The Writer’s Life
It’s every writer’s nightmare—you’ve sold your manuscript only to have something come up to delay or forestall its publication. If it’s something as simple as your editor leaving the company, your manuscript will be assigned to another editor at the publisher.
But what if the publishing company is sold? Chicago area writer, poet, and writing teacher Heidi Bee Roemer’s third book—the just released WHOSE NEST IS THIS?—ran into this bump in the road on its way to publication. I spoke to Heidi about her experience.
Heidi, congratulations on your book. Can you give us a short description of your book?
Whose Nest is This? (NorthWord Press, 2009) is a collection of riddles-in-rhyme that describe fascinating nests created by various birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, and even fish! I must mention that Connie McLennan’s illustrations are absolutely gorgeous!
How did you get the idea for the book?
In all honesty, the idea for the book wasn’t mine! Shortly after selling What Kinds of Seeds are These? to NorthWord, I asked my editor, Kristen McCurry, if she had any particular wishes for a new book topic. She mentioned nests, and I was off and running. Six weeks later, I turned in my manuscript for Whose Nests is This? Six weeks after that, she accepted it. Of course, I was thrilled!
When and how did you find out that your original publisher (NorthWord) had been purchased by Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group? Did the new company have a track record in publishing for children?
The artwork and most details on the book project were wrapped up when, one day, I got a surprising email from Kristen saying she was leaving NorthWord. The company had been sold to Rowman & Littlefield, a publisher that had not previously published children’s books.
Most contracts have a clause that if the company is sold, the book’s contract goes to the purchasing company. So you knew your book was still under contract, but did everything go as planned?
Communication with the new publishing house was difficult at first. I’m sure they were scrambling to handle the huge and complicated task of assimilating the new books and all the resulting legalities. My contract stated that the publisher had eight years in which to publish the book. If it wasn’t published within that time frame, then the rights would revert back to me and my illustrator; we could try to sell it elsewhere. I certainly hoped I would not have to wait THAT long! But the new owners could not exactly pinpoint when Nests would be released. So I had to wait. And wait and wait some more! This made it difficult to schedule book signings and related promotional events that I’d normally do.
The delay, as I understood it, was because there had been some debate over ownership between Rowman & Littlefield and their imprint, Cooper Square Press. Whose Nest is This? was due to be released in spring, 2008, but didn’t come out until fall, 2009. But happily, it was truly well worth the wait!
What advice do you have for a writer when his/her book’s publication date is delayed?
The road to getting published seems to have an unusual amount of twists and turns, much like the dramatic plot line of any great story. If you’re having trouble getting information from the publishing house, you might consider contacting your illustrator to see if she has any updated news on the circumstances surrounding your book. In any case, be professional, polite, and patient as you try to glean information from the publishing staff. You have no idea how hard your editor may be working on your behalf to resolve the issue, whatever that may be. Lastly, try not to stew over things that are beyond your control. After all, a delayed publication is better than not being published at all!
What’s next for you? Do you have any more books in the pipeline?
I am hopeful that my new nonfiction book about African bathing beauties, tentatively titled, Warthogs Never Soak in Suds, will make the final cut with Sylvan Dell. Also, author Laura Crawford and I have collaborated on a geometry book geared for third graders; we will be marketing C is for Circle next month. As always, fingers crossed for another book sale!
Thanks, Heidi! I know this newest book is going to be another teacher favorite!
Author Heidi Bee Roemer can be found on the web at www.heidibroemer.com. She blogs with authors Laura Crawford and Kim Hutmacher about nature books and writers at http://wildaboutnaturewriters.blogspot.com.
THE WRITER’S LIFE features insights into the realities of writing. Look for it periodically at The Riant Writer!
