“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.”
– Booker T. Washington

I did it.

I sent away a book proposal a couple of days ago for “Wild Ice & Other Travel Adventures“.  And I got a very nice – and prompt – note from the publisher of Red Deer Press saying “… Wild Ice doesn’t fall within our current editorial focus” but “thanks for considering Red Deer.”  I was impressed.  This is a busy editor and he took the time to thank me for my query.

I re-visited my proposal, tweaked a few things and fired it off again.  Not expecting such a quick response this go ’round, but I’m buoyed by the prospect of editorial feedback.

This anthology is a collection of adventures garnered through years of travel – backpacking into Rainbow Bridge, last-minute travel to Hawaii with baby in arms and no set plans, encountering rattlesnakes in the Red Deer River,

Canoeing Alberta’s Red Deer River (Credit: Megan Kopp)

driving Grey Pass and discovering we’ve not one, not two, but three flat tires…

Having the adventures is easy, selling the work – not so much.  But like Booker T. says, if you don’t have to work for it, it’s not really worth much!

Have you ever sent off a non-fiction book proposal?  Was it accepted on the first go?  The second?  How many submissions did it take before it was accepted?  Let me know on the comments link below!