“What If No One Ever Publishes My Work?”
If you’re worried that no publisher will pick YOUR novel, you’re not alone. This is a fear I’d venture 100% of authors have … and of course, it may even come true. Most of us will have at least one book we query that does not sell!
However, rejection is frequently most painful at the beginning of our writing careers. Not getting off the starter blocks straight away can feel awful, or even like an omen. After all, if we were ‘meant’ to be authors, then agents and publishers would snap up our books … right?
WRONG! Just because your book does not get published does not mean you’re automatically doomed. Plus acknowledging that literally every writer has this worry can help. Normalizing it and talking about it can only help us. Ready? Then let’s go …
Tip # 1: Name The Fear!
The worry you will ‘never’ be published comes from self-doubt. That’s why we need to crush self-doubt wherever possible. We can do this by identifying common thought spirals and rejecting them, such as …
- “I’m not talented enough.” Seriously, how do you know this? Authors are notoriously bad at running themselves down. Besides, you may have someone’s favorite book of all time inside you.
- “I’ve already failed.” Authors frequently skip ahead and tell themselves they’ve failed already. They do this because it seems ‘realistic’ and might help ‘manage expectations’. But guess what? This tactic won’t make rejection hurt any less, so you might as well hope for the best outcome!
- “The gatekeepers are against me”. Some authors like to imagine the industry is against them to help fend off disappointment. Whilst the industry is hierarchical, ultimately it wants great stories, well told. That can be YOU, no matter your background.
Naming the fear stops it from controlling you in the background. Don’t let it suck you under and hack your brain.
Tip # 2: Redefining What ‘Published’ Means
In ye olden days of just 15-20 years ago, publishing was very much a closed shop. You had to get a literary agent, who in turn would take your book to the Big Publishers and a small selection of Indies. That was the only route in.
Yet nowadays, authors have more options than they’ve ever had. The digital revolution with the Kindle, Kobo, KDP etc has changed everything. There are more indie publishers, digital-firsts, micropresses and self-publishing than ever.
This means that in real terms, it’s actually impossible not to get published … because you can learn how and do it yourself!
This fear often comes from a narrow definition of ‘success’, especially when authors see self-publishing as a last resort.
In real terms, self-publishing can be amazing. You can have more control and even make more money than a traditional deal!
Instead of looking at the industry the ‘old’ way, look at it with NEW eyes. Instead of thinking, ‘I want a traditional publishing deal or I am a failure’, think how can I SHARE my writing with the world?
Flipping that mindset switch can make all the difference!
Tip # 3: Building Resilience as a Writer
Persistence is the key skill in any author’s toolkit. Various things will happen in not only writing, editing and submitting your novel, but in the publishing of it as well.
There will even be times you do everything you’re supposed to, but someone else drops the ball. That is inevitable. Cultivating resilience is all about creating strategies to help you keep on keeping on:
- Rejections as data, not verdicts.
- Tracking small wins (shortlists, personalized feedback, finished drafts).
- Building a writing practice that is not solely outcome-based.
Keep your feet on the ground any way you can. As the saying goes, novel writing is a marathon, not a sprint!
Tip # 4: Community, Not Competition
It’s true that many of our loved ones don’t truly get what it’s like to be a writer. This is why finding peers who do can really help ease the loneliness of the fear.
Writing groups, events and online communities can be great places to share the struggle. Knowing that others have to face climbing the same wall helps you keep climbing it!
Tip # 5: Action Beats Anxiety
Fear can make you stand still because it thrives in stagnation. In contrast, movement shrinks the fear … which is why it’s a GREAT IDEA to keep going! Here’s some ideas of how to do that …
- Make submissions, often. Whether you’re sending to agents, contests, anthologies, writing websites, magazines or journals, keep at it. If it’s scary, then it’s working.
- Keep on learning! Be a student of the craft. Keep going to workshops, reading books, getting feedback.
- Take back your power. Publishers and agents love autonomous writers. Build your platform. Start small with your own blog, TikTok, IG, email list, book club or similar. Create a following by having fun, doing what you love.
The progress you make will help give you confidence … and take you where you want to be. What’s not to like?
Last Points
Fear is part of the writing journey, but it doesn’t have to dictate it. Your only job is to keep writing, keep submitting, keep showing up. Publishing may take longer than you want, but every word written is proof you haven’t let fear win.
8 Comments.
It’s good to be reminded that self doubt is the culprit behind many of the fears. I am trying to remind myself every day to take one step forward, no matter how small.
And good point about self-publishing. I must admit, I have been one who has the mentality of “I want a traditional publishing deal or I’m a failure”, though I don’t think I’ve seen self-publishing as a failure, but maybe something readers and agents don’t take as seriously? I think I base my way of thinking on some books I have read that were self-published and were full of grammatical mistakes and subpar plots and characters.
Thanks for posting this!
At 75, I don’t have decades to wait for someone else to publish my novels. I’ve self-published a couple of shortish novels completed soon after I retired – mainly to find out how self-publishing worked, having proofread and formatted anthologies for the writing group I belonged to. Mostly these days I write short stories and submit to competitions.
But then, I’m not trying to make a living from it. I write because I enjoy writing. And I have free time to write in.
Thanks for this helpful post, Lucy. Giving our fear a name makes it feel more concrete – something we can overcome vs. an ominous force lurking in the shadows.
I can’t imagine being a writer without an amazing community. And I love your action beats anxiety section. I used to submit too often early on, then I used to wait way too long, feeling like my manuscripts weren’t perfect enough. It took a while to find the perfect balance. And yes–we always need to keep learning and growing.
Ah yes, rushing submissions is something most writers go through! But a piece of writing takes as long as it takes and that’s okay.
So much good in this post, Lucy! Thanks for breaking down these fears and helping people find the route past them. I think often we can focus on the wrong worries (due to not having enough knowledge, or personal insecurities, unrealistic expectations, etc.) or we see things a certain way out of a too-narrow believe publication and the industry is X when it’s more like XYZ.
You nailed it, Angela. Too often, we freak out as writers based on assumptions.
“Fear is part of the writing journey, but it doesn’t have to dictate it.” THIS! Fear will always be with us, so it’s important to recognize what’s at the root of our fear and when it’s in the driver’s seat. Thanks for being here, Lucy!
Thanks for having me!