GRIFFIN SPEAKER has taken flight!

Notes from a happy book launch whirlwind and a few lessons learned in the air

image courtesy Disney-Hyperion Books

"All human wisdom is summed up in two words; wait and hope." — Alexandre Dumas

If you’re at all curious about what it’s like to get a debut novel off the ground, I’ve got some my-first-rodeo insights to share.

If not, the TL,DR here is that my debut novel Griffin Speaker has hit the market and I’m having a blast. Boise’s beloved indie Rediscovered Books hosted a launch party, where I was in conversation with the brilliant local librarian and literary champion, Huda Shaltry.

Yours truly on the left, in convo with

Huda, pictured right. Photo from author

And I’m thrilled to say that Griffin Speaker has been named an Indie Next Kid’s pick for May and June (not to boast, but that’s a Big Deal) — and that Bookshop.org has listed it as one of the best new middle grade books for ages 8-12. Also a Big Deal, and I’m proud and happy for my griffins and their people.

Screenshot, Bookshop.org

The week following the launch party, my husband and I embarked on a road trip book tour from Idaho to our old Northern California stomping grounds, where I made my first official school visit at Town School for Boys and bookstore appearances at Books Inc. Laurel Village in San Francisco and at Barnes & Noble in San Mateo's Hillsdale mall.

At Town School, presenting to 200 incredibly well-behaved boys in their amazing Dolby auditorium; photo courtesy Town School for Boys San Francisco

Now, for those curious as to what I’ve learned along the way.

Writing long-form fiction is not an occupation for people in a hurry. Especially when it comes to traditional publishing.

There’s creating the story itself, a back-and-forth process of incubation, planning, possibly outlining, drafting, revising, re-revising, revising some more, and polishing until a manuscript emerges that may indeed be suitable for human consumption.

Then comes the brave and tender act of seeking feedback from beta readers, critique partners, and eventually one’s agent.

Any agent worth their salt is more than likely to request further revising and polishing until they’re confident the story is ready to send out on submission to the acquiring editors of publishing houses.

With strategic positioning, excellent contacts, and a healthy dose of luck, the hopeful manuscript attracts an acquiring editor who feels strongly enough about the work to champion it to the sales team, marketing team, publicity team, and the executive team. If that all goes well, the project can proceed to an offer and then contract negotiations. At that point, “real” editing and book production can begin.

In my case, that part took around three years.

Waiting and hoping? They’re baked into every stage of the process.

But when your book gets the green light, it has a major publisher invested in its success, with resources including rounds of increasingly granular editing and proofing, cover art, illustration, interior design, and then marketing, sales, and distribution. And all on a level that I certainly could never hope to replicate even if I hired professionals in each of those disciplines on my own dime.

I don’t have that many dimes.

Yes, there are a lot of gatekeepers and a lot of hurdles to jump in traditional publishing. For me, it’s been well worth it.

Here are a few other things I’ve learned: Good editors (mine have been terrific) possess a rare skill set. They are combination coaches, literary analysts, standard-bearers, industry experts, cheerleaders, and gentle but firm task-masters.

Copy editors? They can spot a stray punctuation mark or an out-of-whack timeline (like, “it can’t be Monday night in this scene if the character just walked through the door in the previous scene, which is on Sunday morning”) from 200 yards. Astounding.

Art directors? I can’t even. They possess talents that were absolutely not in my personal Gift Bag From the Universe received at birth.

Ditto illustrators and cover artists. I have the great good fortune to have been assigned Matt Rockefeller for those images, which literally gave me shivers when I saw them, as well as Virginia Allyn, who produced the map of my book’s world, Griffin Land.

Map by Virginia Allyn, courtesy Disney-Hyperion Books

It’s also been a thrill to see the photos and videos sent to me by friends, family, and fans who’ve found Griffin Speaker out in the wild — actually, at their local bookstores, from locations all over the country.

And I get to savor the heady experience of holding a realy-o, truly-o book in my hand, one that I wrote, in a bookstore where people I don’t even know are buying it!

As an avid reader since I was knee high to a peapup (inside Griffin Speaker reference, see what I did there?) that’s been my big audacious dream. I’m still pinching myself.

Also a delight is discovering more wondrous books purportedly written for the same age group but that I, at my seasoned age, absolutely love. A few recommendations: Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow (a Newbery Honor Book); the Impossible Creatures series by Katherine Rundell; and Kiyash Monsef’s Once There Was and its sequel, Bird of a Thousand Stories. It was a great pleasure to be in conversation with Kiyash Monsef on May 21 at the event at Books Inc’s Laurel Village store in San Francisco.

I know there is much gnashing of teeth over what has become of reading nowadays, but I don't buy it. Bookstores and libraries continue to be beloved places, and adults and kids continue to read, many of them avidly.

One of the perks of being an engaged reader today is that you can, if you wish, truly become an active participant in a book’s career. I don't only mean purchasing or checking out copies: Posting reviews, sharing the book with friends, reaching out to authors via their websites, inviting local authors to your book club — all those make you, as a reader, not just a passive recipient, but a collaborator.

Thank you for joining Griffin Speaker and me on this journey, however far along the path you choose to go.