The Waiting Game

When I tell people it took me a solid decade to take my manuscript from a rough draft to securing a boutique publisher with a release date on the horizon, their eyes nearly pop out of their heads.

Some are even more astonished that I stuck with the project for so long – especially considering that, according to AuthorMedia.com, while only 15% of American adults start writing a manuscript, only 3% to 6% actually finish one. And, of those who do finish, less than 20% go on to publish.

But I digress.

Yes, I’ll admit it: ten years is a long time. After all, I started this journey when my daughter was 5 years old and she was just shy of 16 when everything shifted for me as an author.

Looking back, though, I can honestly say it never felt like a long time. There were so many moments and life experiences – big and little, exciting and ordinary – filling the space between those bookends.

My children grew – out of shoes and, sadly, even out of children’s books – and my corporate communications career truly took shape and soared. We vacationed far and wide and explored our home state of Michigan. We learned new sports, tried new foods, made new friends, and discovered new books and podcasts.

It was the slow and steady rhythm of life – measured by the growth of our children – that made the decade pass in a blink.

In stark contrast, I’ll tell you what has felt like forever: the last 3 months!!!

I can’t help but laugh at myself but it’s true. The past few months have been torture because there wasn’t much I could do. I reviewed art specs my illustrator, Robin, sent in early October, but once that was done, the real waiting game began as she set to work bringing my dream to life.

I desperately wanted to ping Robin for updates – she’s wonderful, and I knew she wouldn’t mind – but I refused to be that client. She was deep in the creative process with my project and interrupting her would just slow things down. So instead, I channeled my ever-growing excitement by obsessively refreshing my email, hoping for any sign of progress.

Then, in November, I saw her sketches for my book. What a momentous and emotional milestone – one I’ll share more about later in my #AuthorJourney when I can point to specific illustrations.

Robin has been fantastic to work with throughout the entire illustrative editing process. She’s taken my feedback thoughtfully and shared ideas of her own. Together, I truly believe we’re creating something magical.

I approved the final sketches just before the holiday season – a step Robin and I both felt was crucial to keeping the project on track. From there, she had the flexibility to work at whatever pace she needed amid the beautiful chaos of December and its steady march into the New Year.

So while I may have had more downtime on my end these past few months, I fully recognize it was the exact opposite for Robin. And while the end result is always worth the wait, I’ll admit patience isn’t exactly my strongest virtue!