Anxiety about publishing--anyone been there?

Sleepysara

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Hi,

So, a small press has offered me a contract. I am excited; this is something I've wanted for a long time. And yet...!

I have so much anxiety about signing! I reviewed the contract itself and I think it's fine. My fear/anxiety I think has more to do with the fact that I've been pretty secretive about my writing. Most of the people close to me don't know that I write fiction. I'm almost ashamed to admit it to them--I feel like I will be forced to reveal this part of myself that I'm not sure I'm ready to reveal.

Has anyone else been here? Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks.
 

ironmikezero

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First of all--congrats on the offer!

It may be wise to thoroughly research the small press that made the offer. Consider having an attorney (with appropriate experience/expertise) review the contract and offer subsequent guidance. If all is well, and you still have some anxiety regarding becoming known as an author, consider a pen name for the work in question. Pseudonyms by themselves offer little protection from determined readers/fans/investigators bent upon revealing the actual author. It may be better to accept the reality that at some point someone will learn that you write; you'll have little choice but to learn to live with that cat escaping the bag.

If you elect to publish, being recognized as a writer/author (by few or many) is pretty much inevitable. You can always ask, of those who do, to please respect your privacy.

Whatever you decide, best of luck! Congrats again!
 

WeaselFire

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God invented tequila to solve your problem. Though many prefer rum. :)

Seriously, don't sweat it. You'll make mistakes, and learn, as you go. Publish and get on to writing the next one.

Jeff
 

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Hi,

So, a small press has offered me a contract. I am excited; this is something I've wanted for a long time. And yet...!

I have so much anxiety about signing! I reviewed the contract itself and I think it's fine. My fear/anxiety I think has more to do with the fact that I've been pretty secretive about my writing. Most of the people close to me don't know that I write fiction. I'm almost ashamed to admit it to them--I feel like I will be forced to reveal this part of myself that I'm not sure I'm ready to reveal.

Has anyone else been here? Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks.

First of all, make sure you get your contract reviewed by someone who knows publishing contracts, not just someone with a law degree. They're difficult to read if you don't understand publishing. In the UK the Society of Authors will do this for you, for free, if you're a member, and I'm sure there'll be other writers' organisations elsewhere.

You did check into this publisher before you submitted to them, right? If not, head over to our BR&BC room and check them now and if they look at all dodgy, think twice before signing. I know it's hard turning down a contract when you've worked so hard to get to this point but it's better to remain unpublished than to be published badly, and you'll be grateful in years to come.

As for your reluctance to tell people you're at this point: well, you don't have to if you don't want to. If you do tell anyone, word will spread: don't expect people to understand what publishing entails, or to realise that small presses don't always get their books into shops, or to understand that writers don't necessarily become instantly rich and famous when their books are published. You're bound to encounter some foolishness, and possibly hurtful comments, even if you have a usually-supportive family: just breathe, and smile, and don't engage. You can't give everyone a course in How Publishing Works, and even if you could, they won't necessarily believe you.

Mostly, though, well done!
 

Sleepysara

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First of all, make sure you get your contract reviewed by someone who knows publishing contracts, not just someone with a law degree. They're difficult to read if you don't understand publishing. In the UK the Society of Authors will do this for you, for free, if you're a member, and I'm sure there'll be other writers' organisations elsewhere.

You did check into this publisher before you submitted to them, right? If not, head over to our BR&BC room and check them now and if they look at all dodgy, think twice before signing. I know it's hard turning down a contract when you've worked so hard to get to this point but it's better to remain unpublished than to be published badly, and you'll be grateful in years to come.

As for your reluctance to tell people you're at this point: well, you don't have to if you don't want to. If you do tell anyone, word will spread: don't expect people to understand what publishing entails, or to realise that small presses don't always get their books into shops, or to understand that writers don't necessarily become instantly rich and famous when their books are published. You're bound to encounter some foolishness, and possibly hurtful comments, even if you have a usually-supportive family: just breathe, and smile, and don't engage. You can't give everyone a course in How Publishing Works, and even if you could, they won't necessarily believe you.

Mostly, though, well done!


Thanks for this--I do think I'll need to brace myself for some unexpected reactions!

- - - Updated - - -

God invented tequila to solve your problem. Though many prefer rum. :)

Seriously, don't sweat it. You'll make mistakes, and learn, as you go. Publish and get on to writing the next one.

Jeff

Thanks for the well-needed perspective. :)
 

gingerwoman

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I signed with a press that I knew for a fact was massively successful and that many authors encouraged me to go for, a press with a number of NYT best sellers to its name and many many more NYT best selling authors writing for it, and many authors very happy with the income they were making from having their books with that press.

Five years later, due to massive changes in the industry, the small press has folded. Be careful.
 

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Hi,

So, a small press has offered me a contract. I am excited; this is something I've wanted for a long time. And yet...!

I have so much anxiety about signing! I reviewed the contract itself and I think it's fine. My fear/anxiety I think has more to do with the fact that I've been pretty secretive about my writing. Most of the people close to me don't know that I write fiction. I'm almost ashamed to admit it to them--I feel like I will be forced to reveal this part of myself that I'm not sure I'm ready to reveal.

Has anyone else been here? Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks.

You've had excellent advice on the contract. Vet everything and be wary. Read it with worst-case scenarios in mind, even if you think those worst-case scenarios are impossible. A good contract will protect both sides if things go to hell.

As far as the second part: Oh, yes. The exposure to the world thing.

I think the thing to remember is that every reader brings themselves to the story you are telling. No two readers are going to be reading the same book. Of course you are exposing yourself, but what they see is not going to be you, but a mix of you, the fiction you've created, and their own selves and experiences.

People are going to say hurtful things. That's a given. Go to the world's biggest bestsellers, the books most critically acclaimed, and read the low-star reviews. Someone is going to hate what you've written, and read weird things into it, and say stuff that's absolutely crushing.

And someone is going to read it and get it and if you're very lucky they will say that in a place where you can read it, or even tell you face to face. Those are the moments you hang on to, that will feed you when you're working on the next book.

You can't get out of this publishing gig without walking around with your skin off. Whether or not it's worth it to you will become apparent only after you've done it. All I can suggest is that you ignore the bad (because it comes to everyone, really and truly, no matter how brilliant their work) and hold the good close to your heart.

Best of luck to you!
 

WhirlyGirly

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Ha! Yes. I write romance (not the sweet kind) and my parents are very religious. The thought of them reading one of my books makes me want to set the ms on fire and fake my own death. Advice? Do it anyway. Embarrassment feels like crap, but no one ever died from it. The only thing that works for me is accepting the awkwardness, moving through it, and getting to the other side. Sometimes with wine, sometimes just by gritting my teeth.
 

gingerwoman

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You can use a pen name. It does suck feeling like you don't want anyone you know to read your work.
 

Sleepysara

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You've had excellent advice on the contract. Vet everything and be wary. Read it with worst-case scenarios in mind, even if you think those worst-case scenarios are impossible. A good contract will protect both sides if things go to hell.

As far as the second part: Oh, yes. The exposure to the world thing.

I think the thing to remember is that every reader brings themselves to the story you are telling. No two readers are going to be reading the same book. Of course you are exposing yourself, but what they see is not going to be you, but a mix of you, the fiction you've created, and their own selves and experiences.

People are going to say hurtful things. That's a given. Go to the world's biggest bestsellers, the books most critically acclaimed, and read the low-star reviews. Someone is going to hate what you've written, and read weird things into it, and say stuff that's absolutely crushing.

And someone is going to read it and get it and if you're very lucky they will say that in a place where you can read it, or even tell you face to face. Those are the moments you hang on to, that will feed you when you're working on the next book.

You can't get out of this publishing gig without walking around with your skin off. Whether or not it's worth it to you will become apparent only after you've done it. All I can suggest is that you ignore the bad (because it comes to everyone, really and truly, no matter how brilliant their work) and hold the good close to your heart.

Best of luck to you!

Thank you so much for this. In a lovely turn, your advice has made me feel understood. I will really keep your advice in mind.

- - - Updated - - -

I signed with a press that I knew for a fact was massively successful and that many authors encouraged me to go for, a press with a number of NYT best sellers to its name and many many more NYT best selling authors writing for it, and many authors very happy with the income they were making from having their books with that press.

Five years later, due to massive changes in the industry, the small press has folded. Be careful.

I'm sorry!
 

Sleepysara

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Ha! Yes. I write romance (not the sweet kind) and my parents are very religious. The thought of them reading one of my books makes me want to set the ms on fire and fake my own death. Advice? Do it anyway. Embarrassment feels like crap, but no one ever died from it. The only thing that works for me is accepting the awkwardness, moving through it, and getting to the other side. Sometimes with wine, sometimes just by gritting my teeth.

Ah, yes, wine.

I'm now working on something that may turn out to be a romance too and I cringe thinking about others reading it. I just have to write it and tell myself that it may never see the light of day. If it does, I can worry about what other people think at that point.