Friday, August 05, 2011

No News, But Thanks Anyway!

Hello everyone!

With the whirlwind of edits, the release of Illusions, touring, and having kids out of school for the summer, it's been a while! It's also been a while since I talked about the business of writing, so I'd like to do a bit of that today.

Because I finally got my contract!

Or rather, I finally got a contract I've been looking forward to for a while. :) I actually have to sign contracts about once a month. The Wings series has now sold in about 30 languages--I say "about" because I know it's at least that many, but some languages sold in more than one territory (e.g. Portugese in Brazil and Portugal, French in Canada and France) and some territories sold in more than one language (e.g. Catalan and Basque in Spain). Some territories bought the whole series, some bought a book or two and then sent new contracts for later books. And many territories just get the books from other territories (I do not have a publisher in South Africa, but I know you can get Wings there). I just get paperwork in the mail from the awesome foreign rights department at Writers House, I sign it, and I send it back! As a result, I'm embarrassed to report that I've lost track of exactly how many countries and languages the series is actually available in.

But the contract I'm talking about today came from the Walt Disney Company.

Some of you probably remember this announcement from two years ago. I even blogged about it! If you don't remember: Disney optioned the rights to make a movie of Wings.

The detailed negotiations on the contract took two years.

If you are an aspiring author, or an author who has yet to ink a screen deal, or even if you're just curious, I want to emphasize that this is not typical. Most of my author friends who have deals with Hollywood took 3 to 6 months to get their contracts signed. Why did mine take so long? I would like to believe it's because everyone involved was just so excited about the project that they wanted to get every detail of the agreement perfect! :) But realistically, it probably took two years for a million tiny reasons, none of them particularly important. It took two years because that's how long it took, and that's how these things go: it takes however long it takes.

There's still no guarantee that the movie will ever be made. The deal I just signed was the same deal I agreed to accept in 2009. So, sorry, I still don't have any movie news to share. I'm excited about the project and I hope Disney decides to move forward with it.

But signing that contract got me thinking about all that has happened in the last two years, and that got me thinking about all that has happened in the years since I started seriously working toward publication. When I started this blog, I knew almost nothing about publishing. Fortunately for me, there were (and are!) a ton of great resources out there for aspiring authors. And once I graduated from "aspiring" to "contracted," I was able to find other authors in the same boat who were willing to share their experiences and increase my knowledge of the publishing industry.

Now, as I begin work on my second series (!!!) for HarperTeen, it's amazing how different everything looks. Some of that has nothing to do with me; when Wings came out in 2009, for example, e-books accounted for a tiny fraction of my sales and I had very little interest in owning an e-reader. This year HarperTeen did an awesome e-book promotion, including free electronic copies of Wings and exclusive content for different retailers, and I spent a lot of the summer reading e-books by my pool. When I went on a pre-publication tour to meet booksellers across the country, one of my stops was Ann Arbor, Michigan--home of Borders, a company that could make or break an author by promoting (or not promoting) a book. This year, Borders is closing its doors. The industry is changing.

But I've also changed. You may have noticed that I don't blog as often as I used to. There are several reasons for this; one is simply that I'm busier. I am trying to find a good way to put out more than one book per year, and that means developing more than one project at a time. I wrote a piece for Harper's Dear Bully project and I've got a short story to write for an anthology. My husband is going back to school (again). I have four children instead of three. :)

I'm still learning! I hope to write many more books. I feel like each one has improved my abilities and I'd like that to continue. I've made tons of awesome friends and met tons of awesome fans and I'd like that to continue, too. Because ultimately it's you, my readers, who I have to thank for the amazing, transforming experiences I've been privileged to have in the last 27 months or so. Your support and feedback never cease to amaze me, and looking back, I probably don't thank you for it enough.

So, thanks for reading! It's been an amazing couple of years and I look happily forward to more of the same. I'd say I will try to be a better blogger, but I'm not gonna lie--I will probably continue to blog irregularly at best. :P But I hope you will keep in mind that if I am not blogging, it's probably because I am writing something fun for you to read later, and I hope that when you remember that, you will forgive me. :)

Ciao!

22 comments:

MARY IN SCOTLAND said...

Always love to hear from you, but I'd rather you continue to write amazing books than blog. ;)

I can't wait for book 4!!!

barmybex said...

It's great to hear about the film contract. I'll keep my fingers crossed, I would love to see your books as movies (although nothing can ever beat the book itself)

I look forward to more books by you. I love your style. :D

Summer Runner said...

this is all so exciting. i happened to stumble across your books by accident and believe me i am so glad i did. i'm very happy for you that you were able to land the contract but i do hope that nothing skews your writing. it seems like that happens to often these days. an author writes such an amazing book and then the next thing you know the movie or show is completely different. good luck with everything! i can't wait for book four and i'm interested in looking into this new series you are talking about. you are an amazing author with great talent. oh and congrats on everything from deals to new additions to the family ^_^

Anonymous said...

I read your book because Barnes and Noble gave it to me free!Then I bought the other two right away(like the next day) and I read them all in under 48 hours. The point of this is though I have done it before I do not often get that sucked into a different world. Also I move on quick, but with your books I can't stop thinking about them. Thank you :) Can't wait for book four or any other book by you!

J.R. Johansson said...

Congrats on Disney :) That's very cool! It is amazing how much the industry has changed in just a few short years. I'm excited for you and your new series and happy to know you!

Amber said...

WOW congrats I am looking forward to seeing who will portray Tamiani. I know he will be amazing no matter who plays him.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for keeping us updated! I know it is difficult blogging for us (your readers ) but I always love hearing the news ! So anyway hope you are nearly done wings 4 and I wish you good luck for the next series !

(Ps make sure you have some fun too! )

:P

Amber Lynae said...

I do remember reading the post about Disney ... I can't believe that has been two years. Congrats on the finalization.

Unknown said...

Yay for a busy Aprilynne! The more you write fun stuff for me to read later, the happier I'll be (later, if not now).

*fingers crossed for the movie!*

pĪ±ris ♥ said...

Great to hear from you! Congrats on Disney; hope a film will come soon! Can't wait!

Fiauna said...

Your story is inspiring. The leap it takes to make from aspiring writer to contracted and published author is seemingly insurmountable. I have myself just come "under contract," (remember that e-mail I sent you?). And I look forward to the day when I can walk past my bookshelf and run my finger along the spines of my multiple novels. I too feel that every time I write I improve.

Thank you for sharing your journey with us.

Rural Dee said...

Congratulations, Aprilynne! What a fun, exciting road you're on. I finally got my hands on Illusions, just finished it. Your series just gets better and better, and I'm excited about your next series too!!

Anonymous said...

I would love Wings to be made into a movie. I am in love with your books and look up to you as a young writer myself. i have heard rumors that if Wings is made into a movie that Miley Cyrus will be cast as Laurel. Please don't pick her to be Laurel!

Anonymous said...

Will there be a book after Illusions where they figure out what to do with the rogue winter fairy?

Priyanka Mohanty said...

hi, im from India and i happened across your books by accident but just as easily, i was so in love with them that my mom had a real hard time dragging me off to complete daily chores...i'd just like to say you're extremely talented and i love being sucked into your world..:)

Anonymous said...

Hi aprilynne!
I am such a big fan!
Keep on writing!
Love Azzie x

Faith said...

I was so glad Amazon recommend your book Illusions. When I receieve it I realized there were two earlier books. So I had to get them before I could read Illusions, and I was so - so happy they recommended your book. I have so enjoyed your writing gift and can hardly wait for book 4. This is such an excellent read!!! Thank you!!!

Earth Girl said...

I LOVE your books!!Such a good love story! Cant wait till the 4th comes out HURRY!! :D

Anonymous said...

APRILYNNE, I LOVE YOUR BOOKS, BUT HONESTLY, I THINK WALT DISNEY WILL RUIN THE WHOLE PLOT AND THE MOVIE. THE INTENSE AND SEXUAL SCENES WITH LAUREL AND TAMANI AT HER OLD HOUSE WILL NOT BE THE SAME IN DISNEY. WHAT WILL THEY DO IN DISNEY? PUT THEM IN THE HOUSE AND EXPECT THE MOVIE WATCHERS TO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING INSIDE? I JUST DON'T THINK DISNEY IS THE BEST CHOICE IN MAKING THE MOVIE.

Rachel Brooks said...

Two years?! Wow! I don't know how you didn't go insane trying to stay patient for the contract to arrive.

Also, I’m a new follower— wonderful blog! Stop by my blog and follow me too? :) http://rachelbrookswrites.blogspot.com/

Silver K. Swift said...

This is fantastic! You must be so excited (Yeah I'm a late commenter D8 I'm horrible.) to receive news of this. Eventually I'll get there. I'm an author-to-be. I'm still in my "just write and revise later" phase. X]

I have yet to read your books, but I'm really looking forward to taking a peek! :D

Kara online said...

If wings IS made into a movie (totally awesome! Btw) Miley Cyrus SHOULD not be laurel!!! She DOES not for the personality or profile and tell you the truth Emma Roberts would do ok for laurel if I had my vote in the matter. But anyway I hope it does make a movie!!!!!! It would be awesome!!