5 Years of being an Author

Well, folks, it's officially been 5 years since my very first book came out, A DOOR IN THE WOODS. It blows my mind to think about how much has changed since then, and how much I've learned about the writing craft and the publishing industry. Not to mention the changes in my family. For fun, I'll try to list some of the differences between then and now.

Then: I had 2 boys, one a baby. Now: 3 boys and a girl, oldest eight years old.

Then: Dark brown hair. Now: Dark brown hair with traces of gray.

Then: Very skinny. Now: Almost skinny.

Then: Small regional publisher. Now: National publisher.

Then: First print run of 1,000 copies, paperback. Now: First print run of 40,000 copies, hardback.

Then: Michael Vick. Now: Matt Ryan.

Then: Had never met another author. Now: Have met dozens, including quite a few biggies.

Then: Amateur writer. Now: Not-too-bad writer (I hope!).

Then: Aspirations to become a financial guru. Now: Aspirations to never use a calculator again.

Then: Miserable book signings where people who'd never heard of James Dashner looked at me like I had leprosy. Now: Book signings where people actually come to the store knowing I'll be there, wanting to buy a book.

Then: I begged schools to let me come visit their kids. Now: Schools ask me to come visit.

Then: Willing to donate my left kneecap just to see my book in a bookstore. Now: Willing to donate my left kneecap to see my name on the NY Times list.

Then: Naive about the publishing industry. Now: Naive about the publishing industry.

Then: A cover with a gigantic photo of a kid's face on it. Now: A cover with an awesome painting by studly New Yorker Bryan Beus.

Then: Hobby. Now: Profession.

Then: Had an unnatural urge to eat cheese. Now: Have an unnatural urge to eat cheese.

Then: No agent. Now: Michael Bourret, best agent on the planet.

Then: Knew nothing. Now: Know a lot more.

Alright, that's enough. Wow, things have changed. Things have really, really changed. If you want to read the 8-part story of how I got published, just scroll down and click on the links to the right that tell every detail. It's an interesting tale.

And the tale is about to get a lot more interesting. Stay tuned.