I love you! And I love posts like this that talk about aspects of this crazy business that aren’t often discussed. Strategy, careful planning and maneuvering, knowing when a deal is moving you forward (or sideways or, worse, backwards) are vitally important to longevity, success, and personal happiness. Sometimes it seems like writers don’t talk about such things because they might seem ungrateful or mercenary. But this is business and talking about that aspect of a writing career is so helpful. Thank you!

Good for you for making a tough decision! I’m proud of you. ((hugs))

I’ve been lucky in my career, but few decisions are ever easy at the time.

1) I parted with an agent before I sold. When you’re unpublished, leaving–and finding a new agent–is hard.

2) I quit my job when I got my first signed contract. It was a huge leap of faith because I could barely afford it. We pulled the kids out of day care and budgeted ruthlessly. The only thing I bought with my first advance check was a new kitchen table that sat 8. All 7 of us were crammed into a table that sat 4. And the table was on sale.

3) Selling the Seven Deadly Sins series when I was building my name in romantic suspense–knowing when to do this was hard, and I relied on my agent for timing advice.