Fear

Aeslynn said:

I haven't started the query process yet; I'm still in the revision process.

But this lovely thought just popped into my head:

What if, once I start querying, no one wants my book? What if I go through my list, my primaries and secondaries, and end up with a bunch of crossed-out names and a full rejection folder?

The panic is beginning to set in...

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Then you write another book.

But that's not today's issue.

Have you given this book its best chance for success? Has it been through readers and revisions? Has the query?

Aeslynn said:

The panic is beginning to set in...

Click to expand...

And welcome to writing

Aeslynn said:

What if, once I start querying, no one wants my book? What if I go through my list, my primaries and secondaries, and end up with a bunch of crossed-out names and a full rejection folder?

Click to expand...

Well, if that does indeed happen, you'll be in good company. Most writers go through that.

Still, better not to waste your energy on panicking just yet. As HJ says, the best use of your energy right now is making sure the book and query are the best you can make them. Then you'll know whatever the outcome, you took a fair shot at it.

Not only should you write another book, you should have it written and ready to submit well before you know the fate of the first book. As long as something fresh is out there, you have hope.

Go work on your next book while you're waiting for your betas to get back to you. And consider making it totally unrelated to the first book. I was paranoid about the same sort of thing on my currently-in-query-purgatory book until I got a good handle on a nice new project. It's more relaxing when you've got one making query rounds, one lying fallow, one being worked on.

What exactly are you afraid of?

I mean, I totally understand being nervous. And if no one wants it, that can be frustrating and even discouraging.

But scared?

I'm scared of spiders and sharks, for good reason. They can hurt me. Now that my sons are both teenagers and one of them has his own car, I have lots of new fears to keep me awake at night.

Getting rejected isn't one of them.

Not getting published isn't going to hurt you in any way. And rejection is always just one moment in time. Look at all the people who didn't win American Idol. Some of them have gone on to have amazing careers, better than the ones who did win.

Not publishing this book doesn't mean you won't publish the next book, or some other book after that. So it may be aggravating, but there's nothing to be afraid of.

If you never ask yourself "what if" you're not a writer. But you've already passed that test, now it's time for your next lesson "submitting 101".

If all else fails and you get nothing but rejections, you can always query small independent publishers that accept unsolicited work. When there's a will, there's a way.