What to Do While You’re Waiting for Your Book to Be Published

Are you finding yourself caught up in transition time between being a hopeful writer and a published author? Today, author and NaNoWriMo participant M.A Hinkle offers 3 simple tips for those lucky writers on the brink of publication:

I’ve always prided myself on my ability to detach my feelings from the work of writing. Kind of a weird flex, I know, but it’s helped me accept comments and manage my expectations from my first experience swapping manuscripts in high school to my first rejections in college.

Then, two years ago, I found out my debut novel had been picked up. I was too overwhelmed with happiness to form words, so I texted my friends and significant other a picture of the acceptance email. As I signed the contract and got concrete details like my release date and the editing schedule, other feelings started to set in, ones I wasn’t so prepared for.

Mostly, I found myself wondering how the heck I was supposed to manage most of a year waiting for my book to actually come out. I had all the time in the world and no time at all. It felt like every other author I knew didn’t have any complicated feelings, so why did I?

That was nonsense, of course. Everyone struggles with complex emotions when they finally have the finish line of a big goal in sight. If you find yourself in the same boat, here are my tips to help you manage the time between contract and publication:  

1. Get away from writing as much as possible.

I know, every voice in your head is telling you the opposite. But writing isn’t simply putting your butt in the chair and typing, even if that’s the part we get paid for. It’s also people-watching. Playing games. Eating good food. Spending time with people who love you and who can tell you Twitter doesn’t matter that much in the grand scheme of things. These are all grist for the mill, making sure you have something to draw on when you do sit down.

2. Actually talk to other authors. 

I promise you. It does not matter how cool the other author seems on social media (especially Instagram; Instagram is the devil’s playground). Every author is running around constantly quieting the same demons, trying their hardest to put forth a brave face. Don’t be afraid to reach out if you’re struggling. Odds are, they need just as much reassurance, and you’ll be able to help each other through it. And you’ll probably come out the other side with a new friend who understands what you’ve been through. That never hurts.

3. Find your hype person. 

Before writing my third book, I did not show WIPs to anyone. But my third book was such a slog. I needed to remember why I loved it enough to persist, and for once, I couldn’t give that to myself. So I roped in my significant other. I told him upfront that I was not looking for criticism; I wanted him to tell me if he liked it. And he loved it. Talking with him reminded me why I’d started the book in the first place and gave me the encouragement I required to write the last stretch. I think every author needs this. We’re needy people, and taking critique requires so much emotional management. Having at least one person who will love your work without question is an essential part of the process. 

M.A. Hinkle is the author of Death of a Bachelor and Diamond Heart, both from Ninestar Press. Her third book, Weight of Living, is due out spring 2020.

You can find more of her work at maryannehinklethewriter.com.

Top photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash.