Blogger: Rachelle Gardner
One of the most frustrating things about publishing is how long things can take. Authors and agents are always waiting for things that are out of our control, and often the waiting becomes excruciating. As an author who is anxious for the next step in your career—anything from a response to a query to seeing your book on a bookstore shelf—a day can seem like a year.
I’m not going to get into the reasons things seem to move slowly, but I want to offer this suggestion: Refuse to let the waiting get the best of you!
Waiting for something you deeply desire can distort your thinking. It can make you believe, “This is never going to happen for me” even when, objectively, there is still plenty of room for hope (and hard work). When publishers aren’t responding favorably to your proposals, you might wonder if you should just give up. When your agent has done a deal with a publisher but it’s taking a long time to get the actual contract, you may convince yourself the publisher must have changed their mind.
You will be telling yourself, “Something is wrong. It couldn’t possibly take this long!”
But in publishing, unfortunately… yes, it really can take that long.
Waiting isn’t fun, and it can be really hard. But if you look at it from a distance, you can see that it has its benefits. Author Addie Zierman wrote recently on her blog, How to Talk Evangelical, about getting her first book contract. She had worked for several years on the book, and from the time she finished it to the signing of her contract, it took nearly four more years. She wrote:
…I felt the wait.
I need to say this because I know some of you are writers. Some of you are waiting for this thing to happen, and it’s not happening, and it feels really hard and tender – a purpling bruise that keeps getting elbowed by other people’s good news.
But I also need to say that I was changed in the waiting, and that these years have been so good for me. I learned things about God and about myself. It has been a softening. It has been a deepening.
…There were a lot of almost-fits along the way, but I feel this deep sense of rightness here. This is where I’m supposed to be.
But it took a while to get here, and I want to tell you who are in the aching, waiting place to take heart. This is just part of it for most of us. You will get there.
If you are in the waiting place, please take these words seriously. I know you hear them and understand them, but in those crazy-making moments when you feel you’ve finally, fully run out of patience, you’ll forget them. And there you’ll be, telling yourself to give up because your dream is never going to come true. Don’t let yourself go there!
Fill your waiting times with continued hard work, learning, and new ideas. Always be moving forward. And don’t let the waiting convince you to quit.
Tell us about your times in the waiting place. Have you ever given up, or wanted to? How does the waiting affect you, and how do you keep your spirits up?
Tweetables
Authors—don’t let the waiting get the best of you! “The Waiting Place” via @RachelleGardner. Click to Tweet.
In publishing… yes, it really can take that long. “The Waiting Place” via @RachelleGardner. Click to Tweet.
Are you in the waiting place? Are you tempted to give up? Share your story. Click to Tweet.
Jill Kemerer
I can only nod in complete agreement with everything you wrote–especially the quote. I’ve been very blessed to wait. (Somedays I curse waiting, though!) It’s the only way God could really get me to give my dreams to him. I tend to rely on what I can do, but with publishing, I can only rely on Him.
And He’s a good God.
I’m used to waiting. I still get envious and sad sometimes, but I’m able to bounce better now.
Thanks for the encouragement.
Cynthia Herron
I echo your thoughts, Jill…
Donna Pyle
As do I…
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
Oh, don’t we all curse the waiting! Thanks for your input, Jill.
Heather Day Gilbert
Thanks for being honest, Jill–funny how we all experience that jealousy, but it’s not fun to talk about it.
Jill Kemerer
Thanks, ladies. This afternoon, I actually thought maybe I shouldn’t have put that out there! But, I’m miles away from perfect, and that’s life. 🙂
Lori Benton
I waited (and wrote) twenty years before finding an agent, a few years longer before getting a contract, and another wait now until August when the first book will release. In the middle of that I spent five years waiting for chemo fog to lift. I know waiting.
Those are wonderful words from Addie!
The waiting is easier when I have a passionate project I’m working on, so I keep myself focused on the new work I’m producing, to the point where I’m gleeful for another day of just plain old writing, no promo, editing, planning or juggling. In other words, the solitude of waiting, in which I get to indulge in writing. That is the blessing of waiting for me.
Jenni Brummett
Lori, congratulations on your August release! Sweet rewards of the long wait.
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
Lori, you are so right, “The waiting is easier when I have a passionate project I’m working on.” That is the key to handling the wait! Thanks for that insight.
Jeanne T
My hardest waiting time came walking through infertility. For years. Through the time of waiting to be given the gift of motherhood, God revealed himself to me in ways I hadn’t understood Him before. He also spoke truths over some lies I believed. I can only hope that when my turn comes to wait on hearing back from a query, a proposal, and hopefully one day a publisher that I will lean into the waiting time, seek God’s face and keep moving forward with other projects.
I loved the quote by Addie today. Thanks for sharing this encouraging post, Rachelle.
Jenni Brummett
Jeanne, I bet you could infuse your story characters with the attributes you learned through waiting.
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
Jeane, there is probably nothing that will teach you about waiting more effectively – and excruciatingly – than infertility. Bless you for your struggles, and hanging in there.
Meghan Carver
Thanks for the encouragement, Rachelle. I’m saving this for when I need encouragement again…and again.
Larry
….I think there is too much of a rationalization of the inadequacies of the industry that, instead of being worked on being changed, become quaint homilies and bizarre virtues.
Plain and simple, the way the industry works does not work for the author.
Writers hear far too much about how they need to wait. Maybe we’re getting tired of waiting to hear how things are going to change.
I would also say that there are plenty of writers who, due to the limited number of agents, due to the limited number of publishers, and due to agents and publishers who felt that a book just isn’t ready for the market, may never find that agent or publisher willing to take on their work.
How can an industry which surely knows that constantly say, “But just wait….”
Shouldn’t an author be accorded the respect to be honestly told, “Yeah. You sacrificed alot. Perhaps you may want to cut your losses, and quit.”
There’s a difference between “giving up”, and getting smart.
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
Larry, I hear you, and I agree. Everyone needs to keep thinking realistically about how to reach their dreams, and whether to change course. It’s what I meant in the last paragraph when I said, “Fill your waiting times with continued hard work, learning, and new ideas. Always be moving forward.” When I say “Don’t quit,” I really mean, “Don’t give up on your dreams.” But there are many ways to make a dream come true.
Candace
You do not give up on what is your passion. If you are willing to give up on it, then it never was a passion at all; it was a hobby or a means where it was believed easy money would come. There is nothing easy about pursuing a dream. It takes sacrifice and hard work, the ability to learn the trashcan full of rejection letters are not personal attacks, and that in the interim you must keep searching to find the agent who truly represents the ‘real’ you.
Larry
Ah! Thanks for the clarification, Rachelle. I agree completely.
Lisa
Great words for my soul, thank you. I appreciate the way God speaks in waiting. I appreciate the way my work gets stronger as each day passes 🙂
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
I think that’s true for most people, Lisa. Their work gets stronger and stronger. Thanks for the note!
Richard Mabry
I’ve played the waiting game, trying (mostly without success) to convince myself that the timing’s in God’s hands. Ultimately, that proved to be correct, but it didn’t make the waiting any more palatable.
What to do while waiting? Write. Read. Write. Read. Write. Do you see a pattern. I figure that if Moses and the children of Israel could make it for 40 years wandering in the wilderness, I can survive the wilderness of publishing for a while longer.
And for Larry, may I suggest that if no one but you ever reads what you write, your work has still affected one person–you–and perhaps that’s what God had in mind.
Thanks for the encouragement.
Larry
I sincerely thank you for your consideration of my perspective, and how you were gracious to share your own, Richard, yet I honestly believe that while I certainly never was a Pollyanna, the whole process of this industry has made me a more jaded individual than I once was.
Whether or not the industry ever truthfully acknowledges what it does to writers….no, whether or not writers will be willing to put up with such nonsense, is one of the questions that this new era of change may decide.
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
Larry, I can’t speak for the industry at large, but as an individual, I know I acknowledge every single day – whether in a phone call, an email, or a blog post – “what this industry does to writers.” I hear you, and I hear my clients. I am here to bring authors and readers together, any way I can, and I believe more and more of us “industry” people have this goal.
Larry
Yes, I should have made a distinction between agents and the other parts of the business side of the equation: the hard work and loyalty that the Books and Such team displays for their clients is admirable, and the willingness to tackle the often unsavory problems of the industry in a public forum such as this is commendable.
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
Doc, you are certainly a great example of someone who put the waiting to good use! It was frustrating at the time, but it all paid off.
And now you probably sometimes wish you had nothing to do but “wait” — but the deadlines are calling!
Cheryl Malandrinos
Rachelle, this post has been such a blessing to me, because I am in that waiting place now. I’m frustrated and a bit discouraged, but way too stubborn to give up. One of the reasons I do my best to check in her daily is because I often find exactly what I need. Thanks for providing that today.
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
Cheryl, may God bless you in your waiting!
And… may you fill your waiting time with lots more hard work. 🙂
Michelle Ule
I’ve written on this subject myself several times–including about the disappointment that the people I wanted to impress died, but at least I know they loved me.
Because I’m a Christian, I believe all things in my life are in God’s hands and his timing is right. When I was ravenous for publishing success, I did not know years were coming when a publishing contract probably would have destroyed my family circumstances.
That’s easy to say on this side of it, but often we can only see God’s will when looking backwards.
Lots of growth–personal and in the lives of those you love–can happen when you are in a waiting place and not distracted by a book contract.
I try to hold it lightly and savor the experiences while I have them, trusting God will use the events of my life to his glory–even the ones that don’t feel like successes.
Because in the long run, isn’t that what’s truly important?
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
Beautiful thoughts, Michelle, and so true. Thank you!
Lori Benton
Michelle, I hear you about the waiting taking longer than some precious souls had left in this life. My debut novel is dedicated to two women I longed to share this first book experience with because of the part each played in seeing it come to pass. My grandmother, and a good friend. But I believe they are among those cloud of witnesses now, and it’s no secret.
Barbara
Michelle, Your words provided an “aha” moment for me. Thank you. I was just getting started–had an agent and my first book published–it as if God were finally saying now was my time, then the publisher rejected my second (and better written) book and my agent retired. But now, a few years later I look at the more recent events in my life and realize truly God’s timing is everything. The past two years have been filled with one crisis after another, and while I have continued to write and grow, I never could have fulfilled the demands of a new book deal. In my head I always know that God’s timing is best, but somehow your words made it personal for where I am right now.
Susan Roach
“Dear friends, don’t let this one thing escape you: with the Lord one day is like 1,000 years and 1,000 years like one day.” That’s II Peter 3:8, where Peter was encouraging that first generation of Christians to be patient and wait for Christ’s return. Generations upon generations later, we are still waiting for that ultimate promise – eventually, God will make a new heaven and a new earth and put everything to right! And within that grand wait are so many smaller waits, a writer’s many waits among them. For a seeker of Christ, in each delay there is a kingdom purpose. The challenge is not to fidget so much that I miss it!
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
“In each delay there is a Kingdom purpose.” How very wise!
Cynthia Herron
Ahhh, the waiting season! Not easy, but definitely a time of growth and refinement.
Keli Gwyn
Well said, Cindy.
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
Growth and refinement are key, Cynthia. We have to remember to pursue those goals, rather than just wallow in the agony of waiting.
Heather Day Gilbert
And Cynthia, the prayers of your friends can truly buoy you up in those waiting times! I have some friends like that…grin.
Tommy Fiasco
I’m based in the UK and I just had my first rejection from an agency and honestly, it was more crushing than I had imagined. I’m quite resilient and I had expected it but it was still disheartening to say the least. Luckily they were professional and efficient in their turnaround time but it was of little consolation.
But I thanked them for their time and consideration nonetheless and I will continue to submit my material to other agencies and publishers and to of course, wait it out.
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
Tommy, it gets easier… but not much. Rejection always hurts regardless of how thick you try to make your skin. But I’m glad you’re going to keep going!
Tommy Fiasco
Thank you Rachelle, you’ve got to grind to shine right? 🙂
Janet Ann Collins
Tommy, getting a rejection proves you’re really a writer. Only people who are serious about writing get them. The others never submit anything.
Tommy Fiasco
That’s true Janet, I’d not looked at it from that perspective before, thank you 🙂
Kathy
So helpful. Thank you for this. I’m sorry to admit I’ve felt that purpling bruise and had to deal with myself.
I’ll keep waiting on the Lord and renewing my strength.
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
And which of us hasn’t felt that purpling bruise? Thanks for sharing, Kathy, and may the Lord keep renewing you!
kathyboydfellure
Thank you so much for posting this, Rachelle.
I am grateful to read other perspectives.
Trusting God and trying to be bear fruit during my waiting season.
Blessings.
jude urbanski
Interesting post and comments. A fellow co-author and I are in the waiting mode. I have been there before, but she hasn’t. I told her there was a purpose and that is how it was for a lot of reasons. I can say electronic formats (once all the selling and editing is over) is by far faster.
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
You’re right, Jude, we hate waiting, but in “the old days” things were MUCH slower. Imagine doing all your queries by snail mail!
I do believe we can find purpose in the waiting, but we have to seek it, we can’t expect it to simply find us with no effort of our own.
Heather Day Gilbert
The waiting process for writers, if it continues over years, almost becomes a grieving process. I don’t think I’ll ever look back and say it was great for me–rather, it threw me into a continual depression (and this started five years ago!). HOWEVER. I did build my platform, make wonderful writer friends, gain some editing skills, and learn so much along the way. I’m not THERE YET, but I am finally learning to be thankful, no matter what comes. And I find the more thankful I am, the more I BELIEVE God has good for me, the more blessings He pours out (reading Ann Voskamp’s book now). No one can prepare you for the dizzying heights and below-sea level depths you’ll experience in this business…but God can walk you through it.
Oh, and I still have a book that’s been out on submission for more than a year. In that time…I wrote another book. Good way to focus the energy.
Jennifer Major
Your perseverance inspires me ALOT, did you know that?
Heather Day Gilbert
Thank you! When you’re living it, it sure doesn’t feel inspirational! Ha! But in retrospect, we see how God has never left our sides.
Jennifer Major
Again, I haven’t read many comments, so I don’t know what many of you said. But for me, for my husband and I, the waiting is not about anything or anyone other than our prodigal daughter. None of his or my accomplishments or dreams to come can measure up to the painful wait of seeing our child toss her life away. The shyest of our four kids, and our only daughter, is living a life we never imagined for her. 2 years ago, I was >this< close to dragging her down to stay with a friend in Ravello, Bolivia. What? No one knows where that is? Good, then the boyfriend won't find her. But we opted not to, yes, it WAS an option. Because as a very wise friend said, "even if you get rid of this guy, there will be another equally slimy guy in his place". So, we keep the doors open, the words flowing and we're ready to wrap the robe around her, as soon as she clues in that she is worth far more than she thinks. I've said this before, but if the choice was writing, or her, goodbye writing.
Heather Day Gilbert
Amen, Jennifer. Family always comes first. Prayers for your daughter, my friend.
Jennifer Major
Thanks. 🙂
Meghan Carver
Yes, Jennifer. “If the choice was writing or her, goodbye writing.” As much as I adore writing, the family is always first and getting the children to Heaven. Tears and prayers for you today.
Jan Thompson
Same here. I chose family over writing for 13 years, and I have no regrets. When I started writing again, I found my voice stronger, my goals clearer, and my stubbornness more, uh, decided.
Jennifer Major
Thank you for those words, Meghan, and the prayers.
Jennifer Major
Haha! Jan, stubbornness more decided? Nicely put. 😀
Larry
Sorry to hear about this, Jennifer.
You have far more kindness that I do.
“I was >this< close to dragging her down to stay with a friend in Ravello, Bolivia."
It wouldn't have been her I would have made disappear….
Jennifer Major
Ohhh, it’s not like I didn’t give that any thought. Trust me. I had a whole men’s hockey team at my disposal. 😀
Oops, I mean, “Larry, what a bad thing to say.”
Karen Barnett
Addie’s words were exactly what I was feeling during the long wait–“…a purpling bruise that keeps getting elbowed by other people’s good news.” I did my best to feel happy for others’ success, but I have to admit it was growing more and more difficult.
When it came my turn to announce good news (hooray!), I immediately thought of all my writers friends who would still be waiting. We all know that it’s in God’s hands and His timing, but it’s still very, very hard. I’m praying now that people will be encouraged by my story and it won’t be one more blow to already-tender hearts.
Jan Thompson
Congratulations on your publishing milestone! I’m happy for you. This is great cause for celebration, and I’m always glad to hear that writers are getting published. As an avid reader, I’m looking forward to enjoying reading your novels when they hit the shelves.
Go celebrate to the fullest. Don’t let your writers-in-waiting friends (or strangers) stop you. I blogged about how, when chasing our own publication dreams, that we writers need to cheer on other writers who are ahead of us. http://tinyurl.com/chariotsafire
Congrats again!
Heather Day Gilbert
You know what, Karen, your very humility and thoughtfulness of others speaks volumes. Yes, we need to be able to celebrate, esp. when we know many others have been praying us along every step of the way. But at the same time, it’s hard to celebrate those victories when we know others are sitting where we just sat, so to speak. Such a fine line, but thank you for your carefulness not to re-bruise others.
Karen Barnett
Thanks Jan and Heather! I am enjoying the ride, but I wish I could bring so many of my writing friends with me. So many writers have mentored me over the years, I hope to have the opportunity to do the same.
Missy
Oh, this is exactly what I needed today. I’m in the waiting game – my MS is on submission to publishers now. Life has thrown a ton of “big picture” stuff our way (as many of you have also mentioned) so I guess I can continue to be patient in regards to the MS. I’ll keep writing the new stuff. Thanks for this post. Seriously. I needed it.
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
You’re welcome! Glad I could speak into your tender spots today. 🙂
Danica
Ah Rachelle, I feel you here… and I think you know it. For me, the waiting is really really really really hard.
But you know what inspires me to keep going? People like you. You really blessed me that time you told me that you thought I was doing everything right and that I was a good example of what people should be doing during the wait. I think about it often and use your words to remind myself that I have to keep going.
The waiting stinks. But it’s a part of life for everyone, and just when I think I am just DONE with the waiting, I find someone who has been encouraged by the fact that I have been waiting for so long. And I wonder if maybe that’s the point of my waiting.
Thanks for this post and reminding me again of your encouragement.
Rachelle Gardner (@RachelleGardner)
Danica, at least you know you are not waiting alone! We’re all in this together, and it helps when we encourage each other. Your note is an encouragement to me, so thank you!
Cherry Laska
I am in the waiting place…
In some ways I feel great.
1) I believe my manuscript is in the best condition, because I’ve taken time to rewrite and have it professionally edited.
2) I really like the agents who I’ve submitted to.
3) I’m deep into researching and writing book #2
4) My home and family are benefitting from my extra time.
5) I can work on my golf game again.
6) People keep telling me they can’t wait to read my book.
7) I know if all else fails, great indie publishing options are available.
In other ways the waiting is not good.
1) Self-doubt builds.
2) I keep checking to make the sound on my phone is on – so I won’t miss the phone call from the agent saying she loved it and must represent me.
3) I am constantly checking my emails – and really starting to get annoyed by the number of informational and solicitation ones I get.
4) I’d like to put my marketing plan and book tour in motion.
Silence is golden. Silence is also deafening.
Thanks for the reminder that it does take time and I am not alone.
Morgan Tarpley
I so relate to your list, Cherry! You are not alone! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Michelle Lim
Rachelle, thank you so much for this encouraging reminder today. It truly can be crazy-making some days. One day you think for sure it will hit the slush pile, the next you are hopeful. I appreciate the sound advice.
Jessie Andersen
I was struggling with this and praying about it just today. Thanks for your timely words.
Jan Thompson
“But in publishing, unfortunately… yes, it really can take that long.”
I’m more optimistic than ever that I will somehow be published, Larry’s gloominess notwithstanding. I am optimistic because of the paradigm shift in the publishing industry with the emergence of self-publishing, hybrid writers, and the concerted effort of agents and publishers to adjust to the new normal. This is a far cry from the time I began my writing journey in the 1990s when publishers resided in inaccessible ivory towers, agents were scary gatekeepers, and 99.99% of mss ended up in slush piles.
Someone out there in blogosphere pointed out that the new slush pile is comprised of self-published eBooks. Perhaps that is true. But when writers wait decades to get noticed by traditional publishers, their mss are in danger of becoming dusty old relics, and the writers themselves are in danger of reaching lifespan thresholds. I would prefer not to have my mss published posthumously if I can help it.
“How does the waiting affect you, and how do you keep your spirits up?”
First, I trust God for my writing career. Second, I changed my mindset toward the publishing industry. Seeing how a number of midlist authors are in danger of being dropped by publishers due to poor sales or crowded fields, I’m warming up to the reality of being a hybrid writer. I would like to be traditionally published, but not for all my series and trilogies. While I wait for those elusive contracts on some of my mss, I will be keeping busy self-publishing the others. Taking a cue from banking, I’m diversifying my portfolio.
Thank you, Rachelle, for the timely post. Things are looking up! 😎
Larry
Hmmm…yes, in no way did I mean to include the self-pubbed wave in my analysis.
I suppose that market is a good refute of the problem of the traditional industry.
donnie and doodle
. . . this may make all of you writers feel better:
I have to wait “seven time” longer (to get things done) than you people do. Think about it.
Janet Ann Collins
I’m at a waiting place in my personal life, and your post was an encouragement to me about that, as well as about writing.
Dina Santorelli
What an interesting post. I both agree and disagree. I agree that waiting is difficult, and you absolutely should not give up on your dreams simply because you are waiting and things are taking a long time. That said, I think there’s “waiting” and I think there’s “spinning your wheels” — two different things. If progress is being made while waiting — perhaps you’ve learning how to make your manuscript tighter, how to delve deeper, how to make it better with every “pass” or rejection, that’s great. But if you’re not, if the frustration comes from more than just “waiting,” but comes from dissatisfaction or confusion then I agree with what you said in the comments, Rachelle: “There are many ways to make a dream come true.” In other words, “waiting” isn’t always a good thing. You have to decide if, for you as an author, it is and if it’s worth it.
Cheri Gregory
I have the luxury of reflecting back more than two decades to my very first writers’ conference. I was so excited and so sure I was ready to become a published author!
I was so NOT.
It’s taken half my lifetime to receive a contract with my name on it. Any sooner would have been too soon. I had so much to learn and so much to live.
I’ll be proud of the book. But I want to be just as proud, and perhaps prouder, of the entire process.
Donna Fentanes
I have been waiting over a decade for responses; only just six years ago did I first get an article published. It has been a long wait. And I am of the hare kind….tortoise training, indeed. This piece by the author of “O Love that Wilt not let me Go”, George Matheson, wrote this quote that appears in Mrs. Cowman’s Streams in the Desert. I hope it is ok the post a link.
http://devotionals.ochristian.com/Mrs.-Charles-Cowman-Devotional.-Streams-in-the-Desert/0130.shtml
Sue Harrison
Wow, did I need this blog post! Thank you so much Rachelle.
When my daughter goes through frustrating times, she always says, “God is stretching me.” I needed to be reminded by you that that is true, and that good things happen even while we are waiting.