It’s official! Super-Agent literaticat says I can share the news that’s had me over the moon for the past three weeks or so….
She sold my picture book to Chronicle Books! Here’s the official announcement from Publishers Marketplace:
Children’s: Picture book |
Kate Messner’s OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW, in which a girl on a ski trip discovers the secrets of the animal kingdom beneath the snow, to Melissa Manlove at Chronicle, by Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (World). |
…and here are some of the juicy details.
If you read my blog much, you know that I love spending time outdoors in every season — especially winter. Really astute blog readers might even remember this entry, where I talked about a snowshoe trip I took with my 7th grade students in the Adirondacks. We saw tracks like these…
…disappearing into a crevice in the packed snow and heard all about the tunnels of the subnivean zone, under the snow. I was enchanted. So I started reading and researching and writing, and playing around with the poetry of snow, and then I went to the Kindling Words retreat and shared the manuscript with a new writer friend, Joan. She loved it and gave me a few ideas for revision. In early February, I sent OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW off to Jennifer, my agent. She fell in love and sent it out to a few editors she thought might fall in love, too.
One of them did. She took the book through the acquisitions process, and Chronicle’s formal offer came a few weeks ago.
I am thrilled — more than thrilled — to be working with a house that publishes such beautiful, beautiful picture books. Plus, there’s the added bonus of Ivy & Bean. My daughter LOVES the Ivy & Bean series and was very excited when she found out it’s the same publisher. I told her this kind of makes her related to Ivy and Bean in a way…like distant cousins or something.
Since then, my house has been a chatty, excited place — even more so than usual. There’s been a lot of squealing and jumping up and down and imagining what the illustrations will look like. I’m early for the Thankful Thursday blog post, but this time, I was too thankful to wait.
Omg, I’m SO GLAD you just posted this bc I JUST READ the PM announcement and wanted to give you a CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m so happy for you, Kate!!!! Keep squealing with your fam. This is awesome news!!!!!!!
I am very, very pleased. Yay!
Wonderful news! Congratulations on finally being able to share! (And you’re practically in Thursday, anyway). 🙂
CONGRATS!!!! Awesome news!
Hooray! Yay, Kate!
Thanks, Deena! I didn’t even know the PM announcement was up yet – I just saw it for the first time. SQUEEE again!
You are superwoman. I’m going to stop blogging and get revising now… honest. :^)
Yee Haw!!! So happy for you!
I just heard the great news!! CONGRATS!!! I’m so happy for you! And your book sounds wonderful!!
Thanks! I figured two hours early would be okay!
Thanks – I’m so, so excited!
Thanks, Anne Marie!
Thanks for the heartfelt cheer, Steph!
Thanks, agent sister! I’m so excited to finally share the good news!
Congratulations!!!!!!!
I’m so glad your book is about the subnivean zone! (I’ve studied ecology–can you tell?)
🙂
Wuhooh!
KATE!!!! This is fantastic. I am so happy for you and for us! Another great book out there in the world. It can’t get better than that.
Yay. Congrats!
Yay, that’s so fun. I’m so glad you’re with Jennifer too. Double the cheers!!
It takes a fellow science geek to appreciate the subnivean zone (I even love that word…subnivean!)
Thanks!
Thank you, Carrie!!
Thanks – I can’t wait for all the steps that will be part of this one… learning about the illustrator, etc!
Jennifer is the BEST! Thanks for the good wishes, Heidi!
KATE! What an absolutely AWESOME idea. I’m captivated, especially because I know nothing about snow being as desert rat, and am content experiencing it via books.
YAY!
That does sound like TONS of fun. How exciting!
Wow! That’s great news! And such a fast turn around! You rock – and so does Jennifer!
Hooray for you, Kate!
And Hooray for the good people at Chronicle for knowing a gem when they see it. I can’t wait to see this book!
Oh, it sounds WONDERFUL!!!
They’ll do a beautiful job with it, you know they will!
YAY!!!!
What a great idea!!! CONGRATULATIONS YOU ARE AWESOME!!
Congratulations! What happy news!
|YAY YOU!!!!! Fantastic news! Congratulations!!!
Kate, YAYYYYY!
What fantastic news!
Wow – I’m so happy to hear about all the squealing and jumping up and down.
🙂
Congratulations! I’m happy for you and your agent! And your lucky publisher!
You’re welcome! Cheers!
“Galloping” over from Verla Kay’s to add my congratulations! It sounds really interesting.
Congratulations, Kate! It sounds like a fascinating subject, and I can’t wait to read it. 🙂
Add my voice to the chorus… Fantastic news!
Oh, that’s wonderful!
Thanks, Lindsey! (By the way, I’m dying to read your princess book and expect to read your announcement any day now! :^)
Thanks, April – and yes, Jennifer is amazing!
Re: Hooray for you, Kate!
Thanks, Loree!! (And I saved my research photos from this one…just in case our presentation idea is a go!)
I know – Thanks, Lisa!!
Thanks! I’m VERY excited!
Thanks, Susan!
Thanks, Deb!
I’d imagine you know that feeling pretty well by now! :^)
Thanks, Lisa!
Thanks!!
Thanks, Christine! I love your galloping horses!
Thanks, Laurie! I can’t wait to see what it looks like (even though I’d better get used to the idea of waiting… picture books take a while!)
Thanks! I can’t wait to see the illustrations!
Thanks, Janni! I remember thinking at KW, “This one may be too quiet to sell.” I’m so glad I was wrong!
Wow, congratulations, Kate!
CONGRATS!
Congratulations 🙂
I just friended you, and our mutual friend, Stephanie Gorin, told me about your book. 🙂
May this be the first of one hundred contracts!
Mazel tov!
Thanks! It’s my first picture book – and my first sale to a national publisher, so I’m terribly excited!
Thanks!!
YAY!
CONGRATULATIONS, KATE!
Ah – you must be one of Stephanie’s LA Conference pals. Thanks for the good wishes!
Thank you!!
Re: YAY!
Ooohh!! I got the tiara! I love the tiara!!
Thanks, Cindy!!
I’ll add MY two-cents worth, too. CONGRATULATIONS…and I can say I knew you WHEN….
Yay, Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! It sounds like a wonderful picture book. 🙂
bravo!!!!!
Yahooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did I already say that??
xo
This is SO exciting. CONGRATS!! Weird, too. I had a strange dream about you last night. Maybe I knew something LOL.
You are welcome! 🙂
YAYA KATE!!!!!!
How exciting! Though I dread the cold of winter, there is something magical about it and the way it makes things new again. It sounds like you captured that (as an illustrator) can’t wait to see the illustrations! So much good news– HAPPY SPRING TO YOU!
Congratulation. Fabulous news.
Congrats, Kate!!! Wuhoo!!
Awesome news!!! My daughter has just discovered Ivy and Bean and loves them, too!
Wow! Congratulations, Kate! I love Chronicle’s books!
Yes!!!!
oh that is happy happy news. Keep squealing and jumping! Yay!
Congratulations!!!
Congratulations! It sounds like a “cool” book. (Sorry couldn’t resist!)
You are awesome and never cease to amaze me. Can’t wait to see you in SEVEN DAYS and jump up and down and squeal with all of you. CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!!!! Love, Mom
YAY!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! That’s wonderful news Kate!
OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW is definitely on my TO BUY list!
CONGRATULATIONS, Kate! *cheers*
Congrats!!!
Congratulations!
Kate, you totally rock! Congrats on the book sale! I’m raising my glass for you!
Thanks, Judy! I already say that about you. :^)
Thanks, Kay!
Thanks – I’m just so happy someone other than me liked it!
Thanks, Crissa!
I think I heard you say yahoo or something similar in Nashua…but you can never get too many yahoos… Thanks, Jo!
How funny! Did you dream about me cross country skiing?
Re: YAYA KATE!!!!!!
I’m soooo excited to see the illustrations, too!
Thanks! :^)
Thanks, Lisa!
Ivy and Bean rock…and so does Annie Barrows. We wrote her a letter after E read and loved the first book, and she wrote right back with a nice note.
Me, too!! Thanks!
Thanks, Lisa!
Thanks, Jeannine! And on another note…oh, how I wish I could hear you & Loree speak in Cambridge this weekend. We’re booked with kid events here, but I wish you the best, and I’m sure it will be great!
Thanks, Sara! I was going to drop you an email this week. We just got five copies of Sweethearts in my school library, and they’re ALL signed out to kids who are surreptitiously reading under their desks in math class. I love it.
Wow! You’re actually the first person to make that pun…although I’m sure I’ll hear it many times before the book comes out!
Thanks, Mom!! Can’t wait for Mother’s Day lunch!
Re: YAY!!
Thanks! (I love the confetti!)
Thanks, Erin!!
Thanks!
Thanks! Now the waiting…to find out about an illustrator.
Thanks, Eric! This one is so different from my regional historical novels – it’s going to be a brand new learning experience. I can’t wait!
Oh, I love that, too. 🙂
Ooooh! Congrats!
Thanks! Congrats to you, too, on BALLAD. (We were just a few days apart in PM!)
Oh thanks! Truly a great week in children’s literature. ;p
Woo hoo! It sounds wonderful!!!!!!!!
Yay!
Kate!
I’m thrilled for you!!! (And that is sooo cute about your daughter being semi-related to Ivy and Bean!)
-Angela
http://www.angelacerrito.blogspot.com
I’m a little late catching up here, but hopefully belated Yays are okay. YAY!!!!