5 Lessons I Learned About Writing and Publishing by Beth Fehlbaum

April was a whirlwind of A to Z posting about productivity for creative people. (Monday will feature a "reflection" post on the month.)
Today, I'm back to the Friday Five. Thank you to Beth Fehlbaum, author of The Patience Trilogy and Big Fat Disaster, for today's guest post about the writing process and the publishing business.

5 Lessons I Learned About Writing and Publishing by Beth Fehlbaum

 

1. After completing a first draft, leave it alone for several days--or longer--before looking at it again. Seeing the manuscript with fresh eyes makes a huge difference in terms of noticing needed edits and revisions.
2. Be willing to listen to suggestions from trusted colleagues. Note that I said, “trusted colleagues.” Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet about hard and fast writing rules. For example, early on, I read advice: “Never use the word ‘that.’” Okay, I figured since this was on a writing site, it must be a widely held belief, so I immediately removed every occurrence of the word “that” from my manuscript. Consequently, I had a mess on my hands that took a LOT of work to repair. It was truly a foolish mistake.
3. Finding an agent is only the beginning, not the end. I think so many times writers become fixated on finding an agent that they think once an agent takes them on, their book will be published in short order. It’s not that simple, and it’s only the start of what will at times feel like a slog through the stickiest mud in the world to (what you think is) the finish line: selling the manuscript to a publisher.
4. Publishing moves glacially. Once you accept that your version of “reasonable wait time” is vastly different than people who work in publishing, your life will consist of more than checking your email 47,356,921 times per day to see if there’s news.
5. The publication of the book is not the finish line, either. After the initial support your publisher gives the launch of your book, i.e. submitting the book to trade journals or perhaps providing you with “swag” such as postcards or bookmarks, your publisher is going to move on to the newer (shiny) project, and you are an island unto yourself in terms of promoting your work. Simply put, NO ONE cares about your book as much as you do. NO ONE. It’s like expecting someone to love your child the way you do: there’s nothing like the love a parent feels for her child, and there’s nothing like the love an author has for her book. You have to be your book’s loudest advocate, because regardless of the size of your publisher’s marketing department, no one will cheerlead for your work like you will. That’s not to say that you should be obnoxious on social media about promoting your work 24/7. However, if you expect the marketing department to hold your hand every step of the way and invest the amount of time, energy, and money into your book that you believe your book deserves, you will be disappointed. Educate yourself on how to build an Internet presence, study what your successful writing colleagues do that seems to work for them, and ask for advice. Finally, accept that you will necessarily be spending money and time to promote your work.  

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More about Beth:  In addition to writing Young Adult Contemporary Fiction, Beth Fehlbaum is a high school English-Language Arts teacher who frequently draws on her experience as an educator to write her books. She has a B.A. in English, Minor in Secondary Education, and an M.Ed. in Reading.
Beth is a featured author on the 2015-2016 Spirit of Texas Reading List- High School for the Kirkus Starred Reviewed Big Fat Disaster (Merit Press/F+W Media, March 2014) and The Patience Trilogy: Courage (1), Hope (2), and Truth (3) (Steady On Books, April 2016).
She is a survivor of a traumatic childhood, like Ashley in The Patience Trilogy, and the day-to-day manager of an eating disorder much like Colby’s in Big Fat Disaster. These life experiences give her a unique perspective, and she writes her characters’ stories in a way meant to inspire hope.  Beth lives with her family in the woods of East Texas.
You can find Beth online at www.bethfehlbaumbooks.com, www.uncommonya.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

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More about Truth in Patience:
Truth in Patience is the 3rd book in The Patience Trilogy. Recently released six years after the 1st and 2nd books, Courage in Patience and Hope in Patience, Truth in Patience is the recipient of strong positive reviews, including:
"...Ashley shows courage in standing up and sharing what has happened to her. She shows courage in getting up every day despite her depression and continuing to work through her lapses. It’s with the support of her family, therapist, friends, and teachers that she can begin to communicate what she really needs. Not what others want from her. She is a wonderful character that finds the truth and freedom."--Review on The Page Unbound

Truth in the past.
Truth in reality.
Truth for tomorrow.
Finally adjusting to life in small town Texas, Ashley Asher sees a glimmer of what happiness really is. Even her new relationship with the attentive Joshua Brandt shows promise of a first romance. But Ashley's fear of intimacy after years of unspeakable abuse may cause friction and distance in their relationship.
Determined to prove to her that she's healing, Dr. Matt, her beloved therapist, shows her that "life is messy." And he doesn't know how messy it is about to get. When her mother decides that Ashley belongs back in their hometown with her, Ashley is forced into another family feud that she isn't prepared for. Refusing to leave behind the new life she created in Texas, Ashley and her mother go head-to-head. But can Ashley finally find the courage and strength to battle her demons when her mother might be the biggest demon of all?

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Thank you, Beth, for the guest post! 
For my fellow A to Zers, will you be posting a reflection on Monday?