How Tough Is Publishing? 5 Practical Self-Care Steps for Disenchanted Writers

We often look at writers through a romantic lens, but it’s a huge undertaking to write, edit, query, and publish a book! Publishing is a tough business, and it’s not uncommon to occasionally feel disenchanted, regardless of what stage you’re at. You can put hours upon hours into your work, invest in a professional editor, and take all the ‘right’ steps to get your book out there, but success still isn’t guaranteed. Though not impossible, publishing is tough and the journey can be a challenge.

Are you feeling disenchanted with how tough the publishing industry is? The first thing you should know is that you’re not alone. And there are steps you can take to help you deal with these emotions in a healthier way. Practicing self-care and looking after your mental health is a vital part of surviving book publishing. These 5 practical self-care steps will make excellent additions to your writer’s toolbox for whenever you’re feeling disenchanted with writing. 

1. Take a social media break

Having a social media presence is usually a must for authors. These days, it’s one of the most effective ways to market your book and reach potential readers. However, social media also makes it easy to fall into the habit of comparing your success to that of other writers. This makes surviving any part of the book publishing process an uphill battle.

Everything gets announced on social media: book deals, sales achievements, great reviews, agent offers. On the other hand, this is also where people tend to air their biggest grievances and frustrations over how tough publishing is. It can cause you either to compare yourself constantly or further reinforce negative beliefs—both of which are terrible for your mental health. 

If you’re in a spiral of feeling disenchanted with publishing, the best thing you can do is take a break. It’s unhealthy to be constantly looking outward at other’s supposed success (because, remember, not everything on social media is accurate or real!). Try deleting your social media apps from your phone for a week and see how you feel. If you need longer, take longer. Social media will still be there when you get back and your mental health is much more important than the need to build an online presence. 

2. Walk away (literally)

One thing that makes the publishing industry particularly tough is that it’s structured in a way that leaves a lot outside the writer’s control. While this can lead to feelings of hopelessness, remember that this doesn’t mean pursuing your writing dreams isn’t worth it. Just know when you need to take a break to regroup before stepping back in the ring. A creative break means you can return refreshed and excited to dive back into your writing and publishing journey. 

Go for walks, try a new café, browse your favourite bookstore. Read, watch films, spend time with your pets and loved ones. As cliché as it sounds, you really can’t draw from an empty well. So, if you’re disenchanted by how tough publishing is and feeling creatively parched, then take intentional time to refill your creative reserves. 

3. Learn more about the industry

The publishing industry is tough to crack. But knowledge is power, and seeking out constructive information can help you better plan your strategy and manage your emotions and expectations. Here are a few great ways to learn more about how publishing works: 

• The Shit No One Tells You About Writing is a podcast that seeks to create more transparency in publishing. It gives writers a behind-the-scenes look at how it all works through talks with agents, editors, and published writers. One of the more inspiring parts about it is the author interviews where writers talk about their different struggles on the journey to publication.
• Newsletters from published authors (like Andrea Bartz’s Get It Write) offer excellent no-nonsense insight into what the industry is all about.
• The Open Book Editor blog is full of useful information about every step of the journey—from finishing your first draft to the best publishing options to consider. 
• Author Coaching is another great way to learn the ropes. Our knowledgeable coaches can help you manage feeling disenchanted by publishing (while also teaching you how it all works). They’ll help you develop your writing skills and provide you with tips for everything from querying, formatting your book, and even self-publishing

4. Redefine what success means to you

It’s easy to feel disenchanted with publishing when you don’t think you’re seeing any ‘success’ in the industry. However, it’s not healthy to base feelings of success off of goals that are outside your control. 

Most writers dream of finding an agent who believes in them and landing a decent publishing deal. While these are reasonable aspirations, you should still be careful about tying your self-worth too closely to these goals. You can do things to give yourself the best possible chance (i.e. write a killer cover letter and synopsis and know when to pitch to agents), but a lot of it will come down to luck, timing, and industry trends. And you can’t control any of these.

After a certain point, getting published usually becomes a matter of endurance. If you’re writing un-put-downable novels and editing and workshopping your work extensively, then at some point you will break through. Agents are looking for great books they can sell just as much as you’re trying to get your book out there. It may take a hundred ‘nos’ before you get that ‘yes’, but statistically it will happen.

However, publishing is tough, so you can’t control the ‘when’ of achieving these goals. And over time, the slog can definitely start to wear away at your fortitude. This is why it’s important to constantly redefine success throughout the publishing process. For example, success could mean getting five personalised rejections instead of stock rejections. Or maybe it could be an agent requesting a full read of your book. Getting an R&R (revise and resubmit) from an agent or publisher is also a sign of success. While none of these guarantee that the next step will be landing an agent or publishing deal, they are all signs that you are moving (albeit slowly) closer to your final goal.  

5. Switch up your strategy

While managing your mental health is important, there are also some practical steps you can take when publishing gets tough. It’s good to hit pause occasionally and assess your approach and whether you need to change it. Switching up your strategy doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing anything wrong, but it’s one of the few things you can control!

• No luck querying agents via email? Why not try some other creative approaches. Look for pitch events in your area (where you pitch to agents in person) or sign up for a writing or publishing course offered by a literary agent or agency. The latter will often offer opportunities for you to interact with working agents and potentially query your book too. (Note: always check beforehand that an agent or agency is legit before paying for any courses. There are a lot of scammers out there looking to take advantage of desperate writers. Before signing up, check reviews from other authors to see if a writing course or program can benefit you.)
• Not getting helpful manuscript feedback? Hire a professional book editor or join a writing group. Both of these are great options for getting intelligent, useful feedback for your book. 
• Not a lot of success with online marketing? If you’ve self-published but are struggling with marketing your book, try reaching out to local bookstores and libraries to see if you can host an event. 
• No traction with your newsletter? Incentivise people to sign up by offering ‘freebies’. This could be a short story from the POV of a non-main character in your story, an excerpt from your next book, or a monthly raffle to give away a coffee gift card to one of your readers! 

And…celebrate your wins

You most likely started writing because you were passionate about it and wanted to tell a story. And it can be a struggle when you feel you’ve lost that passion because the writing and publishing process is so tough. But, it is possible to get back to a place of excitement about your work—and hopefully these five tips will help you to do just that.

Finally, it’s important to celebrate all your wins, no matter how small. So, if you’ve finished a particularly tricky chapter, sent out a round of query letters, or spent fifteen minutes today outlining your novel, then pause to give yourself a pat on the back. Maybe even treat yourself to a new book or a coffee from your favourite café! Looking for joy in every step of the journey can go a long way towards fighting off feeling disenchanted by publishing. Sure, there will always be tough days, but if you love what you are doing most of the time then you’re already winning!