Firstly, thank you to this community. I've really appreciated the help and support and I'm thrilled to share my good news here (although, being a bit premature, I can't share the actual details).
I started querying in October of 2020 and received close to 80 rejections and 6 fulls (I stopped querying after this). One turned into an R and R with very detailed notes and after working for nearly 8 months on it along these lines, it turned into an offer in November 2021. After multiple revisions we went on submission 4 April 2022 and after a couple of weeks we started to get some interest. Then on 13th May, we had an auction with 5 offers coming in and I chose the editor and publishing house that I felt best got my work. I did not, for the record, go in for the most lucrative offer and while the money is really nice, it is definitely not life changing. Which is exactly where I want to be.
I'm still awaiting the contract but it is a big 5 house and they've been so professional so hoping it's not a massive wait.
I don't blog or anything and I am not on social media, so this is the only place where I wanted to come in and say this, and to encourage everyone because I am so grateful for this community's support. I know I had so many questions coming in about the whole process, so if you have any, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer.
Thank you!
