A few weeks ago I saw this video pop up on my facebook timeline titled “The Fastest Cashier in the World”, aka making fun of an Indian woman’s slow speed. One commenter said, “This is just like the publishing industry.”
Noticie how mind-blowingly slow she moves, enough to pull your hair out. I could imagine publishers moving just as slow when it comes to my book. Turns out this woman has a heartbreaking story: she is the survivor of two heart attacks and a stroke and STILL goes to work.
When I first signed my contract back in Jan 2015, the idea of ALLEGEDLY being published in Jan 2017 seemed SO. FAR. AWAY! I wanted the book to come out immediately, I even begged and grew grumpy that they wanted to wait so long. I was assured the publisher wanted a solid amount of marketing lead time, thus this extreme delay. Lies, I thought.
But now, with almost a month to go, I don’t feel ready for the book to come out at all. These two years have flown by and I find myself drenched in anxiety. Did I build enough of a following? Are all my marketing materials ready? Did I connect with enough fellow writers to support me? I don’t feel 100% confident to answer any of these questions. Meanwhile, my publisher has been slowly creating assets, spreading the word, and giving this book it’s fair shot. They are more confident in its success than I am.
I say all that to say, yes the publishing industry is the slowest moving machine in the entire world but there is a valid reason. Reasons you may not be aware of. Just like the Indian woman, not everything is as it seems.
Trust the process and take advantage of the time to build your platform. There are solid reasons why your novel will take so long to be published.
