Going On Submission

There are so many emotions and I am experiencing all of them

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

After the brainstorming, the writing, the reading, the revising—what comes next?

The End is a choice. You don’t have to stop writing and revising if you don’t want to. It can be comfortable to keep your project going with your own ideas or the help of writing partners.

But when you can’t make any more edits, when your writing partners and agent give you the thumbs up, that’s when you go on submission.

I’ve never in my life wished more that books were written and mysteriously appeared on shelves without pause, but that’s not how the game is played. When a book is on submission, it means that your literary agent is sending it out to publishers to find an editor.

Kind of like fishing, but for people.

This is an exciting step, one that’s already challenging to get to. But that doesn’t mean the hard part is over. I’ve convinced friends, family, and my agent that this manuscript has a future audience, but now I have to convince an editor and their team that they need this book just as much as we do.

Yes, we! :)

This is a big step. An exciting, anxiety-inducing, completely necessary step to traditional publishing that I now find myself living through—and I’m not sure how to feel about it. On the one hand, this is so exciting! Editors will be reading my work, and some of them might even like it! On the other hand…what if they don’t?

Being on submission is a slow process full of excitement but without anyway to dispel your energy (or fears). Whether it takes 1 month or 1 year, you’re still going to wait. Eagerly. Maybe even impatiently.

The hardest part about being on submission isn’t anything I have to do. It’s actually the opposite. I don’t do anything. I sent my agent a short bio and a first-draft synopsis, and now I wait while she does all the hard work. It wasn’t maddening until I actually thought about it.

How to best describe the crazy rush of feelings when I got the text that publishers were sent my manuscript?

1. Jumping-up-and-down joy

2. Mind-numbing fear of rejection

3. A fast-pounding heart that has…yet to chill out?

4. Fantastical daydreams of that phone call

Now put these four things on repeat, while also sometimes happening simultaneously, and you’ll understand why I’m waffling between staring into space and monitoring my stress-eat-jellybeans impulse.

Especially because, as previously mentioned, there is no timeline! It’s best to get these nerves out of my system ASAP because there’s a good chance they aren’t going away anytime soon.

Photo by Artem Maltsev on Unsplash

I could keep going. I’m resisting the urge to keep going. Writing this Substack post is particularly challenging because I don’t have an ending yet. I’m still feeling all of the excitement I’ve already written about, and it might be a while before I get that satisfying conclusion I usually provide.

The good news is I’ve reinvented the wheel (again) when it comes to keeping my mind and body occupied (otherwise I might shake like a bus over a pothole).

Walks are a daily must-have at this point. Whether with friends or on my trusty walking pad, I’ve learned that I can’t be nervous if I’m exhausted.

I’ve completed some longstanding personal goals. I finally made that playlist I wrote about a few weeks ago, and I’ve tested it out on a few writing sessions with decent success.

I also have other things to look forward to. This week, I’ll be in South Carolina for what is slowly becoming an annual summer trip. My goal is to finish reading Pride and Prejudice so I can watch the BBC’s adaptation to celebrate. (I’m celebrating my Austen summer, if you couldn’t tell.)

Maybe I’ll have an exciting update to share soon, maybe I won’t. I’m okay with that. I’ve decided that my job is to keep on writing, walking, and making progress on other projects. Might as well get a jump on Manuscript 2 (if only so I don’t forget how to write).

All good things to those who wait, or something like that. Looks like I’m learning patience today.

P.S.— Send help. Or jellybeans.

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End of Week Writing Stats

Days Worked: 3

Words Added: 5,730

Handfuls of Motivational Snacks: 1