I remember taking a deep breath when “I Knew Men” counted out to 99,700 words. It was time to pursue the big dream of publishing!
Backing up a little, I first dared to look into publishing a few years ago, when I announced at Rotary that I wrote an unpublished novel. For the first time, my publishing dream seemed real. I examined the three ways that are most widely used:
Traditional publishing is lengthy, a long shot, and hiring an agent is advised to make it to the big time.
Self-publication can be very profitable, but I didn’t have the knowledge, time, resources, or energy to put into it. It looked like a full-time job that needed to be done right, or risk failure.
Hybrid publishing, also known as partner publishing, seemed like the best answer; but with so many from which to choose, how to find the right one?
THE SEARCH IS ON
A search, and some prayers, brought me to Covenant Books, a Christian publishing company. Covenant answered my questions, gave me guidance, and every few months my acquisition agent, Kaley Shuey, checked in. When I told Kaley the manuscript was ready, she immediately sent their submission guidelines:
Thank you for considering allowing Covenant Books to review your manuscript. … Each manuscript must be individually reviewed to ensure not only that it comprises the quality we demand as a publisher, but also that it fits within our core set of values as a Christian publisher. If your book is not selected for publication, please do not interpret that to mean that we have judged your book to be of inferior quality- it may simply mean that we are not selecting books from that genre …
My eyes fixed upon “core set of values as a Christian publisher.”
Parts of my novel aren’t very Christian-like. “I Knew Men” centers on the world of music – sex and drugs and rock & roll. I searched how many times the “f” word appeared. Whether playfully or angrily, it got sprinkled around. Taking out all but the really good ones wasn’t hard to do, but what about the drugs, the sex, and the couple of times when no other word but “f” seemed to fit?
I sent Kaley a brief synopsis of the story. Even though the story centered on such Christian values as a firm belief in God, the closeness of family, and the power of music, it seemed the darker themes would disqualify “I Knew Men.” I didn’t want to waste any more of Covenant’s time.
Kaley wrote back, “Without seeing the material firsthand I can’t say if it’s one that would be accepted, but there is no harm in trying :). If it isn’t a fit for us I can inquire about another publisher that would be interested.”
I submitted my novel with a few of my favorite “f’s” left intact for good measure.
“I KNEW MEN” IS ACCEPTED — BUT
Five days later, I received a phone call. Kaley said the reviewers really liked my story — a real page turner — and Covenant wished to publish “I Knew Men.” It only needed to meet their PG-rated criteria. She said I needed to remove or alter the graphic sex, the language, the drug use and a few other things.
The first thing that registered was, “Covenant liked my novel and thought it was worthy of publication!”
The remainder of the conversation sank in.
I took a couple days to think things over. After all, Kaley’s consistent follow up calls kept me going for more than two years. Her calls motivated me to get back to work, even if it was only for a chapter or two at a time. But watering down my novel to take out the R-rated parts? I thought about my would-be future audience, no matter how many people they turned out to be. A decision was made. It was time to call Kaley.
FATE. THIS FEELS LIKE FATE.
Kaley understood why I turned down the offer to publish my novel. I appreciated her suggestion of two publishers who were well respected and followed a similar business model to theirs. Like Covenant, they both had A+ ratings with the Better Business Bureau. Kaley suggested I submit to each one to see if either would accept “I Knew Men.”
I can’t remember the name of one publisher she mentioned. It’s recorded somewhere in my notes. The other name sent chills down my spine.
Several main characters in my novel — the brothers Ben, Chuck, Dave, and younger brother Chris — have the last name Newman. The older brothers’ singing group is “The New Men.” The title “I Knew Men” is a play on the name.
I contacted Newman Springs Publishing.