on Jane Friedman site:

The fairy tale

Once upon a time (on May 30, 2024) I sent the email that would change my life, “Dear Editor, please find attached my book proposal.” In late June the editor responded saying that he was interested and on the 30th of July he sent me an offer and a contract. Here I was, a previously self-published author with no significant social media following, holding a contract from a Big Five publisher.

I danced in the kitchen. I cried. At my daughter’s suggestion I printed out the email and carried it around with me, petting it lovingly between meetings. I then leveraged my contract with Little, Brown UK to secure a fabulous agent (Hi Amanda!) who negotiated an even better deal. When I signed my book and agent contracts, I had 130 subscribers to my Substack mailing list and 450 followers on Instagram. Now, almost a year from those fateful moments, I stand on the precipice of launching that book into the world. I bet I’ll live happily ever after.

Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if after reading this essay you knew the secret magic to help you unlock your own version of the same dream?

I’m going to say something hard and true…..This is a fairy tale. The facts that I reported are accurate. But there’s so much I left out. I do want to help you fulfill your own writing dream. And I’m here to humbly suggest that the parts of my story that I deleted from the fairy tale version are much more important to helping you find your way.