Before arriving at the Florida Christian Writers' Conference, I had selected four possible editors to preview my proposal for Rise and Soar (now called Strength Renewed). I intended to see that one of the four got my manuscript before the start of the conference, and I would make appointments to see the other three during the conference.
I would have loved Vicki Crumpton, the acquisition editor for Revell/Baker to see the proposal, but I knew she wouldn't be interested. Revell had just signed with Yvonne Ortega, a friend and critique partner, for the second edition of her book, Hope for the Journey through Breast Cancer. So I knew Revell wouldn't be interested in my book as the two were the same genre and addressed the same market.
As I said in the previous post, due to some misunderstanding at the reception, my manuscript ended up in the box for "any editor" - and in my jet-lagged state of mind, I had attached a cover letter to an "unnamed editor". What a recipe for disaster! So when Vicki Crumpton appeared next to the breakfast table the next morning and announced "We must get together," no one was more dumbstruck than I.
I immediately made an appointment to see her - as well as the other four editors and several agents.
Vicki said she really liked the book, and wanted me to send an official proposal
to Revell/Baker. She explained that if Revell accepted it, there would still be a two-year delay because of Yvonne's book. They would have to give that a clear year to run, and then she wanted to see my book wait for October, 2012, for Breast Cancer Survivor's month.
Although the book still had to go through so many channels, and Vicki could give no guarantee, I had an extremely positive feeling about this--especially following my determination to keep the book from Revell/Baker in the first place! God certainly seemed to be in the arrangements.
William Temple said, "When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don't, they don't."
I had prayed hard that the Lord would send me to "The Right Editor" and I had to believe He had done this.
And the other four editors?
One said his company wasn't accepting devotional material, but he made other suggestions. The other three all asked me to send them proposals. But somehow, I just knew . . . The Lord had already made His choice.
Was I prepared to wait two years? I had waited for years to write this book. I could wait two more to see it published by such a renowned company. But of course,
Rise and Soar still had to make its way through an ardous road before there was anything definite. Would it make it all the way?
Sometimes, I felt confident. Other times I knew it wouldn't - couldn't - be good enough for a publishing house like the
Baker Publishing Group. Vicki was the first editor to see the book. It all seemed too good to be true.
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Strength Renewed - Meditations for Your Journey through Breast Cancer
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