Surveying the Landscape

Hello! Welcome new followers. I appreciate you seeing the post about “original romance writing Pen” and thinking, yes, I would like to know more.

Not long ago, I decided to take a chance on myself and write a novel and query it for traditional publishing. There’s a great deal that goes into that (writing the fucking book, multiple beta reads, editing, query letters, learning how to pitch your story, researching the publishing landscape, etc), and I’ve learned so much during that process. I didn’t have lofty expectations for my first novel, but I was really proud of what I did. In fact, that first rejection felt like a triumph, cementing my place—I did it. I did what I set out to do, and I was proud of how far I’d come.

I was fortunate to have the background I do in singing, a career that was made up of spinning your wheels with lots of ‘nos’ to get to the ‘yes’, so querying my first book felt eerily similar to that process. I did my best to avoid watching my inbox, instead drafting another project that I’m now editing for querying. I won’t say that I wasn’t bummed out for every thoughtful rejection—those were often the hardest to stomach, even if it was positive. (Nothing hurts more than: “I wanted to take more time to consider your work, but ultimately felt it wouldn’t stand out in the market.”)

“Business Pen” had to come to the inbox and read those over, because ultimately, I don’t want someone that doesn’t feel equipped to sell my story, and I needed that reminder. But it stings all the same. Overall, I felt like it was a good experience, and I received promising feedback, but I knew it was time to move on to the next thing. Agents tend to have a sixth sense about whether you’re scraping the barrel and just querying ANYONE to see if something sticks, and I didn’t want to be that person. I wanted to gratefully and enthusiastically move on.

Enter my next project and the one I plan to query next. I can’t really discuss it yet, but it’s a potential series. I’m so excited about it, I’m decided to write the other two books, whether it gets picked up by an agent or not—which got me thinking. If I’m so determined to see that series through, going as far as to self-publish, why wouldn’t I do the same for my first book? A book that I’m really proud of and love dearly. Otherwise, my story about two rivals who fall for each other in the midst of a small town mayoral campaign would be doomed to sit on my hard drive forever.

To be honest, there were a few things holding me back from self-publishing at one point. I wanted to try my hand at traditional publishing (still do) and do what I considered to be the “hard thing”, oblivious to how hard it is to become an indie author. But also, the belief for many, many years was that it was difficult to become a traditionally published author after having self-published. If you read romance or fantasy, you know this isn’t the case and hasn’t been for some time. In fact, self-publishing tends to dominate the romance space. There’s additional support and influencers that frequently champion indie works. It’s a different self-publishing world than it was two, five, and ten years ago.

No matter where I end up, I love writing. I love sharing stories, and I love transporting readers in a medium that has been a comfort and savior ever since reading my first book.

First stop, indie publishing. Next, who knows? But there will be more stories and more books.

Stay tuned. I have a cover reveal and summary reveal and so much more to share! I’m really excited to start talking about this book I wrote that’s a love letter to my small town origins and southern roots. What to expect? Banter, romance, a rivalry with benefits, and emotionally charged spice.

You can subscribe here to stay updated, follow on IG, or (for better or worse lol) on TikTok. Here’s a little social media roundup from the past few weeks—as well as a tease of the book’s title 👀

penguinnwrites

286 followers

View more on Instagram

In addition to my normal read and recipe rec, here are a few movies and fall books I enjoy revisiting! <3