First, thank you Allyn and Pam for your kind words.

I'd be happy to discuss finding an agent and publisher. I'd love to hear everyone else's stories as well--both about writing and book publishing and, more generally, about pursuing dreams. I just did a workshop titled "If You're Gonna Make It In This World, You've Gotta Sound Like Who You Are." I think that's the bottom line for all three of these things.

In terms of finding an agent, a wonderful man named Paul Fedorko ( web page ) magically appeared in my life when I was ready. I know that's not helpful to anyone, but it's the truth as I perceive it. Once I had the clarity to be able to articulate in a sentence what my book was about and what I hoped to achieve in writing it, AND I was crystal clear that I needed an agent, one literally came to my doorstep. Yes, I had a personal connection. My agent lives with a friend of mine. But I didn't know that Paul was an agent when I told my friend about the book. And, two other agents gave me their cards the same week. One I met on a train; the other at a party. In all three cases, they must have sensed my clarity and my passion. I'm convinced that these are the keys. This is as true for finding an agent as it is for pursuing a dream.

In terms of getting a publisher, my agent did most of the legwork. He walked me through the process of writing a proposal, pitched the book to 15 publishers, and softened the blow from the 14 demoralizing rejections I received. Ultimately, I'm very happy that I went with Emmis Books, although I was nervous at the start. Because they're a small outfit, I've had a lot of individual attention--great for a first-time author--and publishing the book has been a collaborative effort. The company is owned by Emmis Corporation, a large multi-media company, so that's been helpful as well.

There are pros and cons to small publishing houses versus large ones and self-publishing versus having a professional do it. The bottom line is that each step of the way, it's important to ask yourself, "How does this feel?" It doesn't matter what others have done. What matters is whether the fit is right for you.