From Vanessa Virtue’s blog:
Name Five Bad Things That Happened to You in 2005:
1. Had a very bad cold that almost prevented me from going on vacation.
2. Had my credit card stolen.
3. Found out that people who I thought were my friends were not my friends.
4. Was told by a former coworker that I’d never amount to anything.
5. Had quite a lot of nightmares.
Overall, pretty good year, I think, since most of those are not *too* bad, and one was laughable in it’s bullshittiness.
Name Five Good Things That Happened to You in 2005:
1. Moved to D.C.
2. Got a great new job.
3. Got a fabulous agent.
4. Got a dream-come-true book contract.
5. Appeared on the cover of four romance novels.
Name Five People Who Have Touched You in a Special Way in 2005:
1. Sailor Boy
2. Sailor boy’s parents, for letting me live with them while we got on our feet.
3. Deidre
4. Kerri
5. Anna
Name Five Things You Achieved in 2005:
1. (see good things list)
2. Got out of dead-end job.
3. Devoted myself to this blog on a regular basis.
4. Wrote a book.
5. Stood up to bullies.
Name Five Things You’d Like to Achieve in 2006:
1. Successful book launch.
2. Write two more books. (I’d better, since one is already contracted!)
3. Sell another book.
4. Get organized.
5. Travel.
Last year, I did not resolve to sell a book in 2005, because I had no control over that. The ball was in someone else’s court. All I could do was write and polish and submit really good books. And I did sell a book.
So why, I wonder, do I think it’s okay to resolve to sell another book in 2006? It’s still out of my control. But I’m in a different place in my career now, and I know different things about the industry. Still out of my control, but much closer to it than this time last year.
What is your new year’s resolution/what would you like from 2006?
Didn’t we cover this above? I suppose it would be to be a more productive, and better human being than I was in the previous year. There; that should cover it.
December 29th, 2005 at 8:09 pm
So why, I wonder, do I think it’s okay to resolve to sell another book in 2006? It’s still out of my control. But I’m in a different place in my career now, and I know different things about the industry. Still out of my control, but much closer to it than this time last year.
You’ve answered your own question. You’ve had the big breakthrough: a contract, an agent, a finished-and-about-to-be-published book (demonstrating you can meet deadlines, ie that you’re a pro). You have an editor who’s going to want to look at any thing new you write. Yeah, that’s no guarantee of anything, but what in this life is guaranteed? You’re out of the slush pile now—that’s a very big deal indeed!
December 30th, 2005 at 8:47 am
Hi, Justine! (BTW, I think if you’d been smiling or something in that pic, it would be a perfect author photo!) Yes, I meant to answer my own question. I was working it out in my head on my blog, if that makes sense. Not uncommon ’round here. So, no guarantee, but better placement than before. You’re right.
The real trick, now, is to actually WRITE the new books.