Publishing Teaches Patience

It has now been over four years since I published my first inspirational novel, and the longer I'm in the business, the more I realize it takes patience. I want my books to skyrocket in sales and have oodles of five-star reviews, but progress has been slower than I would like. However, I remind myself to be thankful that I've had good, steady sales and that the reviews have been largely positive and extremely encouraging.

When I sent the fifth manuscript to my traditional publisher in December of 2016, I had no idea that it would still not be released, and here it is in the middle of 2018. That's already a year and a half, and it's not close to being published. They didn't take nearly this long on the first four. However, I still had my small, print-on-demand publisher who usually got them out within about a month. Guess what. He's had my last manuscript for over five months, and it's still not out. Patience, Janice, patience.

Part of the problem is that I have all these stories rolling around in my mind begging to be told. That's why I'm seeking a third publisher to help me get them out. The Southern fiction acquisition editor at a well-known Christian publishing house has had the first three chapters of a manuscript since March, but I know from experience it may be a while before I hear back from her. But God always brings some good out of His children's struggles. Eventually, I could have the patience of Job. Right?

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