Better Things Come to Those Who Wait
From around the time I was sixteen years old, I dreamed of being a published children’s book author. I fantasized about winning the Newbery Medal, interviewed myself in the shower, and pictured myself typing away in a home office with walls adorned with picture book art. I worked diligently to improve my craft, read extensively, and learned the business side of writing. When it came time to submit, I believed I had checked all the boxes, and yet I was met with rejection. And more rejection. Workshops, conferences, and critiques…and rejection.
The more time that passed, the more the doubts crept in. I still loved writing, but it was frustrating that the career I had envisioned for myself had taken a back seat to a more stable, actually paying job. When I heard about published authors who were younger than I was (some still in their teens!) or who had been submitting for much less time, it was hard not to feel jealous. But I stuck with it, and at long last, my debut young adult novel, I’ll Be There for You, was published in 2022, nineteen years after I submitted my first children’s book manuscript.
Looking back now, being published at age thirty-nine versus age twenty made the experience more positive in many important ways.
Comfort with readings
I’ve read to my daughter since she was in the womb. Even though she’s now ten years old, I still read middle grade and young adult novels to her. And that decade of reading aloud made me far more comfortable reading in front of people. I’ve read from my novel on podcasts and at bookstore events, educator workshops, schools, and book festivals. While these opportunities would have made the younger me nervous, for mom-author me, they’ve just been fun.
Shared experience
My daughter is at her most charming at book events. She talks with other authors, asks insightful questions, proudly talks up my book, and showers me with hugs. Some of my favorite memories involve sharing these special moments with her, so I’m grateful she was old enough to be a part of them. Had I been published even two or three years—and certainly if I’d been published ten years—earlier, I would have missed out on this meaningful element of my journey.
Right place, right time
I am incredibly happy with my publisher. During my first phone call with its Founder/Editorial Director, he described the company as a family, which I have found to be true. He is enormously supportive of his authors, and the authors themselves rally around each other, share advice, and help promote each other’s books. I’m thrilled I wound up with this publisher, which couldn’t have happened much sooner than it did—the company was founded in 2021.
It’s hard to be patient. But sometimes it’s not just good things, but better things, that come to those who wait.
