Bonnie Bridgman - Guest Post (The Road to Getting Published and Lots of Shrieking)


Today on Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books, we have a fantastic guest post by Bonnie Bridgman. The road to publishing can be a time of mixed emotions. This is a post of loud shrieking, dancing and super excitement about the prospect of being a published author. Mr. Ripley would like to congratulate Bonnie Bridgman and welcome her to the best place on the planet, The WORLD OF CHILDREN'S Books. Happy reading everybody.

My debut comes out this year. I can’t even believe the words as I type them. I have a book coming out. This year!

I’m going to write about what happens after the yes email from a publisher. The one that you constantly check your inbox for. Well, lots of things actually.

The first thing to do is shriek. Around the house. Jump. Around the house. And dance. Around the house. It’s at this point you may need to warn your neighbours that you are going to be a published author and that they should expect a lot of shrieking, jumping and dancing around the house.

After jumping around the house. You cannot tell anyone until the publisher says it’s okay to tell people. Imagine that. The best secret ever and the hardest to keep. But you do. Obviously, you tell your husband. And your daughter. Your Mum. Best friend. Stranger in the street. And neighbour due to house shrieking but other than that, not a single soul.

Before you know it, the news is out. It becomes official and everyone wants to know when the book will be published. 

“2019.” I say.
“That’s two years away.” They say. 
“That’s how long it takes,” I shrug.

I get to help find an illustrator. My book is being published by Tiny Tree books and as they are an independent publisher, I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in the process of finding an illustrator. Let me tell you, the talent out there is incredible and just because you find an illustrator whose work you think would marry well with your text, does not mean they will want to work with you. I was lucky however that our first choice said yes. Louise Forshaw, illustrator extraordinaire was going to illustrate my text.

The first time Louise sent me a sneak peak of an illustration, I did the shrieking, jumping and dancing around the house thing again. I should point out that my neighbours have now moved and I’m hoping it wasn’t because of my very vocal elation. Anyway, you get the roughs (black and white version of the illustrations) and then the colours and then you sit and think. Oh. My. Goodness. I have a book coming out this year!

It’s overwhelming. Nerve-wracking. Anxiety-inducing. Thrilling. Exciting and totally unbelievable. I am soon going to be able to pick up my book, with my name on it and everything, and read my words to children. I know they will love it, Louise’s illustrations have ensured that, I just hope that they love it enough to want to read it again and again. I hope everyone loves it. And that everyone buys it. 

The wait is both quick and endless. So I write as I wait. I write more stories. Picture Book texts, Junior Fiction, middle grade. I write and I write and I write and hope that I will get another ‘yes’. I’m greedy you see. I’m chasing another dream; more published books. I can’t help myself. The constant rollercoaster is addictive.

Catch that Cough will be out in September and I would appreciate all the support You can give.  


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