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What Does It Feel Like To Try And Get Published?

By on June 9, 2017
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For many writers being a published author is the ultimate goal. But when you first sit down to start writing that novel - the one which has been bubbling up inside you for years, you might have no idea of what is to come!

We all know that trying to get a book published isn’t easy, that it takes a lot of hard work and sometimes blood, sweat and tears, but what does it really feel like?

Here are some analogies to help you figure it out, and decide whether you are up for the challenge!

Trying to get published is like applying for a new job, your dream job, one that you have years of experience in, and yet, when you walk into the interview room, you realise there are a million other candidates all competing to get exactly the same thing.

Trying to get published is like that bit on a roller coaster when it’s slowly chugging up the steepest hill. You know there’s no turning back now, and you’ve no idea whether you are going to love the adrenaline rush, or be absolutely terrified. When it’s over you might feel elated and want to do it all again, or you might want to throw up and be sworn off rollercoasters for life!

Trying to get published is like having to tell the world about the thing you are most proud of, and the thing you are most ashamed of at the very same time.

Trying to get published is like being so excited about going on your dream holiday, looking forward to it for months, and then, after all, that planning, money and organising you get to the airport and your plane is delayed. Indefinitely.

Trying to get published is like trying to get your kid into the most competitive school. You start doing strange, over complicated sums about the odds of you actually getting them in. You try and do some mega snooping to figure out what other people are doing, what the secret is to being chosen, you become mildly obsessed with it and become willing to do some morally ambiguous things to make sure you achieve your goal!

Trying to get published is like trying to move house. There's that initial rush where you find the house of your dreams, and get your offer accepted. Then comes the paperwork, the radio silence, and of course, the nail biting, excruciating waiting period where you know, at any moment it could all collapse before your very eyes - you were so close, and yet, so far!

So, do these situations fill you with terror and anxiety, or do they get your heart racing, your blood pumping and you raring to go? If it’s the latter then you’ll be able to tackle the publishing process head on. Remember, often when it comes to getting published it’s all about confidence, motivation, perseverance and sheer grit. So just keep at it and you’ll get there in the end!

What analogies do you have for trying to get published? Share them with us here!

]Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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