Welcome back, sportsfans!
So, in this edition of the Ekhaya times, I am opening up a new offer. I've had a lot of people asking about the book, how things are going, what the whole deal is about... so now's your chance. The deal is this.
The manuscript is roughly 130 typewritten pages long, single-spaced font. Typical printing cost, roughly $13 to $15 CAD. Shipping on a document that size, about $7. Minimum cost to send that document to ONE publishing company... about $20. Here's the catch. If I don't manage to secure an agent for the book, how many publishing companies will I have to send the manuscript to before I find one that will take it?
If you click on the Donate button below, you will be prompted for a $5 donation. Out of this $5, half will go straight into my bank account to help pay the costs of promoting my manuscript. The other half will be put in a separate account which will then be forwarded to my friends at Obs House in South Africa. This money, for them, can be used to do anything from buying toiletries and clothes to having the small treat of a chocolate bar or a trip to the townships to visit their families. Keep in mind that the current exchange rate is one Canadian dollar (or 0.96 USD) to 7.17 South African rand, so every bit counts!
ALSO, in exchange for the donation that you're making to the promotional fund, if you send me your Email address, I will send you you an electronic 25 page sample chapter of Ekhaya - the same sample that is being sent to literary agents across the country right now.
IN SUMMARY: One $5 CAD donation buys you a sample chapter of Ekhaya, a yet-unpublished manuscript, and makes a small donation to help some people who are far away, but who definitely deserve it! And don't forget to include your Email address! You can Email them to me here, or leave them in a comment at the bottom of this page!
Click on the Donate button below to make your $5 donation now!
OR, if you don't feel like $5 is enough, click on this second button to enter your own donation amount! As with the $5 donations, half will go to South Africa, and the other half into the promotional fund for Ekhaya!
Thank you so much, in advance. You don't know how much of a difference this will make in my life, as well as in the lives of others. And don't forget to contact me with your Email addresses! You can Email them to me here, or leave them in a comment at the bottom of this page!
All my love, sportsfans.
Over and out.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Another Week, Another Bullet. Alternate title: Two Down.
So, guys, another week, another gentle rejection from a literary agent. Let's hope that one of the other four that are still left are feeling a little more generous.
Suffice to say that Ekhaya could use a little love right now... so keep your eyes open. Later this week, fingers crossed, I will be posting an offer that could get you the option of getting your very own sample chapter, as well as a chance to do a little something good for the wonderful boys at Obs House in Cape Town, South Africa.
Keep your eyes and ears open! I haven't given up yet.
I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Unfortunately, your project doesn't fit my needs at the present time, so it's not something that I can pursue. I'm afraid I don't have another agent I can suggest, but I recommend that you continue to query agents to see if you can find a match with someone else.
Thanks for thinking of me.
Suffice to say that Ekhaya could use a little love right now... so keep your eyes open. Later this week, fingers crossed, I will be posting an offer that could get you the option of getting your very own sample chapter, as well as a chance to do a little something good for the wonderful boys at Obs House in Cape Town, South Africa.
Keep your eyes and ears open! I haven't given up yet.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Full
These days, I find myself thinking how full I am. Full with experience. Full with emotion. Full with stress. Full with anticipation. I feel like my seams are stretching in ways that I would rather them not.
I find myself pawing through photos of days spent on beaches, or days when I had to put on ten pounds of makeup and a unitard to do my day's work. I find myself looking at the students I teach, and thinking back to students I've had in the past, and how full they made me feel, in a totally different way than how I feel now, and thinking back to how full they all are. I find myself thinking of friends, and knowing that sometimes, just because you are far away from someone, that doesn't mean you can't be filled with love. I find myself looking at people right next to me, sometimes, and thinking that they have no idea how filled with love I am. Love and longing, but that's how the story goes, right?
I wish that all of the people who taught me things could know. I wish that there was some way to express to my students here how full of life and beauty and potential they are. I wish there was some way to tell all the kids that I met at the circus camp where I coached how they were what changed my life that summer. I wish that there were some way to go to the places on earth where I have friends... all the wide world of places... I have friends in Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Dominica, France, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the USA and the UK. I wish that there was some way to be there and tell them all... everything.
Ekhaya is just a piece of what I am bursting to tell.
I find myself pawing through photos of days spent on beaches, or days when I had to put on ten pounds of makeup and a unitard to do my day's work. I find myself looking at the students I teach, and thinking back to students I've had in the past, and how full they made me feel, in a totally different way than how I feel now, and thinking back to how full they all are. I find myself thinking of friends, and knowing that sometimes, just because you are far away from someone, that doesn't mean you can't be filled with love. I find myself looking at people right next to me, sometimes, and thinking that they have no idea how filled with love I am. Love and longing, but that's how the story goes, right?
I wish that all of the people who taught me things could know. I wish that there was some way to express to my students here how full of life and beauty and potential they are. I wish there was some way to tell all the kids that I met at the circus camp where I coached how they were what changed my life that summer. I wish that there were some way to go to the places on earth where I have friends... all the wide world of places... I have friends in Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Dominica, France, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the USA and the UK. I wish that there was some way to be there and tell them all... everything.
Ekhaya is just a piece of what I am bursting to tell.
Friday, January 15, 2010
One Down, Five To Go!
Hey there, sportsfans.
So, this past week has been very productive in the world of Ekhaya. Six Canadian agents received very special packages by Email this week, promoting Ekhaya. They were a lot of work, but in the end they looked shiny and impressive. Now, it's just a waiting game. Will anyone take the bait?
The things that are going against me are that I am a first-time author, and that this is a new project with just me plugging it. In a way, my fingers are crossed that an agent will take a risk on me, because that would be the end of my job here... they would be doing the promotions to publishing companies and so on. That said, it's super hard to get picked up by these people... In fact, I've already gotten one gentle rejection:
...so we'll see what happens. I could definitely use some support while this process is going on. It's like I'm wading in a pool of stress, not sure where the deep end starts... Cross your fingers for me, I could use a little luck!
As per the challenge that I put to everyone last week, so far only one person has successfully guessed the meaning of the word "Ekhaya" on the facebook wall, and gotten a brand spanking new hot off the press 25 page sample of the book... the reward still stands, for anyone else who will give it a shot! What is there to lose?
That's it from me. Over and out.
So, this past week has been very productive in the world of Ekhaya. Six Canadian agents received very special packages by Email this week, promoting Ekhaya. They were a lot of work, but in the end they looked shiny and impressive. Now, it's just a waiting game. Will anyone take the bait?
The things that are going against me are that I am a first-time author, and that this is a new project with just me plugging it. In a way, my fingers are crossed that an agent will take a risk on me, because that would be the end of my job here... they would be doing the promotions to publishing companies and so on. That said, it's super hard to get picked up by these people... In fact, I've already gotten one gentle rejection:
Many thanks for sending this along. I see a large number of promising manuscripts and although I consider each carefully, I can take on very few every year because of the enormous long-term investment involved in the work we do. Ultimately I've decided against pursuing this project. Please accept my best wishes for the successful placement of your work
...so we'll see what happens. I could definitely use some support while this process is going on. It's like I'm wading in a pool of stress, not sure where the deep end starts... Cross your fingers for me, I could use a little luck!
As per the challenge that I put to everyone last week, so far only one person has successfully guessed the meaning of the word "Ekhaya" on the facebook wall, and gotten a brand spanking new hot off the press 25 page sample of the book... the reward still stands, for anyone else who will give it a shot! What is there to lose?
That's it from me. Over and out.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Coming Soon
That's right, sportsfans. For those of you keeping count, Ekhaya has seen a two drafts already. New to today, draft three on the way.
My editor-in-chief's little sis was great enough to drop it off to my house this afternoon, along with a bag of scrumptious brain food, straight from the Métropole itself. In a few days, the final draft will be ready, and I'll be getting prepped to send it off on the first round of judgings: agents.
Anyone who wants a sneak peek? A taste tester?
Head on over to the Ekhaya facebook fan page, join up if you haven't already, and write your guess on the group's wall. The question of the day?: What does the word "ekhaya" mean? And be honest - this means no search engines!
Look forward to hearing what everyone comes up with.
Over and out.
My editor-in-chief's little sis was great enough to drop it off to my house this afternoon, along with a bag of scrumptious brain food, straight from the Métropole itself. In a few days, the final draft will be ready, and I'll be getting prepped to send it off on the first round of judgings: agents.
Anyone who wants a sneak peek? A taste tester?
Head on over to the Ekhaya facebook fan page, join up if you haven't already, and write your guess on the group's wall. The question of the day?: What does the word "ekhaya" mean? And be honest - this means no search engines!
Look forward to hearing what everyone comes up with.
Over and out.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)