Playing the Waiting Game

Right around this time last year, I was waiting to hear back from a publisher on a submission. The experience can be a little nerve wrecking at times (as Rebecca talked about earlier this week). This one was a little more so for me because it was my first. From somewhere, I'd found some courage and submitted something I'd written. For those that don't know me well, this was a huge step for me. The book wasn't the first I'd written, but the first time I decided that I might have a shot at seeing something of mine published. I ended up getting a rejection on the book - the day before my birthday as it turned out.

I took a few days to think about what I wanted to do from there.

First, I realized there was something missing from the manuscript. It was good, but it didn't have "it". Even while telling family and friends that I wasn't sure what I was going to do from that point on, I was working on refining the MS and making it (I thought) better. I ended up submitting it again, this time to a different publisher, and began the long process of waiting again. Luckily, it was summer and with my daughter's activities, the whole family was busy.

I was on vacation in Ohio, heading back from a day of fun at an amusement park, when I received a request for full. Being the ever positive person I am (note the sarcasm, please) even while I was submitting the full MS as requested, I kept telling myself it was just going to be another rejection.

A week later, I had myself a nice little panic attack as I was reading the email I'd just received for an offer. That was my first published book, Flash of Dark (which just came out in January of this year).

So, why am I telling you all of this? It's a year later and I'm waiting to hear on a submission - again. The process of being impatient and such hasn't changed much. In fact, for some reason, this wait for this particular MS is rough. I'm not sleeping well, my brain is spinning constantly and a various assortment of other miladies. I'm trying to bury myself in writing the next book in my paranormal series (and waiting on 2nd edits for the 2nd book in that series from my editor) and my next sci-fi series book, but like I said it's just ... hard.

Some people are under the assumption that being published is a guarantee. Just because you have one or ten, twenty - even thirty - novels accepted and available for purchase doesn't mean the acceptance/offer for future books will pour in when you submit.

So...wanna wait with me? LOL