My Favorite Part of the Publishing Process

I have a book releasing in three days. It’s hard to believe I’m even saying that, that I’ve even finally made it to this point. Most people only see news about a book once it’s ready to be shared and read. They don’t see the time spent living out the stories, wrestling with ideas, shedding more than a few tears over the content. It’s been a journey, to say the least.

I’ve always loved to write, but in the spring of 2017, I finally started to get serious about it. I signed up for an online writing course, and that was the first time I’d actually put money toward growing as a writer. Everything after that point was a long and winding road that involved multiple book proposals, conversations with five different agents, lots of rejection, tons of research, a not-so-scenic walk through a very dark season in my life (not to mention also a global pandemic), and plenty more twists and turns.

Someone asked me a while ago what one of my favorite parts of the process has been. My answer is still the same: seeing how so many people have stepped in to make this book possible.

Unless you’re part of the process, you don’t necessarily notice everyone else who has helped along the way. I’ve had people drop coffee off at my doorstep, family babysit my kids so I could write, writer friends offer feedback on really terrible first drafts. And of course, there are agents, editors, marketers, and so many others who make publishing possible. I have friends who commiserated with me when I was rejected by editors and friends who walked me through seasons of grief and depression I write about. I’ve had people I’ve never met send me an email at just the right time when I felt most discouraged, giving me the fuel I needed to keep going. And I’ve had a long-suffering husband who has supported me and created space for me to do this work, even at his own expense.

I could go on and on. People ask me regularly how I’m feeling about the book launching into the world, and right now, all I can say is how grateful I am. My name is on the cover, but this book was not created solely by me. Far from it.

All Who Are Weary will soon show up on people’s doorsteps and get slid onto bookshelves. Right now, as I look back to that spring in 2017 when I first started churning the idea of writing a book around in my mind, I’m in awe of the joy and honor it’s been to write these words and be surrounded by so many people championing these pages and carrying me all along the way.

What a gift.