journey

Note to self: Publication is a journey, not a destination

August 5, 2014 by ReeseRyan

This month over on the Contemporary Romance Cafe the topic is: the road to publication.

I turned that thought over and over in my head and I just couldn’t come up with anything. Sure, I have my basic story of how I came to be published, but it didn’t feel like it even began to scratch the surface of the real story.

Publishing has changed dramatically in the past few years. While stories of the road to publication fit the old model of publishing, they only tell the partial story of what it’s like getting published and then staying relevant in the digital age where e-books rule supreme and publishers are consuming each other faster than Ms. Pac-Man gobbled up those darned power pellets.

While many authors are still going the traditional publishing route, there are other treks available. Small publisher. Digital-first publishers. Indie publishing.

Best of all, we aren’t obligated to take one trek or the other. Many authors have found great success going the hybrid route, whether it begins with trad publishers or as indie publishers. All of this is empowering for both authors and readers.

Yet, my basic “road to publication” story didn’t cover any of those exciting nuances.

Then, this morning, it hit me. Like happiness, publication isn’t a destination, it’s a journey.

Signing that first contract, seeing our first book in print (or online), that’s only the first step. Like reaching the first check-in point on a long-distance trek. There are many, many more peaks and valleys ahead and the geography is constantly changing.

I invite you to hop over to the Contemporary Romance Cafe where I share my journey of publication. I’d love to hear yours.

PS: The cover on display is from my first foreign language edition, Una stagione eccitante, recently released in Italy.

Ciao!

Because the Longest Journey Begins with the First Step

January 13, 2013 by ReeseRyan

I know what you’re thinking. That’s one of those lame pieces of advice well-meaning friends trot out when we’re bitching and moaning about how hard life is, or why we’ll never obtain some goal. A career change. The ideal relationship. Going back to school.

Our friends mean well, but the truth is, for a moment, even if it’s the tiniest moment, we just want to smack them. To make them understand why our case is the exception to the rule.

But there’s a reason these lameisms continue to rear their unwelcome heads. It’s because they’re true. Plain and simple.

This particular thought–that even the longest journey begins with a single step–came to me while on a journey of my own.

It was sunny and warm, more than 75° in the middle of winter, here in North Carolina.

I set this space up months ago, and I’ve been meaning to post something here for just as long. But every time I intended to post, something else would come up. I’d be overwhelmed with work, or school, or writing my next book. Or maybe the thought of sharing my intimate thoughts and feelings with you was a bit intimidating.

Whatever the real reason, my delay caused me to miss sharing with you all of the wonderful moments I’ve experienced as part of this journey to publication thus far. But no more.

I committed to not only starting the blog, but revealing those earlier experiences.

Is there something you’ve been meaning to do, but just haven’t gotten around to it? What is holding you back?

A Different Road

August 6, 2012 by ReeseRyan

Romance University collaborated with an emerging digital publishing house, Entranced Publishing, for another pitchfest. So, I thought I’d try my pitch again.

I’m glad that I did.

I got some great feedback on my pitch, and my first request for the full manuscript. Totally doing my happy dance right now. (Envision Snoopy dancing as Schroeder plays the piano. Now imagine someone far less graceful doing it. That’d be me.)

I’ve still been submitting to agents, but this second experience with a digital publisher has opened my eyes to this latest, and quickly growing publishing medium, as a viable option.

While I prepare to submit my full manuscript to this e-publisher, I will be researching and submitting to a few others.

Sometimes our journey gets altered a bit, but a new and exciting road can still get us where we want to go. Have you ever been faced with the option of altering your journey to get where you wanted to go? Do you regret that decision or did it work out better than you imagined?