20 Comments
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Jan M. Flynn's avatar

First, I bought your book, so there's a sale you can count :-)

Second, I have great admiration for CeCe Lyra for counseling you to not jump at a six-figure offer because it might not be good for you. That's the kind of long-term vision and commitment to your career you want in an agent, and she obviously has great faith in you. Huge congrats!

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Laura Leffler's avatar

Thank you! And I agree!

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Evelyn Griffith's avatar

Wow, this is so eye opening. As an emerging author, it's great to hear what some of the pitfalls can be when considering a book deal. As someone who's still dreaming of getting an agent it can sometimes be hard to hear that there's choices to be made even after getting a book deal offer, but I think it's so important to hear about so that we can be prepared and consider the benefits and drawbacks for our long-term careers as well. Thank you for sharing your insight!

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Laura Leffler's avatar

I know. I am still in denial about how challenging and confusing it all can be---from querying to publishing and beyond!

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Sarah Knight's avatar

Hi Laura, I wanted to let you know I read TELL THEM YOU LIED!!! Just finished it the other day and was really impressed; there were many, many lines and passages that I highlighted on my Kindle while reading—I loved that image of her dancing like a snake shedding its skin. Congratulations on getting it out in the world! (And FWIW I would be equally wary about 2-book deals, for the reasons you mentioned and then some 👀 Will look forward to your next post on that…)

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Laura Leffler's avatar

GULP! Thank you so so much, Sarah! Just knowing that you took the time to read it means the world to me! Thank you for all your support w the substack too!!

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Sarah Knight's avatar

That line about how men get away with so much by calling themselves masters and women muses was 🔥🔥🔥

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Laura Leffler's avatar

🤓🤓

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Melissa D MacKinnon's avatar

I bought your book as well and it’s at the top of my stack.

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Laura Leffler's avatar

😘😘😘😭😭😍😍🙏🏾

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Wendy Bradford's avatar

This is so fascinating! Many years ago I was trying to sell a nonfiction book, but I'm just trying to finish a fiction manuscript now and never considered there was a downside to a deal!! I'm happy you chose your best option-- I'm buying your book and looking forward to reading it!!

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Laura Leffler's avatar

Thank you so much!

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Amanda Eisenberg's avatar

So glad you went with your gut ❤️

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Bruce Landay's avatar

Laura, I salute your courage for saying “No”.

Money up front isn’t necessarily better, especially if it can cost you more in the long run both in terms of cash and control. Having more options later and control of your intellectual property is more valuable than a quick win.

Looking forward to reading about the rest of your experience on this topic.

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Laura Leffler's avatar

thank you!

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Jeni Anderson's avatar

Thank you so much for this look inside! I love it!

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Laura Leffler's avatar

thanks for reading :)

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Caitlin Kunkel's avatar

A cliffhanger!! We love to see it.

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Mirella Stoyanova's avatar

I listened to Bianca’s interview yesterday and this sounds like such a thing. I wonder if the kind of deal you want varies by genre or if it’s similar for memoir. I’ll be curious to read part 2. Best to you, Laura, and hopefully there is some better sleep for you on the horizon (that comes with solid debut numbers)! Recommending TTYL far and wide in the meantime.

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Laura Leffler's avatar

Fingers crossed!

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