I wanted to be an author for my entire life. It was a guaranteed thing that I was going to do. But little did I know at 5 years old how much work (and rejection) it would take before I got to the finish line.
Oh, and I should specify now: In publishing, there is no finish line. It just keeps going and going so long as you keep writing books.
So, here’s how I kept my sanity through each stage of the traditional publishing process, from querying all the way through submissions.
Writing the Book
Oh, if I’d only known this was the “easy” part! To blissfully write with no idea where it would go. (At this point, I’d done little research into Traditional Publishing and how it worked. All I knew was that it was the route I wanted to take over self-publishing.)
Writing a book isn’t easy, obviously. It takes a lot of time, planning, editing, and rewriting. And it’s quite an insular thing. I wrote my first few books in a complete bubble. But the one that got me to the end was the book I wrote whilst actively part of a writing community.
Sanity check for the writing process: Get yourself a writing community.
I found mine through a writing course at a local university, and the insights and feedback I got from those sessions were invaluable. In fact, I’m still in that writing group today.
Querying
I queried for three projects, and the third is the one that got me my agent. In querying, you’re sending out semi-personalised letters and sample pages to literary agents. It took up a huge chunk of my weekends and evenings. If only I’d tracked how many hours I spent actively in the querying trenches!! Then, on top of that, you’re getting rejections at any time of day, even on holidays.
A few things I did to keep my sanity during the querying process:
- Kept a spreadsheet of all my active queries and rejections: This helped me make sure I didn’t accidentally query the same person twice, and so I knew when to send a “nudge” if I didn’t hear back.
- Had a separate email: I created an author email separate from my normal one, and I only checked it when I was mentally prepared for rejections. I didn’t let it ping me unless I wanted to get news.
- Sent out batches of queries: I would spend each weekend sending out a few queries at a time (usually 5-7) to space out the bombardment of rejections, and make tweaks to my query later based on any personalised rejections.
- Accept some loss: Like I said, I queried two other books that didn’t go anywhere. When I reached the end of my list of agents to query and received no offers, I set the project aside and moved on. The key here? I told myself it wasn’t a total waste; I learnt a lot in the writing and querying process, and I could always go back to these books someday. It’s disheartening. Of course it is. But in the waves of rejections, you get a bit hardened by the rejections. In life, that’s not a bad thing. And when it gets to be too much, turn off the email notifications for a while, pause the querying, and go back to the thing that got you excited about it in the first place: The writing.
- Find support: For me, even though my spouse isn’t a writer and hasn’t researched publishing to the depth I have, being able to tell him about the rejections (and celebrate the little wins, like a partial or full manuscript request) helped immensely. So did having a writing group. I’m not big on sharing my feelings, but having at least one person to support you can make or break the experience. If you don’t have that in your immediate circle (it’s hard for non-writers to understand the experience), then look outside that. Find writing groups on Discord, Reddit, Twitter, or some other online or local resource. It makes a huge difference, especially since writing can be such a lonely experience.
The querying process might take years. It might only take a few days. It might take only one book, or ten. But eventually, you’ll find the literary agent who wants to represent your story. And when that happens, there’s a new layer of sanity checks to come…
Finding Your Agent
An agent has offered representation. Or maybe a few have. Hooray! It’s exciting, but it’s also stressful. This is a huge decision. The agent you pick (and who picked you) is going to be your business partner, hopefully for the rest of your author career. To keep your sanity, remember to:
- Ask a lot of questions: Agents won’t think you’re dumb for wanting to know everything, and it’ll save you from pain later on. Don’t be shy. You’re interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing you!
- Research, research, research: There are tons of blogs out there. Ask other writers for their experiences. Speak to the authors represented by that agent. This is an exciting moment, but don’t forget, this needs to be an informed decision. Gut feelings aren’t the only thing you should listen to.
- Celebrate: The publishing experience has huge highs and lows, so don’t forget to celebrate the wins. These are defining moments that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
- Be prepared for change: Your manuscript is wonderful and beautiful! An agent (or agents) loved it! Alas, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Prepare yourself for edits. You might only spend a few weeks on edits before going on submission, or it could take a year—possibly more!—depending on your book. If you haven’t learnt to take feedback (and criticism) yet, now’s the time.
Submission
Boy, just when you thought the rejections were over, get ready!
The submissions process varies between agents. Some will share a spreadsheet with you that they update to show the queries sent out and the editor responses. Others might send you a weekly or monthly update on how the process is going. Discuss this with your agent and find what works best for you.
In my experience: The spreadsheet was nice because I didn’t have to check it every day (I did, but that’s on me), so I could limit my exposure to rejections.
Submission sanity tip #1: Talk over rejections with your agent.
You can learn a lot from a rejection. Some might be general form rejections. That happens. But others may help you find weak points in your manuscript. Think of this as an opportunity to learn and grow!
Submission sanity tip #2: Be prepared to wait. A lot.
Publishing is slow. Don’t expect to get a book deal in the first week. (I mean, it could happen, and you’d be considered a publishing unicorn. But for the most part, the process takes much longer.)
Submission sanity tip #3: Don’t go through it alone.
I know I’ve said this a lot, but find people to go through the submissions process with you, be that fellow authors, a partner, a friend, or a family member. And remember: You have your agent! That’s what they’re there for.
I’d still recommend having at least one other person to lean on. Agents are busy people, and you’re likely not their only client.
Talking To Editors
Cue the nerves! Talking to editors/publishers can be extremely anxiety-inducing. I found it helpful to speak with my agent before and after these calls, just to go over what questions we wanted answered, what we wanted to achieve with the call, and our impressions afterwards.
Again, this is what your agent is there for. They’re your representative. They know the industry. Ask for their advice. Use them as a sounding board!
Editor calls sanity check: Plan out your questions ahead of time. Then—breathe. Relax. The editor wants to speak with you because something about your book sparked their excitement. Treat this like a two-way interview. You want to know what they can do for your manuscript, and they want to know what you envision for your work.
Negotiating the Deal
Right, now we’re into it. An editor (or editors) has offered you a book deal. Now, for the negotiations! Your agent will take the lead in this, but be prepared for a lot of back-and-forth.
Negotiation sanity check: Contract negotiations cover a lot. They can be complex and a little scary, but that’s why your agent is there. Talk to them. Tell them what you need. They want to get the best deal as much as you do.
Advice for the people-pleasers out there: It’s okay to ask for more. If there are points you’re not willing to compromise on, don’t compromise on them. Have a discussion. The right editor/publisher will be open to hearing what you need as an author.
Waiting for the Contract
Yeah, so, just because you’ve been offered a deal and agreed on the terms, doesn’t mean you’ll get the contract in your inbox the next day. These things can take a long time.
Contract sanity check: Sit back and get ready to wait. Contracts take time to finalise. And in the meantime, find a project to occupy your time! It’ll (hopefully) keep you from refreshing your email every 12 seconds.
Editing
I’m sure I’ll expand more on this later, but the best advice I have for making edits is to start with the small stuff and work up to the big stuff.
The strategy that worked for me:
- Do the small scene changes first.
- Implement arc/character changes second (since this will likely require a full read-through).
- Read from start to finish all the way through to make sure you haven’t missed anything big.
- Prepare for the fact that you’ll likely be rereading/retouching your manuscript several times over.
Editing sanity check: Yes, you’ve had to read your own manuscript over a dozen times already. And yes, you’re probably sick of it by now. Just take a moment to remember that this story is fresh, new, and exciting to everyone else. There’s an audience out there just waiting to pick it up and fall in love with your characters for the first time.
Whew, that’s a lot! Good luck with the traditional publishing process, and I hope this has helped you take a moment to breathe and remember why you love writing, even amidst the chaos.