Starting a New Chapter (Literally)

It’s absolutely surreal that I can finally announce the “mystery project” I’ve been hinting at for more than two years.

In March 2027 or thereabouts, I will finally be a published author!! 🤯

Wait, what? you’re probably saying. You’re writing a non-fiction book about running?

Yeah, surprised me too at first. But I’ve had quite some time to get used to it!

It’s been a marathon of a journey (sorry, expect gratuitous running metaphors and puns from now on). Instead of shin splints and side stickers there’s been disappointments, rejections, delays, and mostly just a whole lot of waiting. But I’m thrilled that after a whole lot of persistence, pivoting, and basically giving up once, this project is finally happening. I’m so honored Erin chose me as her co-author for Team Struggle Run.

What does that mean? It means she brings all the running know-how, awkward adventures, and trademark humor, and I bring my book writing skills, and together we create something both funny and helpful for any runner who’s ever struggled to keep going.

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Behind the Music

I met Erin at my coworking space shortly after I started my “sabbatical.” I told her how I’d quit my job to finish my novel. She told me how she’d quit her job to become a full-time running content creator. She’d recently gone viral, run the New York City marathon, gotten mainstream media attention, and took a big lifechanging leap to work with brands and inspire other struggle runners with her relatable running content. If you’re on social media more than I am, you may know her as Mrs. Space Cadet.

Over the next year or so, she’d occasionally mention agents approaching her about writing a book. “It seems really hard,” she’d say, which made me feel kinda guilty because clearly my twenty year revision slog and several rounds of unsuccessful querying on my monstrously long YA space fantasy manuscript were contributing to that opinion.

“Nah,” I’d answer. “Your book would be totally different.”

Then one fateful morning back in early 2023 she stopped by my desk. “Hey. My agents say I could have a co-writer. Are you interested?”

Heck yes!

I wrote sample pages and won over her agents. Then waited what seemed like forever to sign legal documents. Meanwhile we wrote a complete proposal for a memoir, naively thinking we could be ready to send it to publishers before Memorial Day. That was 2023, so clearly the urgency we felt at the time would not be reciprocated.

In early fall our agents encouraged us to pivot to a collection of humorous essays–and oh can you have a new proposal by October 1st? We made it happen. It went out to editors in early November, and we prepared for champagne by Thanksgiving.

By no editors were interested. They had positive things to say about Erin and the writing, but the book just wasn’t for them. A few suggested they’d like to see something “more prescriptive.”

So in the new year we pivoted and wrote a third version of our proposal. But as much as our agents loved it, they couldn’t find a home for that book either.

Cue 2024, the year my blog quieted as I honestly had very little to say. My hope in the project quietly withered away. It wasn’t officially dead, but it didn’t seem to be happening.

Then last fall Erin asked what I thought about switching agents. She’d been approached by someone new and wanted my take.

Suddenly things were moving again as we met with Kathleen and then had glowing conversations with some of her other clients. We made the switch, talked submission strategy, and polished up our proposal. It went back out in the publishing world in late January.

And this time, after a little nudging, four editors wanted to talk with us.

After two years of delays, in less than two weeks we had four virtual meetings with four different publishers followed by four offers of publication!!

And then we once again waited forever for legal documents.

But all that’s behind us now! We have an enthusiastic editor we adore and a wonderful publishing home at Flatiron Books, an imprint of Macmillan. I already had several Flatiron books on my overflowing bookshelves, which I find absolutely delightful. I also adore the tote bag they sent me almost two months before the contract, because who doesn’t love swag.

We also have a pub date – March of 2027. Which seems like forever away, until you think of the one thing we don’t have yet – a book.

Nonfiction Publishing 101

The funny thing about nonfiction books are they’re sold to publishers before they’re even written.

Erin had an agent before she had a book idea. Multiple agents approached her, which is like a fever dream for all the wannabe fiction writers who send out dozens–if not hundreds–of queries that sit in agents’ slush piles for weeks if not months, and that’s after they’ve obsessed over a manuscript for years.

But nonfiction is sold by convincing editors you have something relevant to say, a clear target audience, and a platform to reach them. And you do that with a book proposal, which includes an outline, a sample chapter, and a whole lot of marketing material. Only if an editor bites do you actually write the book.

After nearly two a a half years of talking about writing a running book, as of today it’s finally time to write a running book, which is due to our editor on February 1st.

I could never have imagined my first published book would be categorized non-fiction: sports. But God works in mysterious ways, and life is so much richer and more surprising when you open yourself up to new opportunities and then just go with it. If I had never left my job or joined this coworking space, I’d have never met Erin, and I would definitely not have a publishing deal with a major Big 5 imprint right now.

I’ve learned a ton about the business and behind-the-scenes workings of the publishing industry. I’ve talked with agents and editors. I’ve received an advance check! And a tote bag! And I’ve never been so confident that I’ll have a Publishers Marketplace screenshot for Phoenix Falling to share someday.

What’s it going to be like to write this book? Awesome, but also… I have no idea. Erin and I are going to figure it out, just as we have every other stage of this process. I do know that I’m thrilled to have a fresh challenge that will stretch me as a writer, and the opportunity to collaborate with an amazing person who also took a chance and rewrote their life and is just as enthusiastic as I am about helping people change their lives in positive ways. She also took a chance on me, and I’ll be forever grateful that she’s taking me along on this crazy ride. Errr… run.

Speaking of Running…

You may be thinking, I have never heard Amy talk about running.

Guilty.

Full disclosure. Before last night I had not run since required to in high school, unless you count the one time I ran on a treadmill freshman year of college and got horrendous shin splints.

I’m also barely on social media, so the experience of going viral on TikTok is so foreign to me.

But I promised Erin that once we sold a book, I would start running. I call it method writing. I figure when writing a book about overcoming the struggles involved with running, it can’t hurt to have a total newbie reminding the expert what else can go wrong. I also get to test out all her tips and tricks to see how well the work. We’ve been working on this proposal so long, I already know several ways to avoid those dastardly shin splints.

I’m not committing to a marathon. Just a 5k. But maybe I’ll fall in love. We shall see.

Yesterday I bought running shoes. And went for my first run. Which wasn’t terrible.

Today it’s time to begin. Training. Writing. Moving forward.

It’s going to be a wild eight months. Now that I can talk about The Struggle Run, I hope to share a bit about the writing and publishing process on this blog, but if I disappear again, it’s because I’m quite busy. But I’ll be sure to keep you informed about major milestones, like turning in the first — and final — drafts, cover reveals, preorder links, and of course publication in spring of 2027! Sign up for my mailing list to be sure you don’t miss an update.

No matter what you’re dreaming of or dealing with, I leave you with this advice: don’t give up! It may take so much longer than you’d hope. It may not happen in the way you expect. But one day, one conversation or encounter can create new opportunities and totally change the trajectory of your life. One day, someone will say yes. One day, those legal documents will come through. You just never know which day breakthrough will arrive!