Jocelyn Kelley on The Quest for the Holy Sale

These are my notes from the keynote speech at the Beau Monde and Hearts through History First Annual Conference for Historical Romance Writers.

Jocelyn Kelley (aka Jo Ann Ferguson) noted that we are all searching for the Holy Sale – the one that guarantees our career. From that point forward there will be no more struggles and all characters and plots will flow smoothly. But the Holy Sale is about as close to reality as any Monte Python plot. The best lesson we can learn is that of the knight on the bridge who keeps fighting even when his limbs are cut off. Rejection – It’s only a flesh wound.

She urged her audience, “Never give up, never surrender.”

Ms. Kelley started writing romantic fiction for publication at age 12. In high school she wrote a 600 page “wonder” with characters based on her school friends set in the 1700s. First manuscript serious manuscript she wrote on a typewriter while her three kids were taking naptime. It was rejected by every editor in new york, while she was working on books two and three. She even received a rejection for someone elses book! But she never gave up, never surrendered, and 10 days later she finished book three. That book went on to be her first bestseller, even after an agent said the book was “totally inappropriate for market in which it’s aimed.” One of her books took 14 years to publish, just have to wait until market is ready. Her first contract was for 4 books with option for 14 more, but the publisher died and others took over company. The company went bankrupt after publishing 6 of her books (no more royalties!). Between1989-1992 Ms. Kelley had only one short story published. Multiple publishing lines closed before her books came out, but again she never gave up, never surrendered. She worked on early PAN unemployment program for published authors during this period.

Her agent recommended she write a traditional regency and in 1992, two days after an RWA conference, Zebra called with their first offer. Since that day she has sold over 90 titles.

Ms. Kelley told her audience not to write what’s hot, because it will be cold before it sees the light of day. She relayed a humerous quote form a Disney Imagination book: “There are only 26 letters in the alphabet. How hard can writing be?”

She told us: “Ideas are easy. Writing is very hard.”

When she first joined RWA in 1985 all but one member was writing contemporary and she had self doubt about if she should be writing historical. She urged her audience not to let others change what you believe you should be doing. Aspiring authors must decide what their motivation is. Is it fame and fortune? Validation for self as artist? Because you can’t NOT write? There is nothing like finding a dream come true to keep ones nose to the keyboard. Too often we think of things so far in the future that we lose track of the steps to get there. It is easy to fail with pie in the sky goals. Aspiring authors should make small achievable goals. An aspiring author is one moving forward on the quest.

The blackest moment happens right before a sale.

Ms. Kelley’s advice – if you can give up writing, you should.

Some people give up because they can’t make the move from writing to sales. We are in sales because we are hocking a product. Rejection is part of the process. Learn from them. Keep rejection letters on a project until the project sells, but don’t obsess.

Ms. Kelley once received a rejection from an editor that said, “this doesn’t work for me, but I like your writing so send me anything else you have soon as possible.” She thought the editor was just being nice, so she threw away the letter. Only years later did she realize she had passed up a really great opportunity. That 600 page wonder from high school? It’s now with an editor who says “this is so fresh and new!” Ha.

She read lyrics by Anne Murray from the song “Children of My Mind,” and left her audience with these words:
“Writing isn’t a quest. It isn’t just what I do. It’s what I am.”

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Tags: "romance novels", 2008 RWA Conference, Hearts Through History, Historical Romance Writers Conference, Regency, Regency Romance, RWA, The Beau Monde, writing

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