My middle grade manuscript Shadow of the Orishas officially went out on submission to publishing houses this week. I’m full of hope, but having worked in publishing for almost the entirety of my career I’m also pragmatic.
Publishing is a notoriously slow industry with often incredibly busy people with huge to-read piles. I know that it’ll simply take as long as it takes for editors to read the manuscript, and the same goes goes for those publishing houses moving forward to an acquisition meeting. So my mantra for the year is patience.
I met my agent in person for the first time this week, which was so lovely. I know how much she loves my story and that she’s going to battle for me, so I feel pretty relaxed actually! I trust in the process and trust that the sale will come in time. I look forward to that day, but I don’t dwell on it.
In the meantime, all my creative energy is going to be focused on writing the next book! I followed the same practice as last winter and started writing over the Christmas/New Year break to step into 2023 already on a roll. Chances are that by the time this year is done, I’ll have another finished manuscript draft in my folder. Just got to keep the good energy flowing.
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