I have a book deal!

Well who said that hard work and perseverance don't pay off?

For the past two years I have been working like a dog to kick start my dream of becoming a children's author.

I have been turned down more times than I care to mention (and that was simply on the road to finding an agent), taken more courses, worked at my craft almost 7 days a week and finally, that work has paid off!

My debut middle grade novel, It's a Mystery, Pig-Face! has been bought by New York Publishing House Sky Pony Press and will be released as part of their Fall 2016 list. The announcement came out in Publishers Weekly today, which is the equivalent, for you sports people out there, of having your trade to the New York Giants placed in the Sporting News.  Big Stuff!

 

 

Alison Weiss at Sky Pony Press has bought Wendy McLeod MacKnight's debut, It's a Mystery, Pig Face!, a middle-grade novel in which an 11-year-old girl finds a bag of money in a baseball dugout and enlists the help of her best friend and annoying little brother to discover who lost – or maybe, stole – it, in a town brimming with suspects. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Lauren Galit at LKG Agency did the deal for world rights.

 

 

 

Now the hard work begins, as I begin another round of edits with them and learn the ins and outs of marketing.

I want to seriously thank each and every one of you who have cheered me on during this journey!  This past Spring was particularly tough; I don't mind sharing that I was feeling quite down and depressed and wondering if I had made a terrible mistake in leaving my job to pursue this dream.

I guess it is always darkest before dawn, since if May was a terrible month for me, June shone brightly and put many things in my life in perspective. 

I am genuinely proud of myself, knowing how much work this has taken and will take in the future. It is a testament to hard work and the pursuit of excellence; I always believed I could do it and I wanted it to be the best book it could be and supported by a publishing house that would nurture both me and my book and I have that in Sky Pony Press in spades!

For those of you who are interested, I have also re-launched my website wendymcleodmacknight.com, where I will be posting regularly on my writing journey and providing useful information to other aspiring writers.

I will still be posting here regularly on the other ephemera of my life! 

Again - a heartfelt thanks. Many of you have taken a real personal interest in my writing and dream and that interest will never be forgotten!


MWAH!

Wendy