Originally, I started writing this book in high school. As a member of the swim team, a few of the other girls and I decided we would have a contest. We would write a story, and then the other members on the team would read it and vote on it.
Unfortunately, I never finished the story when I was in high school--and neither did the others. But I never gave up on it. I kept coming back to it over the years and looking for ways to make it better. After college, when my confidence in my ability to write was completely shaken, I put it away for a long time.
After graduating with my master's, I took a job as a document production specialist at an environmental consulting firm. One of my classmates, who also received her master's when I did, also worked there. I had given completely up on writing at this point in time, but she did her best to suck me back in.
It was a slow process. It started with some short stories, and when I got those published, I slowly regained my confidence. Eventually, I had the courage to work on my novel again, and I finally finished it and readied it to send out to publishers.
The road was rocky. I received rejection after rejection. It was tough. It almost made me give up once again, but I knew if I stuck it out, I would eventually find someone who liked the story and wanted to put it into the world.
I did eventually find that publisher. At first, however, I received a rejection from them. Apparently, this one came from the submissions reader, and she was kind enough to send along some notes. I looked them over and found ways to incorporate her suggestions into the story to make it better.
A few weeks later, I received an email from the publisher, and it was an acceptance. Confused, I asked why there was a change of heart, and she explained that the submissions reader shouldn't have sent me an email at all. She didn't have the authority to make those calls.
As you can imagine, I was thrilled. It was my first opportunity to get published, and I was more than happy--and more than willing--to take it.
Since that moment, I have had a roller coaster ride of publishing. I have been with indie publishers that have closed their doors. I have been with publishers who have done very little to promote and sell their/my books. I have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous publishers. I have gotten rights back to my books and self-published them.
There is a rule in the writing world that you aren't supposed to publish the first novel you write. I (obviously) didn't listen to this rule. I think that you probably shouldn't try to get the first draft of the first novel you've written published, but if you take the time to revise, rewrite, and edit the story, you can do whatever the hell you want with your work.
If I had listened to the rule of not getting the first novel I wrote published, I don't know that I would be published. It gave me the courage to put myself out there. It opened the doors to a whole new world. Has it been challenging? Absolutely. After 10 years and 14 books do I know everything? Absolutely not.
Every day I learn something new. Every day the publishing world changes. In the past 10 years, there have been major changes in the world of publishing. However, I'm glad to be on the ride. It has been full of ups and downs, tears and smiles, trials and tribulations, but it's been worth it.
In celebration of the first book I had published and all the ones that came after, this week you have a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card. Take the chance to win by entering below!
