✍️ Lessons I've learned each year since starting my publishing journey 👀

6 years of lessons. Gosh.

I've been on my traditional publishing journey for 6 years now—since 2018! And every year has led to a different realization that kept me going, motivated me, pushed me to improve my craft and have more faith in myself.

It paid off! My debut romance novel, MATCH ME IF YOU CAN, releases June 2024 from Dell/Penguin Random House. So I figured, it’s time I shared those lessons with you.

2018: The one where I query two first drafts 🤦🏻‍♀️

My experience? Crickets and/or form rejections because I was arrogant and thought I knew everything about writing, so why wouldn't my first drafts get a literary agent? Suuuure, Past Swati.

The lesson? Writing a book isn't enough. You also need to know how to swallow your pride and edit, revise, and rewrite that first draft into good shape.

2019: The one where I'm frustrated and anxious 24/7 😰

My experience? A handful of full requests that amounted to nothing. Agonizing over whether I was “good enough” for publishing or if I should just give up before I even dared to go all in.

The lesson? If you want to traditionally publish, you'd better be patient, persistent, and build a rejection-proof mindset.

2020: The one where I finally get out of the query trenches 🥳

My experience? Book 5 got over 30 full requests and I ended up with two offers of representation. I finally signed with an agent and we went on submission to publishers. Yay... right?

The lesson? Rejection is just redirection, and your work WILL find its place someday. Not just with an agent, but with a publisher, too. It's inevitable.

2021: The one where I return to the query trenches 💀

My experience? After book 5 died a very, very slow death on submission, AND my agent did not like my next book, I parted ways with them and resumed my #amquerying journey with book 6.

The lesson? Finding the right literary agent for you is a lot like finding a life partner. You might not get it right the first time around, but your person IS out there.

2022: The one where I finally get my big break, baby! 💃🏻

My experience? Six months into the year, I signed with my now-agent. Two months into submission, I was offered a two-book deal with Penguin Random House. Sadly, the excitement wore off soon and was replaced with stress and fear.

The lesson? Getting a book deal doesn't “fix” your life. You'll find new publishing things to be anxious about, so you'd better continue working on your mindset.

2023: The one where I realize this is Chapter One, not The End 💛

My experience? I spent 9 months rewriting my debut novel with my editors and sent my agent a first draft of book 8 (my first YA romcom) to prep for going on sub again. I have no clue what the future holds for me.

The lesson? The goalposts will keep shifting as you move forward in your career. New levels, new devils. In the meantime, find joy in the journey.

If you’re a querying author, I hope my journey shines some light on how publishing “success” depends so much on luck, patience, and faith. I have some writing and editing resources that might help you on your journey. Click here to check them out.

Comment below or hit “reply” and tell me how YOUR publishing journey is going. Is there anything I can help you with?

Until next time!

Love hard & dream big,
Swati 💛