my girl got herself a book deal!
I'm happy to announce I have accepted an offer from Crown/Shaye Areheart Books to publish INSTANT LOVE in hardcover next spring.
Yes, I am shitting myself with joy right now.
Y'all know I've been writing little books since I was a wee thing right? (The first one, written in first grade, was called "Me Myself and I" because even then I was self-obsessed.) So then this would qualify as a dream come true, an honest to goodness no questions asked seal it and stamp it dream come true.
I want to be all cool about this but fuck that, I am ecstatic.
I told the guy at the bank who was updating my profile, click-clacking with those fingertips. He was hovering at the field for work phone number and I said, "No work phone number," and he said, "But you work right?" and I said, "Oh yes, I'm a freelancer" and then he looked at me funny, so I added, "I just sold a book today!" And he smiled and congratulated me and said, "So that must mean you're a writer," and I said, "Yes. Yes I am." And then he entered "Writer" as occupation, and when I left he told me he expected me to write many more books.
I also told my cab driver last night on the way home last night from dinner and he said, "Is it going to be a long book? Because I don't like to read that much."
"They're short stories," I said. "You could just read one at a time."
"But how many pages is it?"
"Oh about 270."
"270! Nah, that's way too long. But congratulations anyway."
Short stories are totally the new novel, you know. Way too long.
Anyway buy my book in a year, will you? You could even buy ten and I wouldn't mind one bit. Now excuse me while I go dance naked around my living room in utter joy.
- jami attenberg, "big news, my friends," whatever whenever march 10, 2005
posted March 10, 2005 in print