What I've learned from three years in publishing

It's pretty hard for me to believe at this point that three years have already passed since I started my foray into the publishing world. It's been literally amazing getting to work with so many authors on different paths and from widely different places - I never expected to have so many close connection all over the world.

While I feel like my journey is both unique and not unique at all, I've made my share of mistakes. This month, I thought it might be fun to share some of the biggest lessons I've learned as an author-slash-editor.

1) It takes how long it takes (and I really wish it didn't)

When I first started publishing my own books, I'd mapped out a plan to have two series completed and published in three years' time. If writing was all I was doing, maybe I would have been able to keep up with that pace. Even then, I'm not so sure. Through the past year, I've had to come to the realization that you can't force art (or rather, you can, but it's not going to be what you or anyone else wants). This has been one of the more frustrating lessons.

For one, it's true of my own books. I want to have all these stories in my head on paper and in your hands - but I can only work so fast.

For another, the trad publishing industry is even slower. There's a reason books sell with release dates two years in advance. Not to mention querying, revising, submitting, editing, and then publishing.

Which brings me to...

2) It's hard not to feel like I'm never where I should be, that I should be working faster or have more published or just generally have more time to put into this

It's a huge benefit to hold the reins of creative control as an indie author. It's also a bit of a curse, because it makes me feel like I should be able to do more in less time. Which, when you think about it, is kind of backwards. Trad publishing has entire teams to bring a book to life, and it takes 2+ years. I'm only one person, and yet somehow I think that means I can work faster... logic, right?

3) It's really exhausting to be working multiple full time jobs in the hopes it one day pulls ahead

I am legit, so tired. It's multiple times a week that I lament to myself how much easier life would be if I cut something - whether that be writing or my day job. And it's true, I would feel a lot less stressed and burnt out if I wasn't trying to edit or publish books. But I wouldn't be fulfilled. And on the other hand, if I cut my day job, I wouldn't have the money to even live.

I know that things don't happen overnight. Still, there are days when I wonder if it's worth it to be working this hard for a "maybe one day".

4) I love supporting my friends' successes, and I also sometimes feel left behind

It's one of the best feelings in the world to see friends publish new books or land new book deals. Seriously, I have some of the most talented people in my life.

And, simultaneously, I can't help but look at that and think about how "far behind" I am by comparison. How, if I could just get a foot in the door, I'd be so much farther. How I need to have more books out and work faster and just generally be better.

They say comparison is the thief of joy for a reason.

5) I almost always feel like my books don't measure up

I've always considered my books to be light entertainment and nothing that will change a life. But when I take a step back, there's a voice that creeps in that says they're not even fully formed enough to be entertaining because there are just too many holes.

I have to remind myself regularly that I write because I love it and I want to read these stories - even if no one else likes them. These are for me.

6) There's a lot of pressure to deliver once you have books published

I hadn't really considered how much harder writing would be with expectations. So many of my early projects were completed - at least in first draft - before I ever published a thing. Because of that, I thought continuing series and meeting timelines would be straightforward. Boy, was I wrong.

There's always a little part of me that's thinking about how the next books will be received. Now that I have a brand, now that my audience has an idea of what I can put out, will this next one measure up to where they wanted the series to go?

7) Because of 6, it's really important to have a strong foundation of writing for myself first

I've said it before and I'll say it again, but I really encourage everyone to enjoy the time before signing any contracts. Not because writing after doesn't have joy, but because I've had to fight myself daily to remember that joy and not to think of writing as simply a product to be offered.

When you have that time and freedom, leave yourself notes, write down your gratitude, hold onto the things that you love about it. Even have a sort of "mission statement" outlining why you need to write. Then, on the days when it feels harder, you can fall back on the reasons why you started in the first place.

8) Unless you're incredibly lucky, we all have to work our way up. There is no way around conducting our own research to try and understand how publishing works.

When I transitioned into editing and I had a couple published works under my belt, I started to get questions about my journey and my business. This is natural, and I welcome questions from people seeking knowledge where it can't be found online.

However, there are certain elements I've been asked about that can be found widely. Things like how to write a book and how to query and the steps in traditional publishing. Many authors are so happy to talk about the process, but everyone started in the same place with zero knowledge whatsoever, and we all had to try and fail to find out what works.

There is no way around this in certain situations. Researching agents and learning how to query and finding out how to revise are all skills. And they are skills that each individual has to practice and learn on their own. There are people who can help, but we don't get to skip the line.

9) There's a lot of rejection - even when self-publishing

It's true, even self-pub authors don't get to avoid rejection. There are always going to be people who don't like our writing. (That's actually a good thing, but it still stings.) There are going to be attempts to get books in bookstores that go nowhere. There are going to be events to attend that get denied or marketing spots that fill up too quickly.

Unfortunately, learning to have a thick skin is sort of universal in this industry.

10) Unfortunately, publishing also means accepting a lot of other unpaid work (marketing, social media, etc.)

Whether trad or self publishing, being an author these days means wearing a lot of hats. There are very few book deals out that gate that offer much marketing support. For that reason, authors often become their own advocates - finding bookish events to attend, hosting signings, running their own social media, etc.

We all hate it. It's kind of part of the job, unless you can afford to hire someone else.

11) There are tons of unforeseen costs, and there are ways around them, but that usually means more time

In self publishing specifically, I thought that the cost was to print the book. What I learned was that there is way more that goes into the backend than I ever expected. Things like:

• Website hosting

• Email lists

• Social media marketing/boosting

• Opening printing accounts

• Cover costs

• Editing costs

• Interior formatting costs

• Proofreading costs

• Proof copies

• Author copies

• Marketing copies

• Special editions

• Audiobooks (if you want them)

The list goes on. The tradeoff, as mentioned above, is either time or money. I chose to do my own interior formatting, which was still a one-time fee for the program, but it takes more time in the end. Whereas I could pay $250-$500 per book to have a nice interior created by someone else. But that's the choice we all have to weigh.

12) Publishing, specifically trad, only cares about what will sell and not what's good

I think it's a pretty well-known hot take that trad publishers aren't really looking for the best writing but the best book they think they can make money off of. I know so many of my friends who are amazing writers and deserve to have their books in stores, and they keep getting rejected because their stories aren't commercial enough. It's not what's trending. It's not what will make publishers money.

And honestly, that's my biggest frustration with the industry in general. There are so many hurdles to overcome even to get in front of a publisher, but the main question they concern themselves with is how they can present the product.

It's not about authors - individuals - it's about profit.

13) Even in the self-publishing space, there are a lot of barriers to minority communities

I used to think that self-publishing was so accessible, and it meant that anyone could participate. And while it's definitely a lower-barrier option than trad publishing, it's not open to success for everyone, especially minority communities.

At the end of the day, people will buy what they buy, and a lot of the time that still means hetero white-centered or white-written stories. In her book Inequalities of Platform Publishing: The Promise and Peril of Self-Publishing in the Digital Book Era Parnell says, "...self-publishing platforms reproduce challenges for authors from marginalized communities. Far from equalizing the market, the new platforms instead frequently perpetuate the stubborn barriers to mainstream success for BIPOC and queer authors." (If you want to get into it, check out her book.)

14) The best writing support is a total of three people: someone ahead of you, someone in the same place as you, and someone behind you

We talk about building community a lot, and I've always held to the idea that while it's important to find people at the same stage as you, it's also important to nurture someone behind and to learn from someone ahead. Having those three stages provides the largest opportunities for career growth simply from varied experience.

15) Don't bank on instant success, even in trad publishing

Wouldn't it be nice to be an instant bestseller? Every book I put out, I definitely have the thought Maybe this will be the one to pop off. So far, that's yet to be the case. But there's always hope, right?

Hope is great, but I would strongly recommend against a business model that is one-and-done. If the whole plan is to publish one amazing book and to coast a career off of it, statics show that's probably not going to be the case.

16) Writing is still one of the most rewarding professions

While it can certainly be exhausting, I am still doing this because I truly do love writing. Like, how many other jobs can you say let you live in your imagination all day? There is no other feeling like solving a stuck plot or planning out characters for a new story or just generally day dreaming. When characters take the plot from you, that's when you know you've got something going! And I really wouldn't trade it for the world.

Add to that, then, getting to see other people read and love these random little worlds I've created just as much as I do - sometimes even moreso. I never thought that I'd be at book clubs focused on stories that I'd created.

I'm sure there are big points that I'm forgetting, and I know that some of those were a bit of a downer, but I share them because I think a lot of authors end up feeling the same way. I want you all to know that you're not alone when thoughts like this come up. Everyone starts somewhere, and at least we can be together for the ride.

(And yes, though I may sound dejected, I do still love writing and I have no plans to stop anytime soon.)

Happy writing,

Erin