Erica here.
Seventeen Years! That’s how long it’s been since I first sat down to write a story with the aim of publication. There have been some ups and downs, with far more ups than downs. I’ve learned so many things, and met so many wonderful people in Seventeen Years! I thought I’d give a list of a few of the ‘learnings’ I’ve gathered.
1. One person’s success is not necessarily my loss. Knowing that God is in control of who gets what published means I can celebrate another writer’s success, whether it’s a contract, a glowing review, a contest win, or a best-seller list, without feeling as if I’ve somehow missed out. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to achieve these things, but it does mean I don’t have to be jealous or pining that I missed my shot.
2. When you sign with an agent who belongs to a multi-agent firm, you’re really signing with the AGENCY rather than the agent. If your agent decides to decamp to another firm, you are still signed with the AGENCY and must go through the proper severance if you wish to follow your agent, or be assigned to another agent within the AGENCY.
3. The writing community is quite helpful. If you’re looking for an answer to a research question, or for information about a particular contest, or need some grammar help, there is a writer out there who will help you out.
4. Writing is a solitary pursuit, but nobody does it alone. If you are traditionally published, you have a team of people helping you get your story into the hands of readers. Editors, Marketers, Publicists, Sales Team, and so many more.
5. Edits aren’t personal. Every manuscript benefits from editing. Your editor is on your team, and you have the same goal: to create the best product possible.
6. You do what you can, but ultimately, sales are in God’s control. Be willing to put yourself out there in blog posts, social media, radio interviews, etc. but it does little good to obsess over book sales.
7. Cross-marketing makes life easier. Doing everything yourself is hard. Joining with other authors to blog (Hello, Seekerville!) run a FB Group (Like the Inspirational Regency Reader Group) or have a contest/giveaway (Like the Fall Fiction Scavenger Hunt) means you can reach readers beyond your own circle and introduce your readers to the work of some fabulous authors!
Mary, Ruthy, Debby, and yours truly at the
Christian Fiction Readers Retreat in 2019.
8. Publishing changes quickly and moves slowly. In a nanosecond we saw an ebook explosion, and genres come and go in a flash. My first ACFW Conference, every editor and agent said “Don’t send me historical fiction. It’s dead. I want Chick-lit.” Fast forward twelve months, those same agents and editors said, “Lit is gone. Send me all your historical fiction.” And yet, it can take forever to get through the publishing process. It’s not unusual to sign a contract for a book that won’t release for 18-24 months.
9. Reviews are for readers not writers. Reviews do not exist to stroke the egos of writers…or demolish those same egos, though both can happen. Reviews are for readers, to tell other readers whether or not they may like a book. Some of my author friends refuse to read reviews, because they either soar with the eagles or crawl with the worms afterwards. If reviews knock you off balance as an author, just skip them altogether.
10. You will make lifelong friends. Just like the Seeker Ladies, where we all know about each other’s struggles, triumphs, prayer requests, inside jokes, sorrows, joys, and more. We share those things because writing brought us together. I have made dear friends, been supported in hard things by them, been lifted up in joy when something great happens, and the whole writing experience is better because of these writers in my life.
Me and Mary back in the day, with Mary holding her
Carol Award and me with my Genesis Award.
11. Bonus: I thought once I finally got a peek behind that curtain called “Publication” that my life would change dramatically. In one sense, it did. That tremendous accomplishment of “There. I did it. I worked hard and my dream came true.” However, most of my life didn’t change a bit. Except that I now had to work harder at things I never imagined, like marketing. The dishes are still there, the kids still needed to be homeschooled, laundry didn’t magically do itself…and there was no paparazzi lingering outside my house to see the famous author. I am grateful for the books I’ve been able to write, and that they found homes with publishers, but at my core, I’m the same Erica that I’ve always been…just busier!
Questions for you:
How long have you been seriously writing with a goal of publication?
What is one thing that surprised you along the way?
If you’re published, what changed for you once you held your book in your hands?
If you’re not yet published, did any of the items on my list particularly resonate with you, or was anything on the list startlingly new?
Newly returned from finishing school, Lady Juliette Thorndike is ready to debut in London society. Due to her years away, she hasn't spent much time with her parents, and sees them only as the flighty, dilettante couple the other nobles love. But when they disappear, she discovers she never really knew them at all. They've been living double lives as government spies--and they're only the latest in a long history of espionage that is the family's legacy.
Now Lady Juliette is determined to continue their work. Mentored by her uncle, she plunges into the dangerous world of spy craft. From the glittering ballrooms of London to the fox hunts, regattas, and soirees of country high society, she must chase down hidden clues, solve the mysterious code her parents left behind, and stay out of danger. All the while, she has to keep her endeavors a secret from her best friend and her suitors--not to mention nosy, irritatingly handsome Bow Street runner Daniel Swann, who suspects her of a daring theft.
Can Lady Juliette outwit her enemies and complete her parents' last mission? Or will it lead her to a terrible end?
The Debutante's Code is now out in the world! You can get your copy HERE: https://amzn.to/3GQnoZt Or wherever you buy your fiction!
Best-selling, award-winning author Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. She’s a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota, and she is married to her total opposite and soul mate! When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks. You can connect with her at her website, www.ericavetsch.com where you can read about her books and sign up for her newsletter, and you can find her online at https://www.facebook.com/EricaVetschAuthor/ where she spends way too much time!
Excellent post, Erica! I love seeing which lessons you chose to share. I'm so glad you included the bonus because that's the one that resonated with me the most.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been published yet, so it's been a long internal struggle for me to accept that it's okay to spend my time in the solitary pursuit of writing. Even more of a struggle after I learned enough about writing to see that it would probably be more prudent financially to just get a minimum wage job. But somewhere along the way someone said "If you're not good enough without publication, you won't be good enough with it either." I thought long and hard about that and realized that I was good enough with who I was that I didn't need to get published to prove anything. That released me from the pressure of seeking validation and moved writing out of the "need to" category and into the "want to" category. We all find time to do the things we WANT to do. Some women quilt. Some scrapbook. Some run marathons. (I can't see why, but some do.) I write.
I have a scrapbook type prayer book in which I made a page for my writing. When I committed to seriously pursuing publication, I cut out and put on this page the title and date from the February 2012 issue of Writer magazine. It's been ten years. I recovered from losing one house in a flood and lost another in a fire during those ten years, so I cut myself some slack with how long it's taking to achieve my goals. God obviously had some things He wanted to teach me before He gave me an audience. One of which is that, while publication would be nice, it's the actual writing that is His gift to me.
I loved reading your comment, Terri! And it seems to me that ten years working on this goal is about average - just ask the Seekers!
DeleteAs Jan said ten years is about average for a hardworking, willing-to-learn writer! I love that you've freed your heart from the HaveToNeedTo chains! Enjoy the writing!
DeleteI concur with every one of your seventeen lessons plus the bonus!
ReplyDeleteI've been writing for twelve years with the goal of publication, and have been published for nine of those years. It's been a wild ride, especially since (in my opinion) I didn't have to work hard enough for my first book. I hit the sweet spot of the popularity of Amish fiction, and the rest is history.
But there's a downside - I was published so quickly that I didn't have a chance to hone my skills before I was on the publication schedule. It was a struggle to get books out, and I almost lost my joy of writing. So now I'm taking the time to concentrate on marketing, getting into a writing groove, and developing ideas - as well as writing.
The thing that surprised me when I held my first book in my hands was the gratitude I felt. When dreaming about my goal, I thought I would feel accomplished - I did this! I wrote a book! - but I was so aware of how many people had supported me, prayed for me, encouraged me, and educated me along the way. My name might have been on the cover, but I didn't get there on my own.
The attitude is gratitude! It's such a long journey, even if you get published quickly! And those lessons are hard, no matter where on the path you encounter them!
DeleteI hope you're enjoying the new venture with the cozies!
Good morning. This is a wonderful post. Thanks for sharing. This book sounds like a page turner. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Lori!
DeleteGreat post, Erica. I'm still struggling with my writing, but I am determined not to give up. I am looking forward to reading Debutante's Code.
ReplyDeleteNever give up! Just don't forget to enjoy it! :)
DeleteLovely, Erica! My road to publication was long! I freelanced for magazines and enjoyed that time, but writing and publishing full-length fiction was always my goal. In those years when I was working toward publication, I learned so much, and I know The Call came in God's perfect time. Still it was a long journey. I guess my message today is to be determined and to keep writing. Push on all doors, and the Lord will open the right ones at the right time.
ReplyDeleteThat is excellent advice. Push on the doors, and praise God when He opens one to you! :)
DeleteAh, the road to publication is much like the road to .... well, you know. Long. Well-intentioned. And filled with pitfalls and temptations. Like temptations to do ANYTHING other than write the Great American Novel!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteAREN'T WE SO BLESSED????????
Erica, I love those pics and we had so much fun at those retreats, didn't we? Excellent fun!!!!!!
Thanks for this great post. And I've been busily working on such fun mysteries the last few months but WHAT AN HONOR to be asked to endorse your next book!!!!! WHICH I DID!!!!!! I am so happy for you and proud of you.
You go, girl!
Yay! I'm so glad you liked it! Look how far we've come...you judged my very first manuscript years ago!
DeleteI love your post, Erica and all the comments. I LOVE Seekerville, too! I've been writing for a long time and published in local and regional magazines, wrote a weekly column for the local newspaper and kept on writing fiction. Life really gets in the way sometimes and I've had to deal with major ups/downs and through it all here I am still writing. But I really enjoy READING all the Seekerville authors' books! Keep it up, Erica and all of you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karen, and don't you stop writing either! We're all on the journey together!
DeleteI've been writing off and on for a long time, but I'm not sure I've ever been serious enough about it. This is a great list of behind-the-scenes things, but like you said, ultimately, you are you and published or not, that will always be true. I try to put my writing--and everything else, I hope--in God's hands. Let Him lead and everything will work out fine! And I love the friends I've made here at Seekerville especially. Writiers and readers are the best!
ReplyDeleteGlynis, you are so right. Everything we do is in God's hands, and at the end of the day, He is the only One Who matters. I'm glad He brought YOU to Seekerville!
DeleteI've been seriously pursuing writing since 2018 and I can relate to many of the items on your list. :) I think the one thing that has been a surprise is how LONG it takes to receive responses. Hurry up and write that draft, get your edits done ASAP and then WAIT for months (while you hurry up and write the next draft) for a response. :)
ReplyDelete