How I Got My Agent: Alayne Kay Christian
Alayne
Kay Christian is an award winning children's book author, life coach, and blogger who just landed her
dream agent, Erzsi Deak from Hen & ink. Alayne and I met through Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 challenge and Susanna Hill’s Making Picture Book Magic class, and I've had the good fortune of receiving several of her wonderful and insightful critiques.
She answers some questions about how she got to this point.
She answers some questions about how she got to this point.
Q. Tell me about your writing
journey. How long have you been writing for children?
First, I would like to thank you, Sylvia, for helping me
celebrate this exciting time by sharing my news with your blog readers.
My first picture book was a handcrafted book that I started
in 2006 for my long-distance granddaughter’s second birthday in 2007. The
emotional reaction from everyone who read it, along with the repeated phrase,
“You should publish this,” prompted my husband to encourage me to try to get
the book published. After he approached me for the umpteenth time, I blurted
out, “I can’t. I don’t know the first thing about getting a book published.”
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Alayne's hand-crafted book |
Alayne's first book available on Amazon |
Q. Have you always been a
writer?
Yes, I have written most of my life. I have enjoyed creative writing, newsletter writing in
various occupations, poetry, greeting card writing, journal writing, self-help
book writing, murder story writing, and my all time favorite - writing for
children. In addition to BUTTERFLY KISSES FOR GRANDMA AND GRANDPA, two of my short stories, "Christmas Spirit" and "Christmas in June" are included in an about-to-be released anthology, JINGLE BELLS: TALES OF HOLIDAY SPIRIT FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
Q. You have been a life coach.
How did that come about? Do you still do that?
After deciding to retire from the corporate world, I
found myself feeling a bit lost. Someone I knew recommended a life coach. I
loved the process of looking forward, setting goals and taking action. I loved
it so much that I decided to become a certified life coach and start my own
life coaching business. After twelve years, I recently decided to hang up my coaching hat to focus
100% on writing. However, there will always be a little life coach lurking inside
me. I use self-coaching in my writing career and when I can find the time, I
like to try to combine my coaching skills with my writing knowledge to write
blog posts.
Q. Can you walk us through how you got your
agent?
I first started submitting to publishers in September
2009, because I had been told that it is even harder to get an agent to consider
your work than an editor.
The very first agent I submitted to was Erzsi Deak during
the August 2012 Open Coop Day (her agency has limited days to submit). I had joined a new critique group and many of
the members were submitting to Open Coop. I thought, if they have the courage, I can muster the courage to give it a try.
In December 2012, I received a lovely and encouraging rejection letter from
Hen & ink. Given her positive and inviting response, I set my sights on Erzsi
as one of my dream agents. I waited for another Open Coop Day. But submissions
to Hen & ink remained closed.
As the end of 2012 grew nearer, I realized that I had been doing a ton of writing and very little submitting. I created the Facebook support group "Sub Six," asking other picture book writers to join me in a goal of submitting six manuscripts each in 2013. Observing my writing friends’ commitments to submitting their work motivated me to submit mine.
As part of Julie Hedlund's 12 x 12 challenge, I submitted a manuscript
to one picture book agent each month. I also chose to submit to some other
agents recommended by friends. And I got requests for work
from some agents from various pitch contests. By the end of September, I had
submitted 12 different manuscripts to 24 agents and editors.
As luck would have it, Erzsi Deak was the June 12 x 12
agent. Within days of my submission to Hen & ink, I received another lovely
rejection letter from Erzsi. But this time, there was a bonus. She requested
more of my work! She wasn’t able to accept the manuscript I had originally submitted
because she was already shopping something similar. However, I had mentioned
some of my other completed stories in my cover letter, and their description
caught her interest. I am so happy that I trusted my instincts and included
that info in my cover letter. I sent her the manuscripts and followed up with
her about every six weeks. At the end of October, we had a nice phone
conversation, and Erzsi offered me representation!
Q. When did you know you were
ready to query?
I never knew for sure that I was ready to query. I think
I was the most confident when I didn’t know what I was doing. When I was new at
the writing/submission game, I thought every story I wrote was submission ready
and would surely become a best seller. Now, I can read those manuscripts and
feel embarrassed that I bothered an editor or agent with them. I can say with
full confidence that I am more ready to query today than I was eight years ago,
or even yesterday. I learn something new each day, and I believe there is
always room for growth for any writer.
Q. How did you know the right questions to ask your agent-to-be?
Q. How did you know the right questions to ask your agent-to-be?
My friend, Elaine Kiely Kearns, gave me a link to a Literary Rambles post, “THE CALL or, What to Ask a Literary Agent When Offered Representation.” It is a great list of questions.
1) Making friends
with other writers and joining critique groups.
2) Developing faith and coping skills. I worked to find ways to
keep the hard knocks of the writing/submission process from pushing me away
from doing what I love.
3) Realizing that picture book writing is a very specific form of writing and it is much, much more than just telling a story. And then, studying as much as I could about picture book writing.
3) Realizing that picture book writing is a very specific form of writing and it is much, much more than just telling a story. And then, studying as much as I could about picture book writing.
4) Living my life as a children’s book author. This includes
seeing the world through the eyes of a writer, so that life can present me with
book ideas; writing, writing, and more writing; editing, editing, and more
editing; and submitting, submitting, submitting.
Q. You're known for giving
thorough and insightful critiques of picture book manuscripts. What are a few
tips on critiquing your own or others' work?
First, I would like to say that I feel like I learn as much
from critiquing other writer’s work as I do from receiving critiques on my
work. I wish I could critique my own work with the same detail I sometimes
offer others. It is difficult because I am so connected with my own work. I
didn’t realize until recently that going back to old manuscripts and critiquing
them as I would any other writers will help me find the weaknesses in my work.
So this is a new process I am trying.
As far as tips, I am preparing a webinar on writing
critiques. Kristen McGill Fulton is sponsoring it for her nonfiction picture
book writing group WOW nonficpic. I should have information posted on
my blog by this weekend. The webinar will also be recorded and the link
will be posted on my blog when it is available.
Q. How excited were you when you
got the call? What delicious food or beverage did you celebrate with?
I danced around the house all alone chanting something I
can’t even remember.
Unfortunately, I was packing to travel the next day, so I
couldn’t celebrate as much as I would have liked. Nevertheless, I did have a nice glass of pinot noir with my husband. He was so sweet. He
bought me a congratulatory card and left it on the kitchen counter as a
surprise. I cried when I read it. He has been so supportive. The other night he
told me something about myself that I didn’t fully realize. He was talking
about what he will do when he retires, and he said to me, “I watch you at the
computer, and I can see that you have found your passion – the thing that you
will do until the day you die because you love it so much.” He was right.
When I received the signed agreement, I felt like a child on
Christmas morning. My wish had come true. I feel like I am in a dream. I am
super excited about this next step in my writing journey, and I am thrilled to collaborate
with Erzsi Deak as my writing career moves forward. Looking back to Erzsi’s
first lovely rejection letter in December 2012, I feel like it was meant to be.
Q. Where can readers and fans find you?
Q. Where can readers and fans find you?
Here are my sites:
My website: http://www.alaynekaychristian.com/
My book website: http://www.butterflykissesgrandparents.com/
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