thanks so much Karen. I'm looking forward to the old books having jackets that match the new ones and giving me a sort of matching set for the first time. That edition of GTD you've got was done as a special for Company magazine in 1998! I howled with laughter when I saw it as the model is a straight-black-haired size zero - and Maddy had curly red hair and was very plump...
...yes, I did wonder which character she was supposed to be representing!!
SOOOOO pleased for you. About time too. I have very happy memories of those old titles (actually, I love the cover of GtD (still on my bookshelf, as it happens!) because seeing your name splashed across it in gold letters made me think 'Cor! That's I what I want!). Nothing to Lose is still one of my absolute faves. Hmm, better shut up now because I'm sounding like a cyber creep - but I do think it's about time you got the financial rewards you deserve.
WWHOOOOOOO!!! I'm doing a happy dance around the living room for you!! That is just marvellous news, Chris. I'm absolutely stoked for you! One of my best friends lives in Germany (she's German) so I'll get her on the lookout.xx
{{{Chris}}} Oh -- hugs all around! This is great news. I'm so happy for you!
I know this doesn't mean you're any closer to getting published in America but, I can't help but hope (mostly for your sake -- I'd still be jumping the gun and getting them on UK publication day)
I can't wait to see how the new covers look. I love cover art.
!! More hugs!
ChrisH - thank you!!! The first GTD cover in embossed gold slept with me (under pillow) for about 6 months because I loved it and couldn't believe it was actually anything to do with me. And no way are you a cyber creep - you're one of the new best friends I've met since venturing into blogland - and I'm so glad!!!
Karen - weird cover, I agree - picked by the same person who chooses the "suitable" illustrations for magazine short stories???
Mummy - thanks so much. Truly swings and roundabouts this life - no wonder I'm such a dizzy bird! Masses of good luck with your new venture too - yes, I've read the blog!!!
katiebird - thanks as always for everything. It was lovely to be able to blog about something positive on the writerly front for once - and who knows - the States might be next!!! (I'm still on a bit of a high...)
Fab news! What a great agent :-)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
That is such brilliant news! I can't wait to see the new covers of your old books, since I haven't read those ones yet and now my library will have them!
And you are going all international on us-brava! And I don't know you agent but GO HER!!!!!
mex5 - thanks for your enthusiasm! You may have a while to wait for the new/old books to come out - but hopefully they'll eventually show up in your library - and I hope you'll like them. I'm still a bit stunned at going global (vbg!!!)
Tam - thanks a million - and yes, Broo's a star!!!
So thrilled to read this post! Absolutely great news - hopefully the start of everything turning around for you in a BIG way! Exactly what you deserve! Well done. xxx
Fantastic news. I'm so pleased for you.
:-)
Suzanne - thank you! Makes a change for me to be cheerful about my writing???
Write Woman - thanks so much. I hope this didn't sound like bragging - just got a bit overexcited... Maybe this year will be a really good one for both of us now???
Of course it didn't sound like bragging! - what are blogs for, if not for sharing the good stuff as well as the bad? And as we both know, there's plenty of bad so why not shout about the good! x
Many congratulations, that's brilliant news, and very well deserved too.
I've been trying to buy Walking on Air for ages, but was unable to get a copy, so will be thrilled when they republish it.
I wish Broo liked my writing too, but I only received a rejection from her partner (a very nice one I have to say) this morning, sigh!
Big hugs to you.x
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, Chris!au
debs - oooh noooo! I'm so sorry you've had a rejection - now I feel really bad about getting overexcited and going on... You have got it (them?) out there at other agents haven't you? This business needs a really, really thick skin - as I know only too well. Good luck with the next one - you're too good not to make it.
write woman - thanks so much for understanding! Let's hope the good times outweight the bad ones for all of this year.
jan - thank you so much!!! I know you understand only too well...
Nooo, you mustn't feel bad at all, it's great to hear such positive news. x.
I just have to try harder :) - big hugsx
debs - oh you are lovely. Thanks. And I know you'll get there too because you're too good not to - just promise me you won't give up.
Fantastic. i'm sure i'm not alone in smiling along with you. Go Broo!!!
I promise X
*Does the Happy Dance!!*
Chuffed to little mint balls for you, fantastic news!
I too have that Company magazine copy of GtD, and its cover is almost falling off, it's been read that many times!
Chris, you know what I'm like, I read the entire back catalogue every single year, without fail, in readiness for the latest book. After about 12 years, that cover's almost had it's day!
Pleased you've got some great news, you deserve it!
Sam x
BTW - Word Verification - Jurgo....?!?!?!?!?
CONGRATS you truly deserve it, cant wait for your next book, i am sure it will as brilliant as all the rest.
Gonna be a writer - thanks a million for everything - espcially joining in the smiling!
debs - Good!!! xxx
sam - thank you! You've no idea how much your support means to me. Can't believe ANYONE reads my books that much!!! Am SO grateful! And I think the word verifications are a whole new language - jurgo is a sort of gurgling giggle???
helen - thanks so much - but I've just read through the first (only) 3/4 of Moonshine and think it's the biggest pile of c**p ever written - sigh...
LOL! Yup, every year, and often at least 2 or 3 stand-alone books in between!
I'm a manic reader, I can't go to bed at night without a book in hand, and I'll often wander around the house with one clutched to my side, so if I can grab 5 minutes while the TV/Nintendo entertains the children, then out comes the book!
sam - you're a star! I always have a book with me "just in case". Couldn't bear the thought of being stuck somewhere with nothing to read.
I'm so pleased. Jumping to Conclusions is one of my fav novels (everyone's got to love Charlie) and my old copy is getting a bit worn.
Congratulations again!
Gxxx
Golden Girl - thanks so much! So pleased you liked JTC - one of my friends said she couldn't understand how I'd managed to make a ginger-haired dwarf sexy - um...?
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