Hi Tracy!

Thanks so much for sharing your story with our readers. I haven’t had to end a professional relationship yet–and hope I never have to! I give you a lot of credit for having the courage to follow your gut instead of your heart. Such a difficult thing to do in this business of dreams.

Can you tell us a little about Girl Three?

Tracey

Tracy – Thanks for coming by today!

I remember well the day that I left my first job. They’d been good to me but it wasn’t the place I was supposed to say – just where I was supposed to begin.It ws hard – harder than I thought – more emotional that I thought it would be but it was the best thing for me. And, I’ll never forget what my mentor at the firm said when I told him, “Think of us fondly as you eclipse us all with your success.”

Quite a benediction, huh?

Thanks for sharing your lessons learned. It takes courage to change course and you have it in spades.

What was a good thing that you learned from your agent and publisher?

Robin

I also ended my relationship with my agent, for many of the same reasons you’ve listed here. It’s hard to see the personality conflicts that will become major issues when you’re so excited just to be getting That Call, but sooner or later, those nagging little thoughts snowball. I did wind up selling my first novel through my agent after we had parted ways (yes, it was just as complicated as it sounds), and I strive to maintain a friendly relationship with her. I think of it like this: I do not burn bridges (especially in a close-knit industry like publishing). I just choose to stop walking across some of them.

Hi Tracy,

Ending relationships and starting new are the stuff of great romance novels. Glad you recovered and moved on to success. Someone loving what you write is a great ego boost, but beware the fine print.

Mary Jo

Hi, Tracy -

We’re so happy to have you at RU today!

I can only imagine the hours you must have agonized over these decisions. How important do you feel “chemistry” is between an author and her agent/editor?

Have a wonderful Friday!
Kelsey

Morning Tracy!

Thanks for sharing your story and your nagging warning signs. I think we all get them sometimes, but forget to pay attention to them! Are you agented now?

carrie

Hi Tracey,

I love your line about following your gut instead of your heart…and yes, it is challenging, yet a little easier when something inside you makes you feel so certain that one direction is the right one.

Business of dreams–another great line. You should become a writer!

Thanks for asking about Girl Three. In the story, a bioethicist investigating the cover-up of her sister’s murder discovers a salacious extortion scheme and a who’s-who list of suspects while falling for the ex-Secret Service agent assigned to keep her alive. It’s set in Washington, D.C. and filled with some really dastardly characters. So much fun to write!

Thanks for having me here at RU today!

Tracy

Hi Tracy. Thank you for being here! I think this is such an important post and something we can all learn from. Our instincts tell us a lot and I know there have been times I’ve ignored them when I shouldn’t have.

Hi Robin,

That was a really nice send-off from your first job. Well-deserved, I’m sure!

Thank you for your comment about courage. I think I have more determination than courage yet, in hindsight, am glad I mustered whatever it was that drove me to make the changes I did!

The good things I have learned from my former agent and publisher is that they are people just like me. As writers, we tend to put the gatekeepers in the industry in another realm in our minds. It turns out that they are human, too, even though their decisions can affect our dreams (as Tracey mentions above.)

Thanks for having me at RU today. Nice to have you on the RU team!

Tracy

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for sharing your story. I imagine that your situation with your agent did become complicated since you sold after you parted ways. Congratulations on your sale, and for taking the professional route and keeping things friendly (I’ve heard Stephen-King style horror stories where this did not happen!).

I loved your line about not burning bridges, but choosing to stop walking across some of them. Very good advice.

Wishing you all the best in your writing career!

Tracy

Hi Mary Jo,

Beware the fine print–excellent advice!

Thanks for stopping by today. It’s nice to meet you!

Tracy

Hi Kelsey,

What a great question about the importance of chemistry between an author and her agent/editor. I think it is important that those people are ones with whom you can develop a professional relationship and mutual respect. If there is ‘chemistry’ there, even better.

As writers we have more control over our agent selection than we do, in most instances, over the editors we are assigned. As an editor, I have been ‘assigned’ authors and that’s where writer and editor have to meet in the middle, so to speak. Kind of like an arranged marriage!

Thanks for having me at RU today. I just love this place!

Tracy

Hi Carrie,

When I was offered the contract from my current publishing company, I had to decide whether or not to seek an agent again. (Kind of backwards, I know, yet it happens.)

I decided to seek legal advice on my contract, yet chose not to involve an agent, although I greatly respect the role of an agent in the publishing industry. I have to admit that I was a little leary of commiting to another agent so soon. Sounds like a romance novel, huh?

Thanks for hosting me again at RU. It’s always fun!

Tracy

Hi Adrienne,

Can’t we all say that we’ve ignored our instincts sometimes? And lots of those times have turned into stories that we tell later of lessons learned.

Ah, life!

Thanks for inviting me to hang out with you ladies here at RU. It’s my pleasure!

Tracy

I read your post with interest, Tracy.
I had heard good things about my current publisher and accepted their contract for two of my books in good faith. However, my experience with them since then has been anything but good. The only thing that has been ‘right’ is that my first book came out on the due date; I don’t even have a release date yet for my second (despite signing the contract last January).
Trying to get a response from this publisher is worse than the proverbial blood out of stone. But the contract buyout fee is beyond my means, so for the moment I’m stuck with them.

Hi Paula,

I’m so sorry to hear about your challenges with your publisher, and can certainly relate.

I sure hope things improve for you and that you ulitmately find a good ‘home’ for your work.

My best to you–

Tracy

Thanks, Tracy. I shall certainly be looking for another publisher for my 3rd book which is nearing completion.

Sorry I’m late, Tracy – I couldn’t come out to play until I finished a garden article. Thank you so much for sharing this – I’ve heard similar stories from other author friends, unfortunately.

As an unpublished author, I haven’t had to deal with anything like this, but I can completely understand the decisions you made. If I’m ever in a similar position, I hope I’ll take it slow before I sign anything. Will I take my own advice, and yours? Only time will tell. If I ever get “the call” I’m not sure logic will rule the day!

Hi Becke,

I’m sure you will be getting ‘the call’ soon! Just like a lot of life situations, it’s difficult to guess how we will react when our dream starts to look more like reality.

Heaven knows, when I read blogs like this one before I got ‘the calls,’ I imagined that I was inspired to be extra-careful. I guess my heart short-circuited my brain! And sometimes, like Paula who commented above, you just don’t know what you’ve gotten into until you’ve committed.

Here’s hoping that all of your experiences in your writing journey will be positive ones!

Thanks for having me at RU and for checking in from your writing cave!

Tracy

Tracy – I’m looking forward to hanging out with you and Tracey at Adrienne’s release party on Barnes & Noble’s Mystery Forum in July. Yikes – that’s coming up SOON!

Thanks, Becke!

How kind of Adrienne to invite us to her party! I can’t wait. And how kind of you to offer us the opportunity.

We are diligently working on all of the fun for the week. As chatty as we are, we are sure to keep the conversation going!

Have a wonderful weekend in your hideout!

Tracy

It’s going to be a blast!

I’m hoping to finish my revisions before I head to Chicago next week. I’ll be in a Windy City writing cave there, hopefully digging in on the next WIP. I really, really hope I’ll have this one completed before I leave.

Hello Tracy!

The only professional relationships I’ve severed have been in the workplace.

Your post made me think about how intuitive this business is and the importance of following one’s gut feeling.

It sounds like you experienced an emotional rollercoaster. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Hi Jennifer,

You are exactly right…the publishing business is intuitive, with lots of relationships being initiated online, on the phone–virtually. It’s so much more difficult to get a feel for a relationship that way, even though very positive ones can be developed.

Thanks so much for having me at RU today!

Tracy