tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36265052011-04-21T16:58:25.478-05:00Minnesota nice? Yeah, mostly. But there's only so much rejection one children's author can take. At least I think there is. But seriously...no more. Please?TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.comBlogger881100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-46566941372490913602007-07-29T23:20:00.000-05:002007-07-29T23:24:43.079-05:00

Hiya. This blog is, for all intents and purposes, closed.But...the adventure continues in a more non-whiney fashion over at:Tappity TappitySure, I still talk about my adventures in the world o' writing, but I mix it up a bit. I get into junk I'm doing outside of writing, I do dumb weekly things that are sometimes funny and sometimes just plain stupid.What I'm trying to say is: I'm not going to

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-89841716857529438542007-04-23T09:21:00.000-05:002007-04-23T09:28:39.597-05:00

Remember how I said I got the quickest rejection letter ever (7 minutes)just last week? Well, that record's been smashed.Back in February I'd queried agent William Reiss from John Hawkins Literary Agency. I sent him an e-mail (which was acceptable), but I never heard back from him. Checking on Verla Kay's Blue Boards, I could see people getting responses as quickly as the same day. This, to

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-82737355271360324282007-04-19T12:42:00.000-05:002007-04-19T13:03:59.438-05:00

Well, another 2 rejections have come in. One I was pretty bummed about because I thought that there might be a chance that the agent was taking her time getting back to me (you know, because she was LOVING my work or something) but that wasn't the case.Danielle Svetcov - I gave her my old query letter (tailored a bit to her interests) and 50 pages of THE SHORT BUS JOURNAL. She gave a great,

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-49221285774760152022007-04-10T11:47:00.000-05:002007-04-10T11:57:23.623-05:00

Hello again.Well, if you tuned in last week, you may have seen that I had a 'video blog' up here. I think it last on here for two whole days before I decided I can't stand how stupid I looked and sounded on the thing, so I tossed it into the great Recycling Bin in the sky.Adios.I'd loooove to be able to come on here and say I've made some headway in the Great Agent Search 2007, but alas, last

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-61309823785517066612007-04-04T19:52:00.000-05:002007-04-04T20:27:19.345-05:00

Well, it seems it wouldn't be a typical post if I didn't apologize for not posting more. It's been hectic, but you know...I've been busy. I'm trying to get The Short Bus Journal into the right hands and it hasn't been easy. The good news? I've submitted it to a couple of really good (and by good I mean they seem like solid human beings) agents.I'll do my best to keep that frame of mind if/

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-20418480878482567262007-02-11T13:46:00.000-06:002007-02-19T13:53:23.581-06:00

Another rejection. Man...I'm beginning to think e-mailing agents isn't the way to go. Of course I'm only e-mailing those who would like to receive e-mailed queries, but still. They probably get just a tidal wave of e-mails every day. Maybe there's some truth to the idea that an e-mail isn't nearly as intimate as a nice old-fashioned letter.Hmmm...Anyway, this one is from Faye Bender Literary

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-79827981380637846682007-02-06T14:02:00.000-06:002007-02-06T15:20:36.547-06:00

Well, I'm on the prowl guys and guyettes.I'm tryin' my dangdest to find me one of them there fancy-type literary agents to represent mah writin'.Ahem. Sorry. I've been spending so much time drafting query letters, scouring the internet, books and other resources for reputable agents that I needed to get in contact with. It's not fun and it's definitely not easy.Yeah. Like you needed ME to tell

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1683636888004936592007-02-05T23:32:00.000-06:002007-02-06T01:00:11.989-06:00

You know, it's getting harder and harder to keep up with this blogging thing, keeping the one or two stragglers up to date with what I'm doing in the literary world. Well, I guess I've got some news to share, so I'll do my best to keep it brief.DELAYED! - My early reader book PATRICK'S SUPER SOCKS was originally going to be published this Fall (September 07) but they company is doing a little

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-13968724655157283352006-11-26T22:02:00.000-06:002006-11-26T22:12:15.363-06:00

Well, just like that, 50,000+ words have come out of me. Here it is, Day 26 out of 30 and I've gotten my first NaNoWriMo 'novel' under my belt a few minutes ago.Here's the little tag to prove it.I'd love to say that the book is done and perfect and that I'm going to be sending it in the mail for agents and publishers to read, but the truth is this:1. It's not done. I think it'll be done

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1163570327587597042006-11-14T23:50:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:18.020-06:00

As the half-way point of NaNoWriMo comes hurtling over the horizon, I'm pleased to announce that I'm just a little ahead of the curve.I've got 25,000 (or so) words written out of 50,000.Does the book stink? Pretty much.Am I going to finish it? Heck yeah.50,000 words will do it? Don't think so.I hate to say it, but I think this thing is going to clock in at around 75,000 words or so. I think

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1162444991842729422006-11-01T23:13:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:17.933-06:00

Well, it's almost the end of Day One of NaNoWriMo. I didn't get started until almost 9:00pm tonight, and I just wrapped up my first effort a little over a half hour ago.Just to remind those to lazy to click the link. I'm supposed to write 50,000 words in 30 days. If you do the math, that works out to roughly 1,667 words a day.I got 2,433 down. If I keep that up, I'll be finished in no

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1161893040174310852006-10-26T14:59:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:17.836-06:00

I know like maybe, 2 people read this, so hey...this is for YOU.- I got my 4 short stories all dressed up and sent them off to meet the editor today. We'll see if they like 'em. If so, maybe (just maybe) I'll have more publication credits under my belt. It's like I said: It's not THE things I'm really hoping will get published, but it's hopefully a foot in the door.- I'm a mere couple of hours

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1161087503077820782006-10-17T07:07:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:17.685-06:00

Hey Kids.No, I haven't died. No, I haven't quit the whole 'writing thing.'It's funny. When I run into people I haven't seen in a while, that's one of the first things they ask me:"So, Kingsley. You still doing that writing thing?"Yes. Yes, I'm still doing that writing thing.I've been doing this since I was in 2nd grade and I'm guessing I'll still be writing stuff until I'm too old to hit the

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1156533051410966852006-08-25T13:27:00.001-05:002006-11-14T23:52:17.588-06:00

It's no wonder I don't get a whole lot of visitors to this site. I have a hard enough time updating the dumb thing, it's a wonder anyone stops by here at all.So, for lack of anything better to write about, let me tell you what I've been up to since my book became 'official.'I've gotten the contract, scanned it into my computer (you know, for posterity) signed it and sent it back. I just got my

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1155050201126969082006-08-08T10:05:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:17.437-06:00

Well, I got the news yesterday. My book is DEFINITELY getting published. The contract is in the mail and payment will follow shortly after. The tenative publishing date is Fall 2007.Here's the e-mail I got (in case anyone's interested):Good morning, Kingsley,I have some good news for you! ABC PUBLISHING has accepted your manuscript APTLY TITLED STORY for publication as a 24-page Read-it!

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1154539578935021572006-08-02T12:19:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:17.315-06:00

So, I sent the revised version of my little kids book to the publisher the other day. I literally tweaked and re-tweaked that sucker until I was sure it made the most amount of sense in the least amount of words. It got to the point where I couldn't look at it anymore. Not objectively anyway.I sent it via e-mail tot he editor, thinking I wasn't going to hear back for a while. The time between

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1153716452486978412006-07-23T23:41:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:17.239-06:00

I don't know if it's the news that someone actually wants to publish something of mine that's got me in creative overdrive, but there's something going on with me lately. I've got ideas coming out of me like I'm a stuck pig.Okay...so I'm not so creative with the similes tonight. Sue me.Example: I was sort of napping while my wife was watching some garabge on VH1. It was about Beyonce (hence

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1153250750829066532006-07-18T14:14:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:17.061-06:00

Hey kids!Well, it was one of those weird days. My wife and I were exchanging e-mails about will-power and procrastination (in regards to working out at the health club) and I made the correlation that if I had the will-power for my writing & submitting that I had for getting my butt into the gym, I'd have Book 3 done and who-knows-what-else.Two hours later, I got this e-mail:Hi, Kingsley, Hope

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1152734701639758992006-07-12T14:59:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:16.980-06:00

So, yeah. What's up?It's been a while since I've dared show my face around these-here parts. Shame on me. SHAME!Well, here's the thing, folks. I haven't been exactly unproductive. Having taken my umpteenth break from Book 3, I stumbled into an idea I had while at the ol' Festival of Children's Literature.It was one of those weird moments. Like, I don't know where it came from, but during a

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1148414209165390542006-05-23T14:46:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:16.881-06:00

Friends of fine, fine literature...Well, I'm moved into my new house. It's strange how much the idea of an impending move can make you literally brain-dead. So much so, that I haven't had the urge to write much of anything in the last month or so.Okay, that's not completely true. I did start another off-shoot project that I'm not sure where I got the idea from, but I think (and have been told)

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1145985877402694092006-04-25T12:23:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:16.777-06:00

I just posted an entry and it has yet to hit. Maybe this dumb post will make it pop on up.Blogger. Hoo boy.

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1145979874659874882006-04-25T10:32:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:16.704-06:00

Crazy. I looked at my last post and saw how manic I was about getting my book done. Crankin' it out, crankin' it out...never looking back, getting that rough n' rugged first draft down. I get my character to a big turning point in the book and...Skiiiiiiid....I slam on the brakes. Why? Well, it's pretty simple, actually. We bought a house!We've been living in a townhouse (wife, little man and me)

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1144168308201590622006-04-04T11:09:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:16.621-06:00

I realize that it's probably EXTREMELY boring to people other than writers to read about my trials and tribulations as an unpublished children's book writer. So, I'll just throw a quick update in here, and maybe share something outside of the writing world. How'd that be?Fantastic, then.I think that dumb little meter thing is pretty helpful. I mean, there's nothing like a stack of papers

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1143697449816364892006-03-29T23:38:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:16.524-06:00

Hard to believe. Despite how busy my life has become with working 2 jobs (firefighter & hospital trainer), raising a one-year old, and doing my best to stay in shape AND still be a decent husband, that I'm able to keep cranking out more and more of my new book.To quote a certain Icelandic songstress: Sometimes the things I do astound me.It's a great feeling. I'm in the groove, getting this

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1143170530249656702006-03-23T21:17:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:16.456-06:00

I've been itching to work on Book 3 lately and now I'm on the cusp of getting what I started 1.5 years ago (geez...that's awful) back on track. I'm going back to my 2 pages a day plan. If I can sit down and hammer out 2 pages (not perfect pages, mind you) I think I can get this sucker up and finished before summer starts.I used a thing called the Zokutou Word Meter to keep me honest. Since I've

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1142885514281601742006-03-20T13:54:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:16.381-06:00

Well, nothing like a rejection letter to give you a nice, solid kick in the teeth and make you feel like you're COMPLETELY wasting your time.I'd sent a query, 3-page synopsis, & 3 sample chapters to Michelle Andelman @ Andrea Brown Literary Agency out in Palo Alto, CA. I thought, sure. Why not? From what I could gather reading her short bio on the website, I figured she and I would sort of see

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1142000638622939472006-03-10T08:07:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:16.272-06:00

Readers/Writers,Well, it seems I'm back in the saddle. It's been a tough, uphill battle, but I've got the energy and the drive to get my stuff off the ground again. One of the biggest problems I've had in beginning work (or more work) on my 3rd book was that my first 2 were just languishing on my hard drive, not getting any attention or anything.It's weird. The only thing I can compare it to

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1139864385485573212006-02-13T14:57:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:16.201-06:00

So, this is already shaping up to be an interesting year on my road to getting myself published.I've got 2 pieces that an editor is interested in.I've written a picture book that I think is going to sell as soon as this year.I'm going to see about developing a snappy website to promote my work and myself.I'll go into the details when I get a chance. Time is short.Stay tuned...

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1137078443273047842006-01-12T09:06:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:16.123-06:00

I just realized that I only posted once on this blog last year.Once.Man, that's awful.

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1137077696892259632006-01-12T08:31:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:15.866-06:00

Well, I'm sure there aren't a whole lot of people who stop here these days. Can't say I blame you. You're probably wondering if ol' KMC gave up his dreams of becoming a published writer and just shuffled off with the rest of the working stiffs whose dreams have fallen by the way-side.Didn't happen. Won't happen, I'm happy to say.A lot has happened last year. The birth of my son, a big job change,

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1115918111811982372005-05-12T12:12:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:15.755-06:00

Nope I haven't given up. There's much to catch up on, but I'll do that later. First, I want to talk about what's shaking now:So, I've been accused of having too much on my plate at one time. Maybe so, but I've just got so much going on that it's hard for me not to stay busy. A big thing that I'm pretty excited about is my collaboration on a children's book.Unlike my novel-length kid's books,

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1101908657903030712004-12-01T07:31:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:15.669-06:00

Greetings friends, fellow struggling writers, random people that hit the 'next blog' button and ended up here... For the record, I'm still very much in the game. I haven't worked on my 3rd book much in the last month or so, but I'm keeping busy regardless. I'm actually going to have my 1st book professionally critiqued this month, so hopefully I'll be one step closer to getting myself on the

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1097360402928692002004-10-09T17:20:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:15.588-06:00

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1097328541412346882004-10-09T08:29:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:15.508-06:00

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1097265035067720792004-10-08T14:16:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:15.404-06:00

Well, the time has come. Time to dust off my first book and bring it along with me and do my best to pimp it out to the people who might actually be able to do something with it. Tomorrow morning I'm going to the: Minnesota SCBWI Fall Conference. For those not in the know, SCBWI stands for Societ of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. It's an all day long deal where people who write and

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1096393695954833092004-09-28T13:41:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:15.260-06:00

Well, here's the writer kind of dragging his feet. It was a good start to his new book, but there hasn't been a new page, let alone word, for almost a month now. It's almost like he's preoccupied with something else... Truth be told, I am. I've got a lot of things on my plate outside of writing the new book. Among them: - a wife who is expecting - finishing up my firefighting training - helping

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1093524720755654642004-08-26T07:27:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:15.093-06:00

Hello anonymous readers... Well, since I've started working on my new book, I thought it would be appropriate to make a quick mention of my 'overall plan.' I'm trying to maintain a steady diet of 2 pages a day. It doesn't sound like much to some and maybe quite a bit to most, but it's really (in my opinion) the way to do it. If I keep this rate up, I'll have a novel-length book done by the end

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1092805615883378592004-08-18T00:02:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:15.020-06:00

It's midnight here in lovely Woodbury, Minnesota... What have I been doing? Oh...you know, a little writing...no big deal. Actually that's a lie. This is a huge deal. I've written 2 pages of the 3rd book in my series...just like that!!! Besides my tinkering around with blogs and stuff, this is the first new thing I've written in over a year. A year. Wow. And I call myself a writer. I

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1092323237496672742004-08-12T09:15:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:14.947-06:00

Huh. I had a post in here I started about a month and a half ago but never came back to finish it...how terrible of me. It was about the critique group I've joined. Well, tonight I'm meeting up with them for the 3rd time. Guess that should tell you that I'm getting something out of it. About the group: I'm a bit of a stand-out in the group. The stuff I'm writing is different in scope and content

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1086880994649423672004-06-10T10:10:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:14.781-06:00

A while back I mentioned that a girl from Nebraska (who was a senior in high school) drew a picture of one of the characters in my book. I thought I'd share that with you because she does amazing things. This a picture of the Keeper of the Knobs, Kraw Nelia: I don't know what it is, but there's something both very cool and somewhat weird about seeing someone else's interpretation of one of

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1086787143642905772004-06-09T08:10:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:14.659-06:00

Yeah... So it's been a while. In truth, I've been so busy with my fire fighter training and just got done with my EMT class. While it's no excuse, I haven't written a single word in over 9 months! 9 months! That's terrible. But, ever since getting done with my training, I'm back in the saddle. - Got myself to a SCBWI (Society of Childrens Book Writers & Illustrators) spring conference and

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1071868119543780182003-12-19T15:08:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:14.560-06:00

Okay. As if I hadn't sent out enough this week, I thought I'd hit a couple more places. Publishing Houses: - Wendy Lamb Books - Holiday House Inc. And and an agent: - Flannery Literary If anything, the rejection letters I'm sure to get will fatten up my collection. Yeah!

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1071854362185090472003-12-19T11:19:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:14.478-06:00

A Sudden Surge Hey friends. For some reason, I got the gumption to send out a whole mess of query letters. Here's who got 'em: - Sheldon Fogelman Agency Inc. - Gina Macoby Literary Agency - Nancy Gallt - Curtis Brown Ltd. (Marilyn E. Marlow) - Steling Lord Literistic Inc. - Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency - Harold Ober Associates Inc. (Claire M. Smith) - Gotham Art & Literary Agency Inc. (

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1071523689296577942003-12-15T15:28:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:14.387-06:00

So I Suck. Not much in the news department, I'm afraid. I've sent out plenty of query letters and gotten plenty of rejection letters in return. So, what am I doing wrong? Here are some ideas: 1. I'm not patient enough. 2. My query letter sucks. 3. I'm sending my work to the wrong places. Not sure which category all of this falls under. I guess it's just one of those things where the RIGHT

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1067367468758649922003-10-28T12:57:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:14.273-06:00

More Sends Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm working as an on-call firefighter and going to class, so there hasn't been much spare time for writing, let alone blogging about writing. I'm sending query letters out to these places: 1. Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency 2. John Hawkins & Associates 3. Merilee Heifetz @ Writer's House These were some of the other names on the list of agents that

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1063375380058975632003-09-12T09:03:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:14.189-06:00

The Best Rejection Letter In The World Okay. I got another package in the mail yesterday and immediately I was like 'Great...this is all I need.' I looked at the postage stamping and saw that it was from New York. Even better. The agent in Minneapolis is avoiding me like some kind of infectuous rash and the only other person that agreed to read my book has sent it back to me with (most

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1063374710266555522003-09-12T08:51:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:14.107-06:00

First Things First! Okay. I've finally completed the 3rd draft of my 2nd book. Yeah, big deal, right? It is! It took me for-freaking-ever to finish this and I've finally got a version that people can read and (hopefully) enjoy. I actually got it done on Monday and my fiance got a head start on all the others who were jonesing to read Book Two. It clocked in at 315 pages or 109,144 words.

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1062598778786518172003-09-03T09:19:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:14.014-06:00

Aaaaargh.... Remember how I was complaining that I never heard back from any of the 3 agents that I sent my beloved book to? Well, over the Labor Day Weekend, I got a nice little taste of agent feedback. Quite honestly, I could've done without it. It went a little something like this: Dear Mr. Kingsley, Thank you for letting me read (THE TITLE OF MY BOOK). Unfortunately, I don't think it's

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1061586920242830992003-08-22T16:15:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:13.924-06:00

'Allo friends. Crazy times. It's August already. How am I doing? Fine...thanks for asking. Is the 2nd installment of my underground kids book ready for reading yet? Nay...but give me a couple of weeks and you can see the latest soon enough. Soon enough. News in Brief: - I got a little tired of waiting for the agent lady here in Minneapolis to get back to me. She's had my manuscript

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1057237315114711582003-07-03T08:01:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:13.839-06:00

It's already been a month since I've posted what's been shaking with my publishing efforts, eh? Wow. No wonder it takes so damn long for people to get their books out in the real world. Well, it just so happens, I have a little update. Remember the children's author guy who's been giving me some guidance as well as the names of some agents? Well, I mailed the agent at William Morris in New

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-2004044442003-06-09T15:12:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:13.621-06:00

Updates Galore One would think that I've lost the spark and the desire to pursue this crazy-ass dream of mine since I don't update this page much anymore. Right? No, the truth is, I've been working on other things and have kind of moved the 'logging' of my trials and tribulations to the back burner. It's only right, right? I mean...it's not like I've shut down operations and I'm just going

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-2000936602003-04-03T16:21:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:13.532-06:00

The News Gets Better... Upon getting the agent referral from Mr. Brian Selznick, I went ahead and shot an e-mail to her, giving her the low-down on who I was and what my children's book is about. I sent the message yesterday, not expecting to hear from her for a week or so. Well, as luck would have it, I got the following message from her today: Hello, Kingsley, Thanks for this note! I'm

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-2000816612003-04-01T15:49:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:13.445-06:00

Bad & Good Alas...usually any type of news seems like it's bad news in the world of a struggling children's author. I wish there was some way for me to stand out from the rest of the crowd. Not all children's authors are stay-at-home mom's that crank out 12 picture books a month! Some of us actually tell a detailed story...but oh well. First the bad news, then the good. Bad, bad, bad Got a

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-2000563302003-03-27T13:44:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:13.345-06:00

Update So I've been dropping the ball in keeping this site updated with my progress. So sorry. I know everyone's been on the edge of their seats to see how ol' KMC got himself published, but it hasn't been all that exciting here on the front lines. I've begun (emphasis on BEGUN) the slow editing process for my second novel. I gotta admit, it's my least favorite part of the writing process,

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-903796412003-02-26T14:16:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:13.260-06:00

Well, I guess some news isn't always good news. Yep, you guessed it. I got a couple of rejections in the mail over the last week. The first one was from Dutton Children's Books. I sent them a query letter along with one of those cool little cards with a picture of my main character either smiling (if they wanted to read the book) or frowning (if they didn't). The jerks only X'd the box that

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-903152002003-02-12T16:53:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:13.168-06:00

I call this my SNEAK ATTACK. Another couple of lobs, this time out in the land of publishers and agents...New York, New York. I was running short of time and I happened across an entry interested in publishing children's adventure books...AND I don't have to have agent representation to send them stuff. So, with crossed fingers I hit them with the one-two-combo. You see, they said that right

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-903089262003-02-11T13:51:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:13.062-06:00

Not stopping. No, no siree. Okay, switching back to the agency send out, I found a place in California that will accept a query letter and the first 25 pages of my manuscript. Wow...is that all it takes for an agent to decide if they want to represent your work or what-not. Then again, most of 'em just want the query letter and they'll judge your merit strictly from that. So, I guess it's

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-903041872003-02-10T15:43:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:12.783-06:00

Sure...let's go local. I decided to submit a query letter to a local publishing company today without realizing (until I got the stuff together) that it WAS a local company here in Minneapolis. Trust me, I don't have any preconceived notions that they'll look at it and go "Oh, this guy is from Minnesota! What do you say, gents? Should we publish his book?" But...since time was short today

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-902929572003-02-07T14:39:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:12.708-06:00

I'm such a rebel. There was an agent that I really thought sounded like he'd be up my alley. I submitted my awful query letter to him last year and he promptly sent me a form rejection letter. My ego tells me that it was because my letter stunk, so I decided to resubmit to him. But...here's the thing: He didn't list himself in the Children's Writer & Illustrator Market book. After one year,

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-902877812003-02-06T14:36:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:12.630-06:00

In keeping with my 'send something out a day' idea, I've sent two more query letters out. This time to publishing houses. And the lucky recipients are... - Dial Books for Young Readers - Dutton Children’s Books I should point out that both of these companies are owned by Penguin Putnam, so essentially it's the same company...just two different imprints. Okay, so they're both big companies,

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-902819932003-02-05T13:20:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:12.529-06:00

Well, it's away. Despite what it said in the Guide to Literary Agents, I sent a query letter, 3 chapters and a response card to a literary agency by the name of: Dee Mura Literary They didn't ask for sample chapters, but I sent 'em anyway. I figure, worst case scenario: they throw them away. Best case? They read 'em and love 'em and want more. I also have a couple of little pictures on the

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-902759862003-02-04T10:57:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:12.431-06:00

Update! Okay, maybe this isn't such a big deal, but it sort of it to me. I work part-time (in addition to my full time job) at a bookstore near where I live. I've had a few people there read my first novel and of course they've given me suggestions as to who I should send it to and what I should do with the book. I should point out that everyone who's read my novel either really likes it or

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-3902726332003-02-03T16:58:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:13.750-06:00

So, I've done it again. I've been concentrating on getting my things together so that I can send query letters, synopsises(?), chapter samples and everything else from my book to agents and publishing houses. I think I'm getting closer to actually feeling confident about the blurbs and things I'm sending to these ultra-important people. It's a tough thing. You spend all this time writing this

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-902149722003-01-21T14:23:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:12.336-06:00

Okay, so it's been a while. Actually, over three months...but rest assured, I have not given up on my quest. In fact, the silent New Year's Resolution I said to myself as 2002 was whisked away into retirement was: 'This is the year things start to happen.' So, since I haven't been trying too hard to get published in the last couple o' months, let me fill any interested readers in on what I

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-855217802002-10-03T16:42:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:12.259-06:00

Well...the only news is bad news, I guess. I finally got my last rejection letter (of the ones I sent out, anyway). This one was from a company called All About Kids Publishing and I actually sent them an entire manuscript. This showed up at my old apartment, so I'm not sure what day it came, but it was dated September 28th. Here goes: Dear Kingsley, Thank you for your recent submission to

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-854565762002-09-16T14:37:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:12.172-06:00

Man...here's another one. This is from a literary agency I was hoping would represent me. I guess they've very, very, very busy. Judging from the letterhead, I would guess joining the rest of us in the year 2002 isn't much of a priority. It looks like something Greg Brady would write a letter to a 'really groovy chick' on. But I digress. Dear Author Thank you very much for submitting your

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-854295452002-09-09T09:49:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:12.078-06:00

Okay. Got another one the other day. I opened and read it and said they were suckers. This one came courtesy of Dutton's Children's Books. It went a little something like this: Dear Author: Thank you for querying us about your publishing idea. Unfortunately, we do not feel that this project suits our particular list, but we do thank you for thinking of Dutton. Editorial Staff Dutton

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-854173372002-09-05T10:53:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:11.985-06:00

Okay...so it's been a while since I shot an update down. So, here's a quick one for those of you waiting to see how I got published...if I ever do. Don't take my silence on this sister site as an indication that I've quit on my dream of getting my work out there. Not gonna happen. Here's where I'm sitting right now: 1. I haven't gotten any more rejection slips or returned manuscripts since

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-853525982002-08-16T15:17:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:11.890-06:00

I tried to use most of my wasted day at work writing, but it's going pretty slowly. Not sure why that is, I think I'm trying to get to the new and exciting part of the story and it feels (to me, anyway) like it's dragging a bit. In other news, I've got some folks in an online writing group that I'm a part of, suggesting that my first book might be too long for the age group I'm going after.

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-853443592002-08-14T09:08:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:11.812-06:00

Well, well...no sooner do I open my big yap, then a card saying I've got something at the Post Office shows up. In my head, I'm thinking: It's too soon to get any of my manuscripts back, right? Wrong. I went to pick it up on Tuesday, but the disgruntled clowns had misplaced it and urged me to try again later, of course after making me wait 15 minutes while they searched through their bins.

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-853368802002-08-12T09:32:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:11.722-06:00

Quick update: No further news on the stray agent query I've sent out. The would be Pema Browne Ltd. Also, my manuscripts that I sent out the week before last have got to be sitting in the 'slush' pile in two different publication houses. Have they been read? Look at it? Sent back? Only time will tell, I guess. As for my new book: It's coming along just fine. I'm already working on Chapter

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-853202772002-08-06T14:14:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:11.627-06:00

Okay...so it's going smashingly. My 2 pages a day plan is working like nobody's business. I made up a calendar on how many pages I should have and I'm actually ahead of schedule. Today I should have 12 pages, and I've got 13, if you count the title page. Toward the end of the day today, I'll kick out another couple and keep myself on track. I'm basically writing as it's coming to me. I'm

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-853081532002-08-02T09:59:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:11.545-06:00

Here is my plan...and I think it's going to work. Since I've given myself a small window in which to write my next book, I've worked out how I'll get it all written by 10.1.02. My first book was roughly 115 pages, single-spaced in a 10pt Arial font. If want to write the next story and shoot for roughly the same length (and who knows how much longer it'll be???) I need to write 2 pages a day

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-853018552002-07-31T13:31:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:11.455-06:00

Right...so I finally got around to keeping my '4 Out There' plan in full effect. Since I don't think my query letter is the best (the hardest part of the whole submission thing so far has been the stinking query letter) I decided to let 2 lucky publishing houses have a first crack at my manuscript. That's right, doctor. 2 places on opposite sides of the country are going to get their hot

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-853013882002-07-31T11:22:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:11.373-06:00

Morning party people... I got an encouraging e-mail yesterday from a fellow author who urged me not to change my writing style to accomodate what the market wants. Reading yesterday's post about reading work from other authors to get a better idea of what's out there, could easily be construed as an attempt on my part to write what I think would sell really well and make me big and fat and rich

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-852946652002-07-29T16:59:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:11.279-06:00

Wow...here's #3. Maybe it's just me...but agents kind of suck!!! I got this one on Saturday, and I noticed by the sheer weight of it that it was some kind of little card in there. Gee...I wonder what that could be??? Somewhere in the pit of my stomach, I kind of hoped it was a postcard or something inviting me to send the entire manuscript. It wasn't. On a pretty fancy little card was the

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-852745032002-07-23T08:44:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:11.199-06:00

And here's #2... (how sad would it be if years down the road I'm writing about Rejection Letter #847?) Alas, this one was a bit more disappointing than the previous cheesehead's rejection letter. This came yesterday from an agency that I thought was totally suited toward my story: The Barry Goldblatt Agency. He, at least, had a little more class in his reply than the first one I got. On a

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-852620592002-07-18T16:38:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:11.118-06:00

Anticipated Completion Date For: Travis & the Magic Sandbox: Book Two - The Broken Knight Knob = 10.01.02

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-852620552002-07-18T16:37:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:11.022-06:00

Okay...so I didn't send out another query/manuscript yet. I'm going to probably tomorrow. I think I might, just for shits n' giggles, send it to one of the big boys and see what they think or say... ...if anything at all. No new letter in the mail since my last (ahem) rejection letter. In other news: the new ideas I've got for the second book in my series are streaming through like there's

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-852576832002-07-17T11:38:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:10.944-06:00

I've added the comment feature on this site as well. That's how I do...and I do it all night.

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1137078293869776182002-07-17T08:59:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:16.031-06:00

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-852534902002-07-16T08:48:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:10.863-06:00

Well, got my first rejection letter yesterday. At first I panicked, because I was thinking it was from the agency that I really thought my book would do well with (Barry Goldblatt), but it wasn't. The envelope was folded and I was like "What's with this?" Then I remembered that I needed to fold my SASEs in order to get them into the envelope with my query letter. I guess I was excited or

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-852394272002-07-11T09:44:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:10.781-06:00

I imagine my letters to the agents are probably arriving in their mail either today or tomorrow. Obviously, no news yet. In other news: I've started scribbling ideas down for Travis Book 2. I think it's going to be pretty good.

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-852333252002-07-09T14:00:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:10.680-06:00

Well...I did it. I sent 4 query letters with SASE (self addressed stamped envelopes...durr!) to 4 different literary agents. Since I couldn't afford to send big packages to any publishing houses (maybe in a month or so, I'll try) I figured this would be my best bet. These people are going to get my stinky little query letter: 1. Barry Goldblatt Literary Agency 2. Ethan Ellenberg Literary

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-36947485950732092312001-10-21T23:56:00.000-05:002007-10-07T23:57:26.955-05:00

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-42372850658108738452001-01-01T08:15:00.000-06:002007-06-14T08:16:59.296-05:00

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1161141521927831132000-10-17T22:19:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:52:17.765-06:00

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626505.post-1153716036745230741991-10-31T23:37:00.000-06:002006-11-14T23:52:17.161-06:00

TKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13794210943016292773noreply@blogger.com0