Greetings from 5 AM

I’m sitting at my Family Room table at 5 AM, writing this first post and thinking about how hectic a day it’s going to be. In an hour and a half I’m going to need to start waking up three cute, resentful children, get breakfast together, help my wife get everyone out the door in our typical morning ballet of knapsacks, gym bags and forgotten folders; go to a presentation by my seven-year-old daughter about the Intrepid; then take an author I represent to meet consecutively with five editors in anticipation of an auction on his middle grade adventure novel tomorrow. At some point I’m going to need to thank the other editors I met with yesterday, send out rules for the auction, respond to six clients who expected to hear from me yesterday, then finish up by attending my almost-twelve-year-old son’s  play, where he’s the kid who gets bitten by Dracula in the middle of act 2. (He was denied a dramatic death scene by his cruel director.) Welcome to my world.

I love 5 AM. All of the above hasn’t happened yet. It’s quiet and dark and everyone else in the family is asleep. I use this time to gather myself—to read manuscripts, assess queries, converse with Overseas clients, look for magic in unsolicited queries, line-edit without interruption. I’ve always been a morning person. But since the beginning of 2007, when I rejoined the world of book publishing 13 years after I’d left my first incursion into this fascinating, maddening, addictive industry, 5 AM has been my time.

I’m so delighted to be joining this great group on Hey, There’s a Dead Guy in the Living Room. For full disclosure’s sake, I represent Jeff Cohen in all his names (as far as I know!), and Alison Janssen edited one of the books I’m most pleased to have sold: the fierce, magnificent novel Hello Kitty Must Die by Angela S. Choi (discovered in the middle of a morning unsolicited query read approximately three feet away from where I’m writing this—but that will be another post).

Over the next weeks and months you’ll hear from me on assorted tribulations of a literary agent in the middle of an uncertain, exciting, turbulent time in the book business; of a husband and father of three getting ready to send two young daughters to sleep-away camp for the first time and planning a Bar Mitzvah (I’m not really old enough to be planning a Bar Mitzvah!). It is going to be a fun ride, and I hope you will enjoy my notes from 5 AM.

 

--Josh Getzler

Comments

[Jeff Cohen]

Welcome, Josh! As someone who thinks being awake at 5 a.m. should be illegal, I really respect your dedication. I'm glad you represent my work (in all the names I know about), and I'm looking forward to getting your insights on the business no matter what time you share them.

Aren't you sort of old for a bar mitzvah? I realize you don't HAVE to do it when you're 13, but still...

[Lartonmedia]

Welcome, Josh! I'm a night owl -- my latest book routinely got worked on at 2am -- so 5am is the time which I associate with early runs to work when no one should talk to me until I've had two cups of coffee!

[Terri Bischoff]

Josh - you are insane! 5am is sleeping time. :)

I look forward to reading your posts. See you in a couple weeks!

[Alison Janssen]

Yay, welcome, Josh! I'm very much looking forward to reading more of your dispatches from 5am. I don't know that I'm physically possible of waking up that early.

[Mags]

I got an email from my agent time stamped 5:58am a few weeks ago, and all I could think was WTF? It all makes sense now...

[Dale Spindel]

Welcome,Josh! I do some of my best reading at 5:00 AM although my head doesn't work well enough to blog at that hour. Enjoy every minute with your kids as the time flies by all too quickly - and mazel tov on the upcoming Bar Mitzvah.

[Jo-Ann S]

As a wannabe author, all I can say is - keep going with them unsolicited manuscripts. There might be gold inthem thar hills of slush...

[Carrie]

Dear Josh - how often do you get, "You look like Daniel Day-Lewis?" Because, for serious, you look like Daniel Day-Lewis.

[Tania Roxborogh]

I understand the early starts but I am impressed with your routined dedication. e

People always ask me how I do it: be a full time teacher, write books and be the mother of two teenagers. I always say: I don't dust, garden or exercise. And, appreciating your wife's occupation, it's not like you're a kept man.

You work hard.

Thank goodness.

I didn't realise until today when I talked to my students about your 'interview' for my blog, how many of them are crime/thriller enthusiasts. Tres cool.

[Tudorscribe]

As one of Josh's happy clients, I can truly say that all of the balls he tosses in the air stay in the air until he wants them to come down.
Also, at 5 am I am often writing. Now on my second book, thanks to Josh. I like to think I am typing on my laptop in my quiet apartment while in another part of New York City he is reading and agenting.

[AuthoressAnon]

Well, of course you're a morning person. I don't click with non-morning people. :)

[Kristi Helvig]

I've heard of people who get up at 5am. I don't get up much later than that thanks to two young kiddos, but 6am doesn't sound as horrendous to me as 5. I'm a huge fan of AuthoressAnon and look forward to your posts. :)

[Ella Slayne]

Hi - Oh I envy you being able to get up at 5am! I love the idea of sneaking in some quiet time before waking the kids. I can never do it though and invariably wake up in a panic at seven yelling at everyone that we are going to be late! :-) It was a lot easier getting up in the morning before children - there's nothing like the intermittent nightly visits of a toddler to mess up your sleeping pattern! ;-)

[Traci Hall]

Hey Josh! Since my non writing life starts as a part time five am Starbucks barista, I share your affection for the quiet world when the moon is still shining in a dark sky. I can't wait to read your ramblings :)

[Josh Getzler]

Thanks everyone (and hi, Clients! You guys are the best). I'm really looking forward to working through this blog. More coming soon! JG