How I Got a Publishing Deal and What’s Next
By Michael Okon
It’s a pretty incredible story that I have a hard time believing. I
wrote Monsterland and self-published it in 2015. My mom is my publicity
manager and she blitzed the bloggers with my book. That fall I was reading a
book called Selling a Screenplay by Syd Field. In the book, there was an
entertainment attorney named Susan Grode who seemed very knowledgeable about
the publishing and film industry. I told myself, when I receive my first
contract, I’m going to reach out to her to see if she could help me. About two
months later, I received a post on Facebook from an agent in London who asked to
represent me. I said sure and asked him to send me a contract. I emailed Susan
and introduced myself and mentioned that I had someone who wanted to rep me and
I was hoping she could read this contract. She told me before I sign with this London agent, why
don’t I meet her friend in Brooklyn, an agent
named Nick Mullendore with Vertical Ink Literary Agency. I met Nick for lunch
and he signed me that day as his client. That evening, Susan brought me on as
her client as well.
Nick began trying to sell my book Monsterland to the big publishers and,
as expected, it was rejected. Throughout his attempts of selling, he had a call
with a film agent and he was pitching her a romance novel. She said she wasn’t
really into romance and was looking for something with monsters. He sent her my
book Monsterland, she read it over a weekend, and we had a call that Monday.
She told Nick and me if we get the book published, she will get it into a
producer’s hands to make into a film. Nick found a publisher called WordFire
Press owned by Kevin J. Anderson, who has written all the Star Wars and Dune
canon books. WordFire signed me to a two-book deal for Monsterland 1 & 2.
After the deal was signed, my film agent did what she promised and got my book
into the hands of a billion-dollar grossing producer who is now shopping my
book to certain studios.
In two years, I went from a self-published author, to a published author
with a literary agent, an entertainment attorney, a film agent, a two-book
publishing deal, a publicist, and a producer who is interested in turning my book
to a film. It’s been one wild ride, to say the least.
Now, what’s next? Well, one may just sit back and relax, and do nothing.
Not I. I’ve already completed Monsterland 2 which comes out May 26, 2018. I’m
knee-deep in Monsterland 3. I’ve already started beating out the stories for
Monsterland 4 and 5. It seems that the next five years are going to be
extremely busy with creating stories centered on monsters. What could be wrong
with that?
About the Author
Michael Okon is an award-winning and best-selling author of
multiple genres including paranormal, thriller, horror, action/adventure and
self-help. He graduated from Long Island
University with a degree in
English, and then later received his MBA in business and finance. Coming from a
family of writers, he has storytelling is his DNA. Michael has been writing
from as far back as he can remember, his inspiration being his love for films
and their impact on his life. From the time he saw The Goonies, he was hooked
on the idea of entertaining people through unforgettable characters.
Michael is a lifelong movie buff, a music playlist
aficionado, and a sucker for self-help books. He lives on the North Shore of
Long Island with his wife and children.
His latest book is Monsterland.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
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About the Book:
Welcome to Monsterland—the scariest place on Earth.
The last couple years of high school have not been fun for
Wyatt Baldwin. His parents divorce, then his dad mysteriously dies. He’s not
exactly comfortable with his new stepfather, Carter White, either. An on-going
debate with his best friends Howard Drucker and Melvin over which monster is
superior has gotten stale. He’d much rather spend his days with beautiful and
popular Jade. However, she’s dating the brash high-school quarterback Nolan,
and Wyatt thinks he doesn’t stand a chance.
But everything changes when Wyatt and his friends are
invited to attend the grand opening of Monsterland, a groundbreaking theme park
where guests can rock out with vampires at Vampire
Village, be chased by actual
werewolves on the Werewolf River Run, and walk among the dead in Zombieville.
With real werewolves, vampires and zombies as the main
attractions, what could possibly go wrong?
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