Final Thoughts About LFGTK
Longer Field Goals to Kick has a long history. First titled Trust Me, I completed the book in 1995, a year after the publication of my first novel, Triangle. In May, 1996, I signed a contract with Harcourt Brace, the publisher of Triangle, for Trust Me and was offered a $3,000 advance. HB paid me $1,500 of the advance for signing the contract. Man, at that point I thought I was a solid member of the HB young adult author stable. Not so. In July, 1997, the publisher backed out of the Trust Me deal, saying the story was too commercial; the company was looking for literary fiction. Fortunately, I didn't have to return the $1,500—I'd already spent the money. Then in January, 1998, my agent wrote to tell me she would no longer represent young adult fiction. The books were not profitable enough. A double dose of disappointment.
Over the years I sent Trust Me to many agents and publishers. I changed the title to The Panther Plan and finally to its present title. The book received tons of photocopied rejections like this one: We do not believe your manuscript would fit our agency needs at this time. But some agents/editors wrote to me personally: I like the story, but I do not believe it is strong enough to compete successfully in today's very competitive juvenile market. Another one: What's perceived as "problem novels" are just not selling these days. Another: I think Trust Me has many terrific aspects—an interesting basic premise, realistic high school setting, and a sports related subplot. The last rejection came from Candlewick Press, February 27, 2007. An associate editor wrote: I think you've done a great job capturing the spirit and energy of these characters and the complexity of the situation they're in. My heart started pounding. Is she going to ask to see the full manuscript? I wondered. Not at all. At the end of the letter, the editor thanked me for thinking of Candlewick Press and said she hoped I found a home for the story elsewhere.
Since February 2007, the manuscript has languished in my file cabinet. I realize the book will never make it in today's market. It's simply another boy-gets-girl-pregnant story, of which there must be hundreds. It's not edgy; it's not gritty. No werewolves. No vampires. No drugs. No rape. No dysfunctional parents—dad's an alcoholic; mom's hooked on prescription drugs. Everyone's sort of normal. And that's the problem with the book in today's market. I accept that.
I still like the story, though. I like the thought of two young people falling in love after making a mistake and trying to work things out. I like the thought that they think about what's right for the baby and are willing to make tough sacrifices for the new life they created. I like a pregnancy story from the male point of view. I like happy endings. But, really, would a guy give up a football scholarship to marry a girl whose baby is someone else's? I wonder about that. Not very realistic, is it? But maybe a guy would do those things if were Michael Panther.
At any rate, through the magic of blogging on the Internet, a few people have read the story—I like that, too. The LFGTK blog had over 600 hits. I don't know if that's good or not. But I'm pleased.
Feel free to comment about the book, good or bad. I'd love to hear from you. Writers crave feedback and develop thick skins.
Jon Ripslinger
