Romance Writers on the Journey

Being a scrapbooker, I came up with a list of everything I could think of to include in a first sale scrapbook. Not having sold, I may have missed things. Please feel free to leave a comment suggesting things to add, and I’ll include them as well.

First Sale Scrapbook Items

•Picture of you as soon after having received The Call as possible pointing at the phone in utter disbelief/euphoria.

•Printouts of agent/editor emails confirming the offer and hammering out the details. (We scrapbookers put private info in our albums but tuck it inside pockets, envelopes, etc. That way it’s there with the rest of your material but is hidden from those you don’t want to see it.)

•Printouts of ecstatic emails, loop notices, etc. you sent sharing the news with family and friends.

•Printouts of blog interviews and call stories you’ve posted or have been posted on your behalf.

•Picture of you signing and/or mailing the contract.

•Picture of you celebrating the news with family and friends, your CPs, chapter, etc.

•Cards and printouts of congratulatory email messages, loop messages, etc.

•Pictures of you with celebratory flowers, balloons and gifts you receive from family and friends.

•Picture of you with your first edit letter and another hard at work on revisions.

•Notice of first sale in your chapter newsletter.

•Printout of page on chapter Web site when your sale is announced.

•First sale page notice in RWR. (Don’t forget to get the info to RWR so your notice appears. Extra copies of an issue can be purchased by calling or emailing RWA.)

•Picture of you admiring your first cover.

•Picture of you with your first set of galleys.

•Picture of you holding your first ARC.

•Picture of you opening the shipment of your first author copies.

•Bookmarks, postcards and other promo materials you give out to advertise your first book.

•Printouts of blog interviews celebrating your first release.

•Pictures of you at your launch party. (Cakes with your cover on them are way cool.)

•Pictures of you at your first book signings, the one at your launch party and the first “official” one as well.

•Pictures of you standing in the bookstore, Walmart, etc. (or beside your computer, with your Kindle, etc. if it’s an ebook) pointing to your book on the shelf (screen).

•Printouts/copies of your first reviews on Web sites and in magazines.

•Printouts of your first reviews by your influencers on Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc.

•Picture of you mailing your first RITA contest entry.

•Picture of you sporting your first sale ribbon at Nationals.

•Pictures of you at The Golden Network Reception getting booted and holding your certificate.

•Picture of you at your first literacy autographing at Nationals.

•Picture of you winning the RITA for best first book.

Note: It’s OK to stage a picture in case you didn’t get one at the time. Scrapbookers do it all the time. Years from now you probably won’t even remember the shot was staged. So, if you didn’t get the contract signing pic, just grab your contract, a pen and a pal with a camera, and voila, you have your photo.

Additional Contributions

From Christine Trent

~ Printout of your personal web page announcing your sale
~ Printout of your web page with the book’s cover on it
~ Picture of you with your advance check
~ Picture of you with your first royalty statement/payment
~ Writeup of events leading to The Call
~ List of agents & editors who rejected your masterpiece because they weren’t smart enough to recognize talent when they saw it!