Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand…

They’re HERE!!!!

The BOOKS are here! (confirmed after Mose “read” the packing slip and Lew contemplated chewing the bubble wrap)  The glorious, beautiful, amazing, shiny books full of pages and words and pictures.  And it only took 8 years for them to get here!!!!

LOOK!

A lot of “important” moments along the way.  The initial chat with Lisa, the letters of on-spec revisions, the day it went to committee, the agent-getting, the acceptance, the first round of official edits, the second round, copyediting, last-minute fact checking, blurb hunting, contracts arriving in the mail, checks arriving in the mail, arcs arriving in the mail, the first review, etc. etc. All of them HUGE  moments. And with the arrival of each, this feeling of “I’m about to be an author”.

But checks and agents and deals and reviews do NOT make you an author, whatever some people may think.

A BOOK makes you an author!!!

There is something in the actual concreteness of the thing. The THING!  It is a thing, not an idea. I had an idea, and I worked at it, and now, 8 years later, the idea has become a thing. An object.  It’s an incarnation.  It’s CRAZY!

I can wrap it up and give it as a gift. I can burn it for firewood. I can barter it for goods and services. It is a thing.  I can touch it.

MY BOOK!!!!!!

(which the boys–THING 1 and THING 2– helped me, joyfully, to unpack. I’m a lucky lady, to have such helpers.)

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12 Responses to “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand…”

  1. Jody Feldman Says:

    YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

  2. Jessica Burkhart Says:

    WOOO HOOO! Yay, Laurel! :) :)

  3. Miss Erin Says:

    Woo-hooooooooo!!!!!

  4. Susan Sandmore Says:

    Congrats! Looks like a wonderful day!

  5. Kelly Says:

    Yay, Laurel! Congrats. And Thing1 and Thing2 are super cute helpers :)

  6. Sarah Says:

    Laurel! I am doing flips for you right now!!!!!! What a HUGE deal!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is like a decade’s worth of work in your hands!!!!!!!

  7. polli Says:

    All I can hear is SpongeBob singing “Best Day Ever”!

    Congrats! Where can I buy a signed copy from the author? Also, I picked up some forms from my library to request they buy your book. I hope everyone you love everywhere in the world does the same.

    I remember when we were rooming together (long ago, before marriage, before babies) and you you told me your idea for this book. And here it is. Sigh.

  8. Collin Says:

    Congrats, Laurel. Can’t wait to see one.

  9. Jeannine Hall Gailey Says:

    Congrats, Laurel – it looks beautiful.

  10. UK Pat Says:

    Congratulations, Laurel!
    I love the title.

  11. Lisa Allender Says:

    Congrats, Laurel. Looking forward to the new book!
    Peace, lady.

  12. Baby Got Books » Author Interview: Laurel Snyder Says:

    [...] One of your blog posts says that Up and Down was 8 years in the making, which appears to pre-date your own children.  What [...]

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