Sending your babies out into the world

In less than 2 weeks, The Haunted House Project officially releases.  However, Amazon started shipping pre-orders this week, so my book is about to be in the hands of friends and family (and eventually, perfect strangers).  I always tell my students in public speaking that I'm a little odd.  Most people like audience filled with people they know.  I'll take a roomful of strangers every time.  I feel less pressure.  I worry less about disappointing.

Each stage of the publishing process presented a new challenge.  From writing and draft work to querying agents to submitting to editors to revising and waiting, waiting, waiting for this moment.  And now that it's almost here, it's far scarier than I anticipated. Did I do the characters justice? Is it good enough?

Of course the biggest is, "What if everyone hates it?"

This morning I can't help but compare this process to being a parent. Each stage of parenting presents new challenges.  Holy cow I could not wait to get through that awful toddler stage, but my goodness they don't stop talking at around four.  It's hard to appreciate where you are when you're there because you're so busy focused on how the next phase is going to be better. 

Eventually (way too flipping soon!) you have to send those babies out into the world.  Did I do them justice?  Are they good enough?

And of course the biggest is, "What if I failed?"

You know you didn't fail.  You know they're good, but they'll make mistakes.  You know they'll succeed … most of the time.  I imagine you always worry, but eventually, you see them become their own person and the pride takes over.

I'm hopeful anyway that's where I'll get.

I'm hopeful I'll feel that way about my book, too.  I know not everyone will love it. And that's okay, right? 

Because I can be proud what I did, the characters who didn't exist before I brought them to life.

They're ready for me to send them out into the world. 

Be good.  Play Nice.  Make friends. 

Pumped up for PitchWars!

I'm so excited to be serving as a co-mentor with the amazing Laura Shovan in this round of PitchWars. You can view all the details of our preferences and interests on her blog. The big day is almost here:  It's down to hours before we'll be open for submissions.  It's going to be interesting to be on the other "side" of things.

I know what it's like to get the email requesting more material. 

I also know what it's like to receive rejection letters.  Lots of them.

I have numerous blog posts about my query journey and then my submission story.  Both requires patience and perseverance. Thankfully, my alter ego is "Tenacious T" because I sure didn't get through this process because of my patience.

Here are a few things to remember (and hey you can use this for more things than PitchWars!)

• It's not personal.  

It may FEEL personal.  All rejection feels personal, but unless only one person submits to my partner and me, we will have to choose only one mentee.  In our case, we'll also be negotiating two potentially different opinions. We may be equally devastated to walk away from a manuscript and/or author.

• You are not a failure.

I know people have said this like a million times over, but seriously, you wrote a manuscript.  You're doing great.  If you don't get selected as a mentee, the journey doesn't end.  I didn't.  And less than six months later, I had an agent.  

• It isn't luck.

I put this in here because sometimes when we face rejection we try to come up with reasons why we didn't succeed, justifications. I often hear people talk about how someone just got lucky.  In the world of book publishing, that's pretty rare.  It's because of the work put in; not just any work, the right work.  I have manuscripts I'm still revising after like seven years because they simply aren't ready.  

• Relationships are good.

This is another thing I hear a lot--it's about who you know.  A little.  Sure.  It can help.  Relationships are especially good at helping you figure stuff out and finding good critique partners. 

• But the writing comes first.

Polish that manuscript!


Good luck!  Team TLC cannot wait to read those submissions!

Submission Process: Part II

Waiting.

More Waiting.

Then an offer!  Whoo hoo, the waiting is over!

Just kidding. 

I had heard stories over the years about how things move slowly in the publishing world, but I'm not sure I ever really understood that. 

It took about two months to go from the offer to a signed contract/announcement of the deal.  What was the delay?  First, we had to give time for other potential publishers to respond, just like in the query process.  In that time frame, I was able to have a conversion with my editor and get a feel for her vision, which was great. But what really took the most time? The contract itself.

This is the part where I say I am so glad I had an agent. 

I know that lots of people do this without an agent, but I would have had no clue how to read that document nor what was the most important aspect of negotiation, particularly in relationship to rights.

One of the things that became very clear is that it wasn't just having an agent, but having someone you trusted had your best interests in mind, someone who could explain why something was important.

I probably would have signed the first draft because I just wanted to be published so badly. 

And this was a small deal with a smaller publisher on what I perceive is a quiet book.  I can't imagine how complicated it gets with bigger books and bigger deals.

I've said this before in my blogging process, but it's a life lesson that I keep learning over and over.  You need to surround yourself with the right people, the right support and then let them support you.

I'm self-confessed control freak, pretty independent overall, but there's not a stage of the writing and publishing process that hasn't been improved by trusting other people to help me. 

It kind of makes me wonder if I'll ever remember that in other aspects of my life, too. 

How easy is it for you to let go of control?  

The positive side of insecurity

Most folks in my social circle have already heard the good news.  My debut novel will be published in Fall of 2016 by Sky Pony Press.  I am obviously over-the-moon.  It's the big one, right?  Dream come true, bucket list kind of stuff.  It's the end goal of this whole thing, so by definition, it should mean I'm no longer insecure, right?  Well, not exactly.

First of all, despite seeing the announcement in print and even seeing that it's already got a goodreads page, I'm not sure it feels real just yet.  I could say that'll come when there's a cover, but I'm guessing I'll need to see the book in print before reality sets in.  Even then, who knows? 

More than that though, I've been thinking about the very concept of insecurity.  There's the definition most of us use: "An uncertain or anxiety about oneself; lack of confidence" which is what we're all dealing with in these monthly posts and support for each other.  It's rooted in a deep sense of not feeling good enough. 

On the other hand, we can twist this a bit.  Another definition of insecurity is "the state of being open to danger or threat; lack of protection." That's scary, sure, but it implies risk and the potential for reward.  It's about action and putting ourselves out there. 

After I got my agent, I did a series of posts about that process and some lessons learned.  I'm going to do something similar now in describing the submission process and beyond.  I've found that throughout this whole journey, the more I knew about what to expect, the less my insecurity crippled me.  The more I felt okay with being open to danger, so to speak.  

For now I say, embrace your insecurity.  

Keep trying to do things that you may not feel confident doing, that involve risk.