Wednesday, January 27, 2010

New Adoption Book Earns Publisher's Awards

If I had known how closely the adventure of writing and publishing an paralleled the adventure of adopting... I probably would have written the book anyway. The dizzying highs, the precipitous drops to terrifying lows... all worth it in the end.

Many of you know I finished my book last fall, and I've been waiting since then for the publisher to flip the switch and get it out. My impatience was tamed somewhat when I was informed in December that on the strength of my writing, my book had been awarded Editor's Choice by a panel of professional editors. Wow! You bet I coasted on that high for a while, until a fresh round of delays eventually wore my patience to dust.

Yesterday, just as I hit the emotional wall, I was notified that my book had been awarded a second award (Rising Star) "based on the topic and timeliness of your book, strong positioning of your title, credentials, author platform and commitment." Woo-Hoooooooooo!

This is priceless to me because What I Want My Adopted Child to Know: An Adoptive Parent's Perspective was initially met with considerable skepticism with regard to the marketability of a narrative non-fiction written from an adoptive parent's perspective. The consensus among publishing pros was that there isn't enough of a market. Estimates of the number of adopted children in the U.S. run as high as nearly 1.8 million + their adoptive parents + members of their families + adoption professionals (attorneys, social workers, agencies, etc.) + birth parents... and there's not enough of a market?

I take this award as a great step forward for everyone touched by adoption. We are families, we are parents, we are children, we are as bonded and as permanent as any families formed in any way. And yet, we experience the world differently in some ways. We have been made different by adoption. And it's beautiful.

Make a great day!

Sally Bacchetta
The Adoptive Parent
My Google Profile+

6 comments:

Melissa said...

Congratulations, Sally. Can't wait to read it!

Paul said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Sally, what a wonderful accomplishment. Congratulations. I hope you can come to meeting in Feb.

StylinMom said...

congrats......and I just wanted to say THANKS.....your comment was just what I needed!
You are the best!

m:)

Lisa said...

Wow..congratulations on your vision and perserverence!!

Wishing you all the best!

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great book and one worth getting on the market sooner!
Congratulations on your award.

I suggest you get your book published or at least listed through TapestryBooks.com as well. They only sell books on adoption and have great customer service. They also allow their writers to write on their blog for added exposure!

Good luck.