A book comes to town, a book leaves town, a book is sent off to a publisher.

I’m super excited about finishing this project, because it’s a book my daughter wanted me to write — something she could read in our own language. She got to read the first draft (and shoot holes in it) over a year ago. I patched up those holes, let the story rest while another bunch of kids and grown-ups read it, and patched some more holes before doing language sweeps. Deleted about 200 instances of ‘just’ and soooo much other sloppy language. And now it’s done, ready for the world, or as ready as I can make it. 

The Danish market works a bit differently than the American or English. We don’t need agents — although some of the bigger names have them — so I’ve done what new writers do around here and sent a finished manuscript directly to a publisher. 

The market is also smaller, with fewer books being published and fewer established publishing houses (about 10 reputable ones and a tangled undergrowth of semi-self-pubs). The waiting game is the same, though. Two months to an answer from this particular publisher, and no simsubs allowed. The competition is fierce, of course, with every corner of the market saturated with books and established authors. But at least I have a good book to send out. 

So I’ll be waiting, fretting, and probably writing a couple of English short stories in the meantime now that the big project is out testing its wings.