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!