There is a moment in every writer’s journey that feels both exhilarating and terrifying: the moment just before you press send.
Finishing a book can be an emotional journey. For months— or perhaps years— you’ve been carrying a story. You’ve nurtured it through uncertainty, wrestled with difficult passages, celebrated breakthroughs, and returned to the page again and again.You’ve lived with your story from its humble beginnings, through the messy first drafts, all the way to The End. Sharing your work with others requires a different kind of courage altogether.
The idea of sending your story into the world is often accompanied by a mix of relief, pride, anxiety, and even grief. It can be scary to let go of something you’ve worked so hard on and held so closely to yourself. What if you send it out on submission and no one picks it up? What if you send it out and publishers love it and you have to recreate that success a second time? What if people see all the little pieces of yourself you left inside the manuscript?
All of your questions, concerns, fears and joys are normal. You are not alone.
Every person who creates a work of art has gone through the same roller coaster ride of emotions after the completion of a project. Allow yourself to acknowledge the emotional territory you are journeying through. Recognize that it’s normal and healthy to feel a range of emotions during this period of transition.
Then, once you’ve given yourself space to feel—sad, excited, scared, thrilled, proud—press send.
Because stories are meant to travel beyond the writer’s desk. They are meant to find the readers who need them, who will be challenged by them, comforted by them, inspired by them, or feel a little less alone because of them. You may never know all the ways your words will matter, but they cannot make a difference if they remain hidden away.
The world deserves to hear your story and you deserve to share it—let yourself press send.
P.S. Have a story you’re excited to share? Our traditional submissions are open during the month of June—sign up for our newsletter HERE to stay in the loop. Can’t wait? Want to get your story onto bookshelves and into the hands of eager readers sooner? Inquire about our hybrid model and let’s explore the path that’s right for your book.