What I’ve Learned from Being Published

This is what 85k of a first draft looks like.

My edits are back!

Which means I have to knuckle down and shape the novel into something vaguely publishable.

And …sobs…some of my carefully-crafted paragraphs (and chapters!) are having to be cut (which is why I shouldn’t have spent so long on them, of course).

Yep, I am killing my darlings, as well as adding more ‘wordage’, especially to the end, which was only half-finished when I submitted it.

So, I will probably be a little quiet on here for the next few weeks.

A random touch of spring

I thought you might be interested to see the piece I wrote recently for Jericho Writers – and which they’re happy for me to reproduce here – on the subject of ‘what I’ve learned from being published.’

Anyway, here it is:

What I’ve Learned from Being Published

“I spent over 20 years writing short fiction for women’s magazines but novel writing was always my goal. Eventually, I decided it was ‘now or never’ and my debut was published in January 2022.

The biggest surprise about the publishing process was the speed at which it all happened (someone told me, in publishing, everything is either ‘very, very fast’ or ‘very, very slow’). I signed with HQ, (Harper Collins’ digital-first imprint) and my debut was published 6 months later (firstly as an e-book, then in paperback 6 weeks later). My second novel came out 10 months after that, which meant my first two novels were published in the same year (January and November 2022).

It was very tight – and there was a lot of pressure – to get the second novel finished. I learned that a deadline is a deadline, with very little leeway. When my debut came out, there was little time for wallowing or celebrating. I was busy writing my second novel and my head was already somewhere else.

Another surprise was the number of people who had input into the final version of the book. Not only the editors but also the publicity and marketing teams. Everything on the book’s cover is outside your control (blurb, title, cover and price). But it’s also refreshing to be part of a collaborative process, after working alone for so long. It’s comforting to have others invested in making your book the best it can be.

I had to compromise a little on the titles of both my novels but I was happy to bow to my publisher’s greater expertise and I think they’ve done a great job.

I’ve learned that it’s not my job to sell the book. It’s tempting to spend time on marketing (via social media, doing interviews, giveaways, etc) but whatever you do as an author to boost sales will only ever be a drop in the ocean. Whenever I can, I try to promote my books, of course. But I have to remind myself that, as a traditionally-published author, it’s not my job to sell the books: that’s what the publisher does.

People’s reactions can be strange when they find out you’ve written a novel. The uninitiated think you must be rich. And famous. And of course, I’m neither. And when you tell people you’re being ‘edited’ they sometimes think that’s ‘cheating’ and say things like ‘Oh, but it won’t be your book anymore!’

And some fellow writers – people I counted as friends, both in ‘real life’ and virtually – have struggled to congratulate me (or not mentioned my book at all). It’s hurtful but, like the not-so-good reviews, it’s amazing how quickly I learned to shrug it off.

Something else I’ve learned is that even getting published and achieving ‘the dream’ doesn’t mean the end of imposter syndrome or striving for more.

I’m working on my third novel and I still worry sometimes that I won’t be able to do it. I still look on Twitter and envy other authors’ sales figures, prizes, foreign rights, marketing campaigns and best-seller flags on Amazon.

It’s not the end when you’re a published author: the goalposts simply move. You’re always learning, always trying to improve. And I think that’s all part of the adventure of being a writer.”

Another random touch of spring