John McGranaghan,
Children’s Author
John McGranaghan,
Children’s Author
Your Subtitle text
The Story of "Saturn For My Birthday"
Every book tells a story and every book has a story. A story about how the book came to be. This is the story behind, "Saturn for My Birthday". It is a story of inspiration, creativity, perserverance, and ultimately publication.
Every book tells a story and every book has a story. A story about how the book came to be. This is the story behind, "Saturn for My Birthday". It is a story of inspiration, creativity, perserverance, and ultimately publication.
Part I The Inspiration Part
I still remember it like yesterday. It was May
2002. Just a few days before my youngest son Kyle's fourth birthday. We were outside playing when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday.
"I want Saturn", responded Kyle.
"The planet ?" I asked.
"Yep," was all he said.
Hmmmm.... Saturn for a birthday present. That would make an interesting story. I tucked the idea away on the back burner of my brain and let it simmer. I read some books about Saturn. I did some research on the planet. The idea simmered for several months and some time in Fall of 2002, the idea became a story.
(My inspiration)
I still remember it like yesterday. It was May
2002. Just a few days before my youngest son Kyle's fourth birthday. We were outside playing when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday.
"I want Saturn", responded Kyle.
"The planet ?" I asked.
"Yep," was all he said.
Hmmmm.... Saturn for a birthday present. That would make an interesting story. I tucked the idea away on the back burner of my brain and let it simmer. I read some books about Saturn. I did some research on the planet. The idea simmered for several months and some time in Fall of 2002, the idea became a story.
(My inspiration)
Photo on the bookjacket taken by Denize White-Christiansen. Check out her work at
www.candidshotzbydenize.lifepics.com
Part II The Creative Part
(Writing the story....The Fun Part)
I don't know exactly when an idea becomes a story, but that's the fun part. It just sort of happens. I sat down one day and the words rolled off my fingers. (I am not a good typist, so I write everything by hand before I sit down at the computer to type.) The story was originally
titled " I Want Saturn for My Birthday". It was a fast paced, first person account of the narrator's inner dialogue of why he wanted Saturn and what he would do with the planet.
There was no setting, no characters, no narrative arc. Heck, the person telling the story wasn't even identified. I pictured him as a little boy, but he had no name and the reader could have just as easily assumed it was a girl. I tweaked it a little, sent it to my writer's group, but for the most part the story did not change.
I was in love with, "I want Saturn for my Birthday" and now I was ready to share this love with others.
(Writing the story....The Fun Part)
I don't know exactly when an idea becomes a story, but that's the fun part. It just sort of happens. I sat down one day and the words rolled off my fingers. (I am not a good typist, so I write everything by hand before I sit down at the computer to type.) The story was originally
titled " I Want Saturn for My Birthday". It was a fast paced, first person account of the narrator's inner dialogue of why he wanted Saturn and what he would do with the planet.
There was no setting, no characters, no narrative arc. Heck, the person telling the story wasn't even identified. I pictured him as a little boy, but he had no name and the reader could have just as easily assumed it was a girl. I tweaked it a little, sent it to my writer's group, but for the most part the story did not change.
I was in love with, "I want Saturn for my Birthday" and now I was ready to share this love with others.
Part III The Perserverance Part
Rejections-Revisions and Rewrites
Like I said, I was in love. The story was great and it was just a matter of time before some publisher agreed. (CAUTION: "Great Ideas don't always make good stories" -Peter Catalanotto
Check his website www.visitingauthors.com.)
Unfortunately, not many publishers agreed. To make a long story short I sent the story to ten different publishers. They all rejected it. Some rejected it with a standard form letter. Others wrote personal notes. A few publishers even took the time to critique the story, and suggest ideas for a rewrite. I followed their advice, went to the Fall Philly SCBWI conference, (www.scbwi.org www.scbwipa.org ) , rewrote the story and "I Want Saturn for my Birthday," became "Saturn For My Birthday." I added characters and a setting, and even tweaked the ending with a little twist. The story was better and someone was about to agree.
In December 2006, Sylvan Dell Publishing accepted the story for publication. www.sylvandellpublishing.com
Rejections-Revisions and Rewrites
Like I said, I was in love. The story was great and it was just a matter of time before some publisher agreed. (CAUTION: "Great Ideas don't always make good stories" -Peter Catalanotto
Check his website www.visitingauthors.com.)
Unfortunately, not many publishers agreed. To make a long story short I sent the story to ten different publishers. They all rejected it. Some rejected it with a standard form letter. Others wrote personal notes. A few publishers even took the time to critique the story, and suggest ideas for a rewrite. I followed their advice, went to the Fall Philly SCBWI conference, (www.scbwi.org www.scbwipa.org ) , rewrote the story and "I Want Saturn for my Birthday," became "Saturn For My Birthday." I added characters and a setting, and even tweaked the ending with a little twist. The story was better and someone was about to agree.
In December 2006, Sylvan Dell Publishing accepted the story for publication. www.sylvandellpublishing.com
