Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Giving Thanks

It's one of my favorite holidays—Thanksgiving here in the U.S.—so don't expect anyone to respond to your emails this afternoon, tomorrow, or Friday. We'll be cooking, eating, and shopping, all in that order.

I think it's fair to start by saying what a crazy year it's been. So much turmoil, so much drama, so many people turning on each other, and yet, so much excitement, so many opportunities, and such a great time to be in publishing if you're allowed to stop and catch your breath.

When I sit down to my lentil roulade, gluten-free stuffing, and bottle of red wine (I'll share, I promise), I am so grateful to see how much I have to be thankful for. There's no doubt that at the top of that list are the family and friends who will be joining my feast this year, as well as those who have seats at other tables. I am thankful for the BookEnds team and the successes each of them are having in building their own client bases and in the sales they've made. I'm thankful for the huge number of successes BookEnds and our clients have had this year. At last count I believe we had six books hit the New York Times bestseller list and a large handful of others hit various other lists. We've made a record number of deals this year for both debut authors as well as brand-name authors and we've added close to twenty new clients to our roster.

I fear that too often I get caught in the daily minutia of life and sucked in by the bad news, forgetting to take time to rejoice in the good. Well, this weekend, for the entire weekend, I'm going to do nothing but rejoice in all that has been good this year, all I have to look forward to, and all that I have to be thankful for.

And at my table on Thursday I'm going to raise my glass in a special toast to all of those who have joined me over the years to build an agency I'm truly proud of; I'm going to toast my fellow agents at BookEnds who have been my right hand, my left, and sometimes my brain; I'm going to toast the editors we've worked with who have the same passion we do for books, especially our books; and most especially I'm going to toast the clients old and new who have climbed on to this ride with us, challenged us, and brought us books we love and are proud of.

Skol!

Happy Thanksgiving.


Jessica

15 comments:

B.E. Sanderson said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. =o)

Donna K. Weaver said...

Nice sentiments. Happy Thanksgiving.

Anonymous said...

Here's an 'å' for you!

Martin Willoughby said...

Enjoy Thanksgiving.

One of things I'm glad for is the Bookends blog. Informative and funny. Thankyou

S. D. Grimm said...

*smile* Happy Thanksgiving!

The Other Stephen King said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and everyone at Bookends, Jessica!

Mart Ramirez said...

Happy Thanksgiving, Jessica! So thankful for this blog. Although, I may not comment every day, I am always reading:)

ryan field said...

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!!

Kate Douglas said...

To all of you at BookEnds, a very happy Thanksgiving. You're right--there is so much to be thankful for, especially in a business going through as much turmoil as publishing is right now. As an author and a serious reader, I see a lot of the change as just that: Change. And while change isn't always easy, it's often the place where opportunities arise.

Here's to a wonderful weekend with family and friends to all of you at BookEnds, to your family, and to the people who regularly leave comments on this blog. I feel as if I know so many of you!

And now I have to go clean house before the grandkids get here and mess it up for me!

Unknown said...

Happy Thanksgiving! I will be envious of everybody on Thursday as both me and my mother work (we're in the medical profession). We, however, will be celebrating on Saturday.

I hope everyone takes this holiday and remembers why they should be grateful for what they have. I also hope everyone's food turns out amazing (No mishaps!)

Allan Petersen said...

Skål og Glade Taksigelse, Jessica!

Carolynnwith2Ns said...

A very happy 'T' day to all.

Ms. Trite says, “Turkey, like fine wine, red or white,(meat or glass contents), is to be savored. Finish the bottle, or the bird, and you’re sleepy.”

I’ll take a nap and let the vegetarian, beer drinker, (my daughter), do the dishes.

Gobble, gulp !

Kristin Laughtin said...

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy a day or two off.

Unknown said...

I'm also going gluten-free this Thanksgiving (and dairy-free, egg-free, yeast-free...the list goes on). Determined to still have a delicious day! I'm very thankful for the great resource I've found in the BookEnds blog. Cheers!

Julie Nilson said...

Sláinte!