Afraid You’re Never Going to Get Published? How to Deal with This Possibility
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Grappling with the question “what if I never get published?” is a painful, but inevitable, part of the book publishing process. Some authors get so discouraged that they give up their dream entirely, but I don’t want this fear to get you down or stop you from pursuing your book.
Here is a framework for how to deal with the possibility of your book never getting published — and why it isn't necessarily such a bad thing.
Acknowledge the Difficulties of the Industry
Traditional publishing is incredibly competitive and like getting into a top-ranked college, success is not guaranteed, no matter how talented or hardworking you are.
You can have a perfect academic record and still not get into the top college of your choice. And the fact is that publishing, as much as we want it to be, is not a meritocracy. No matter how deserving of a book deal you might be, or how amazing your story is, or how hard you work at getting published, it may or may not happen due to factors out of your control.
Agents receive hundreds of queries per year and may only offer representation to a select few of those. And once you get a literary agent, sometimes your book might “die” on submission, which is a morbid way of saying that editors at publishing houses might not make you a book deal offer.
I don't say all of this to discourage you, but it's imperative that you understand that all the time and energy and effort that you're putting into this process are not going to guarantee the results that you want. Rejection is not a reflection of your talent or even your book's potential, but it is a part of this process, and any author that you admire has also gone through some kind of rejection.
Be Honest with Yourself
It's so important to go into the book writing and publishing process with a healthy mindset. If you're writing a book because you think it's going to be a fast track to fame, success, and money, then you're probably going to end up being disappointed.
Look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself totally honestly, are you pursuing publishing because you want to add credibility to your name or bolster your resume in some way? Or are you doing it because you can't imagine not getting this story told, because it is something you feel so passionate and dedicated to doing?
You have to be in this for the right reasons, and you have to love the act of writing and storytelling enough to justify all of the energy and effort you're going to put into it without a guaranteed result.
Try to focus on the joy of writing, what brought you to this to begin with, rather than the external validation of getting a book deal. This is going to help you feel so much more fulfilled, no matter what your publishing outcome is.
Adjust Your Expectations
So now that you've sat with the possibility that your book is never going to get published, I want you to adjust your expectations from here on out. The better mentally prepared you are to handle rejection, you'll be able to define success for yourself on your own terms.
Traditional publishing can absolutely be your dream and something that you pursue. But by arming yourself with these realistic expectations, you can also start to think about what your next step might look like if traditional publishing doesn't work out.
For instance, you might decide that if you can't find a literary agent for this project, you'll explore self-publishing. Or maybe you're on submission to publishers and no one makes you a book deal offer, so you and your agent decide to pursue a new book project that you're excited about.
If you feel drained and just need to take a break from working on a book-length project, you can shift your focus to short stories and maybe pursue publication in literary journals or magazines.
But remember that success does not have to equate to publishing at all. Success to you could be working up the courage to share your story in a critique group, joining a writing workshop, or working to improve your own distinct voice and style as a storyteller.
Acknowledging and tracking all of these goals can help you focus on intrinsic motivation rather than the external validation of publishing.
Stay Optimistic
Publishing a book is a roller coaster where you are bound to experience extreme highs and extreme lows. So, as much as you can, try to persevere, stay resilient, and seek support in people who understand what you're doing and those who have been there before.
Take solace in the fact that so many very successful authors have been in your shoes, and setbacks are normal and a part of the process. If traditional publishing is a dream of yours, all you can do is keep trying at it. While there's no guarantee that you will get the book deal that you want, the only way to guarantee you will fail is if you give up.
So, in the meantime, when you're playing the waiting game, waiting to hear back from literary agents or waiting to hear back from editors at publishing houses, celebrate the small victories along the way. Whether it's finishing a revision or getting positive feedback on your story or achieving a personal writing milestone like NaNoWriMo, I want you to keep dreaming and setting your sights high while also being realistic about all the possible outcomes of your publishing journey.
Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing!