Sunday, December 27, 2009

Almost a Third of a Century

It was 33 years ago today that I made my first professional fiction sale, a bright, sunny day like this one, as I recall, although a bit warmer than it is today. I've written about that sale, and other things about my early writing career, here and here, and if you haven't read those posts before, I invite you to go take a look at them. There have been peaks and valleys in my career since then (mostly peaks, for which I am profoundly grateful), but I can honestly say that I've had a great time being a writer and hope to continue at this crazy business for a long time to come, despite all the recent upheavals in the publishing industry. It's the only job I know of where you can sit around in your pajamas drinking coffee and eating doughnuts and tell people that you're working . . . and they'll believe you.

13 comments:

larrygebert said...

Enjoyed your post today along with the links to your older post,very interesting.Hope you have another productive year again...........i enjoy your stuff

Unknown said...

Congrats on the anniversary. I can't remember the date of my first sale. It was, however, a poem. To a magazine called THE RUNNER. I sold another poem not long afterward to GRIT. Those were the days.

David Cranmer said...

Congrats on the thirty-three and I raise a toast to another three decades!

Charles Gramlich said...

My first sale was in Spring 1989. I've got the date written down somewhere. A short horror story to a mag called Twisted.

Congrats on being able to do what you've loved all these years. Life don't get much better than that!

Ed Gorman said...

Congratulations, James. Not only have you survived all the publishing wars--you've conquered them with excellent novels and short stories.

RJR said...

James, I feel much the same, except that so many people think that if you're home during the day you AIN'T working.

RJR

James Reasoner said...

That's true, Bob. I've been volunteered for things because, after all, I don't have a "real" job.

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pattinase (abbott) said...

That is a terrific day to commemorate. Isn't it swell to have us to share it with? Love the Internet.

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George said...

Civil War books, WWII books, fantasy novels, and more! I remember when Bill Crider sent me TEXAS WIND (for some reason it was distributed up here). When I finished reading it, I set the book down and thought, "This guy can really write."

Juri said...

Congrats, James!

Patti: it's spam.

Juri said...

My first non-fiction sale was to a small newspaper in 1985 or 1986. My dad worked there, so it doesn't really count. My real first sale was some years later.

Cap'n Bob said...

With as few sales as I've had you'd think I'd remember my first one. It was probably to The Monster Times around 1971. Your record is amazing and deserves mention in Ripley's.