First-time authors do not know how traditional publishing works

“Am I a writer now? lol Honestly, it wasnt bad. I submitted to an indie press. As per the internet, it generally takes a couple of months to reply and they replied in a bit over a week. They liked the story ... but its not them. The ending, its a bit ambiguos and i kinda get it but im not changing it (for now). Which i kinda get it but i guess i will need to research more? To be perfectly honest I thought id feel super bad but they didnt say anything like "terrible writing" or "you”

“hey writers, do you prefer traditional publishing or self-publishing for your novels? i like the idea of traditional publishing, but the problem for new writers is the long wait time. i self-published my first book because i didn't want to wait a year to get my book out, but doing all the drafting and cover design myself took a ton of time too. how long does traditional publishing actually take from start to finish? if anyone here has gone the traditional route, sharing your experience and t”

“My first-author pub was supposed to be submitted months ago, but my PI had a bunch of stuff delay it so we're not gonna submit it until tomorrow. Sad I won't have it accepted by the time LOI season comes around :( I know I can put it was submitted, but I've heard that doesn't mean much unless it actually makes it through peer review. Grateful to even have the opportunity, but wish it could give me an admissions boost submitted by /u/AHumanPerson348 [link] [comme”

“I submitted my first article recently and was rejected. The rejection didn't have a reason, it just said that they're not able to accept my submission at this time because of the high quantity of submissions. Is there an unwritten meaning here? As in, that there was something very wrong with my paper or something :( submitted by /u/rooibosinfusion [link] [comments]”

“So I wrote a smutty thriller book. I’m only on the first draft now and I will probably need to edit it heavily. I come from a religious family and them knowing I wrote this could make some things awkward. Plus I want to be a professor one day and my students looking up my name and finding smut seems less than desirable. I am thinking about publishing under a pseudonym. If I do, would that actually keep my identity secret or is it more just window dressing? Should I just wait until it won’t negat”

“I've been writing a book (epic fantasy, 112k) for three years, and I recently finished another draft version. I've had a break from sending queries to agents since April, and now I'm thinking about resuming that. How long should I keep sending out queries this time? I'm starting to think about switching to self-publishing, and maybe that's better than trying again with agents? submitted by /u/Interesting-Big9981 [link] [comments]”

“Finally pulled the trigger and started to submit to lit mags over the summer (wooo). Am at peace with the wave of rejections headed my way but just panicked over the prospect of acceptance because--somehow--I still haven't chosen a pseudonym. (Growing up in the 90s-2000s (and in some ways, sharing an adolescence with the internet) landed me firmly in camp never-use-your-legal-name-on-your-public-work.) I have a list of meaningful-to-me surnames I've considered, but they range from generi”

“So I understand that publishers do take time to respond to you if your novel has been accepted. That's not the part I'm talking about however. So after I expressed my interest when they received my acceptance email, they told me that in due time a contract will be sent. I waited 11 weeks before I sent them a reminder, and they sent the contract the next day. When I compared my contract with that of my friend, who signed the contract with them a year and a half ago, it's the exact sam”

“Hello everyone, Hope everyone's day is going amazing. I was wondering what was your experience like when publishing as a single author. What are some of the obstacles you came across? What did you learn from that experience? And looking back, how would you have approached differently? submitted by /u/Working-Instance9755 [link] [comments]”

“Okay, so I have finished my first book and I feel like I've edited it to my liking, but I'm not sure where to go from here. I can't send it to publishing companies because I have no money to provide them with. The book is on Wattpad but the only views I've received are from my partners of the book club I'm in. I could do self publishing on Amazon KPD but I don't understand the bank account details. So, what do I do now? submitted by /u/OssieChannie [link] &#32”

“I’ve finished a manuscript that has been sent to a number of publishing houses. I’m realistic about the chances of it being picked up—we all know how difficult it is to make a name for yourself. Still, I really want to wait before self-publishing it. But now I’ve seen on social media that someone else is going to release a novel on the same theme. I’m not that author, and it doesn’t seem to be approached in the same way, but it does make me wonder whether I should just go ahead and self-publish”

“I completed my debut novel last August. I still remember how it started. I had an idea that wouldn’t leave my head, so I started writing. I wasn’t thinking about publishing or becoming an author. I just wanted to tell the story. A year and a half later, that little idea had somehow turned into an entire book. And then… I reached the part nobody really prepares you for: publishing. I knew absolutely nothing about it. So I started Googling everything. I learned about traditional publishing, litera”

“I am new to writing with the intent to publish (used to do fanfics). I am working on a series of three books, with two at the point of being ready. What are the next steps I should take toward getting them published traditionally? The genre is Christian Superhero if that helps at all. submitted by /u/PJRama1864 [link] [comments]”

“Hi, everyone. For some context, I’m an upcoming children’s horror author. I haven’t been published yet. I’m planning to hire an editor to punch up my book. When I get picked up by a publisher, do I keep using the same editor? Am I the one who has to pay for it? Do the publisher covers it and picks the editor? Thanks to anyone who helps! submitted by /u/NOTDevilDeadly [link] [comments]”

“How difficult is it for a first time author to traditionally publish a series? I’ve already written the first book of my series, and only recently found out that it can be difficult for a first time author to get a series traditionally published because publishers don't like it. What should I do? Should I write a standalone novel first and query agents with that instead? submitted by /u/ffff111222333 [link] [comments]”

“So this is very new to me. I mainly write poetry (though I’m working on another fantasy story) and have been wanting to publish lately. There’s one major issue: I don’t know how or where to do that. I’ve also been looking to get into a writing group to try and improve myself, but I’ve been struggling to find in-person groups around me. I’d love to hear any advice you have! submitted by /u/StraySpectre77 [link] [comments]”

“So, for context, I’m 20M, been writing since I was 15, and have six unpublished SFF to my name. I queried Book 1 a few years ago to nothing and have since shelved the first three books I wrote as my “training wheels”. A couple of weeks ago, I started querying Book 5 and sent off the first wave of queries to literary agents. It feels like all I hear these days is the doom of the writing industry. The death of the midlist, the flooding of material from indie publishing, and the increasing burden b”

“I would like to publish my book but am learning some things about the process that put me off, like how many people involved dont just proofread but reformulate and can make plot changes. To me, this sounds like a nightmare. I want my book to be written by me and convey the message I want to send. Also, many bakers spoil the cake. I am also very picky when it comes to personal art. It has to be a certain way and it has to be perfect. Furthermore, publishers care about commercialisation, so they”

“Dear forum members, I want to describe a situation I personally encountered and ask for your advice. I submitted a few of my texts to almost all sci-fi and fantasy magazines and open-submission contests that Google could find for me. Here is the situation: only from the Writers of the Future contest did I receive a message from the editor stating that I made it to the second stage of consideration. A few other times there were rejections saying something like, "your unique world is very coo”

“Hello, I have gotten a rejection for a short story and I have another short manuscript that seems to be within the magazine's guidelines. However, despite no mention of waiting a certain period of time between submissions, I want to ask you all what would be good etiquette in this scenario. Is it fine to send a new story straight away, or how long would you wait? submitted by /u/Brent-Zayla [link] [comments]”

“Hi, as the title suggests, I've recently had a problem regarding the writing of a book that was in the making. Because it appears that... no one wants to read it. I am going to be real with everyone. No one from my close circle to whom I've shared the book has given me any sort of feedback or shown interest in the writing. When I asked why, they claimed that it was due to their shortage of free time. But I think that I already know the real answer that they are not sharing with me, as a”

“Hey you guys, so I'm working on my first manuscript ever to send to publishers/agents, and I feel like I'm stressing out over the wrong things to the point that it's eating away at my creative energy. Now that every writer gets accused of using the tool that must not be named, the version history feels like the only proof I have that a human wrote it since Docs is all I use. My writing style is just having one Google Doc and editing on that single document, plus some notes on the Not”

“I have made many stories but (don’t hate me for this) I don’t like writing them into a full fledged story. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on what I can do because I dream of being able to pitch my ideas to a team or something. Imagine being able to see your ideas in a Netflix show or a movie of some sort lol. I’m just very new to this and I was wondering if anyone is more knowledgeable about this. submitted by /u/whataburgerlov3r [link] [comments]”

“So I finished writing my book and did like 2 rounds of editing and currently it's being edited a final time by a friend. In the meantime I'm trying to find companies to work with to get it published. I know to avoid companies that ask you to pay fees but it seems a lot of companies, even the ones that seem legit ask that according to what I've searched but self-publishing seems daunting too especially cuz based in prior experience with another book I wrote I'm not sure I'm re”

“Hi! Longtime writer, first-time poster. I finished a couple manuscripts and I'm trying to get them published. The response I've gotten so far has been GREAT and I think I might be able to get a little money from them, but I have no idea how to go about getting published. Halp. submitted by /u/Illustrious-Menu-550 [link] [comments]”

“Just curious to hear new authors perspectives and personal journies with their debut books!! Especially with how much the publishing industry is changing... submitted by /u/Striking-Simple5946 [link] [comments]”

“Hello, I have been writing on Wattpad for quite a while and after a lot of reader comments, am inspired to publish my own books. However, I dont have any contacts / connections with publishers, am not interested in self publishing and would love to know how to go about it. Any tips, introductions to Indian publishers, suggestions would be super helpful. I write on Indian topics with mostly Indian characters. submitted by /u/shrattila [link] [comments]”

“If I self publish a novel on Amazon KDP, could I then pursue proper publishing agencies and have it published again? Or would they have a problem with it being on KDP? Thanks for any feedback:) submitted by /u/RegistheAlchemist [link] [comments]”

“I just got my first ever acceptance for a piece of writing (after like 12 rejections lol) for a Toronto based literary magazine called White Wall Review. They gave me a week to respond and that week ends tomorrow. I waited until Friday to hit accept just in case it got any others within the week, but then I realized I have no idea how to actually accept in the first place. Can anyone help? There is a reply button on submittable to which I did send them one saying how appreciative I was and how I”

“Okay, so I have finally stopped procrastinating, and have decided to finish my first full book. I am mainly doing it for myself just to prove that I can do it, but does anyone have the best advice to potentially getting a book published? I understand it is very difficult, but I am genuinely curious as to how people do it. submitted by /u/Upset-Ice3313 [link] [comments]”

“I know I have only been taking writing seriously for a bout a year now---i know Ive also just been barely able to begin reading as well. Despite being off and on even since my childhood I have had an insatiable hunger to write stories, and everytime I read them. I get disappointed as it doesn't feel enough, even as I try to fix them as best as I can, it just never feels enough. I understand that I sometimes wanna focus on the full picture, and can even generalize things or make things less s”

“I was recently accepted by a publishing house in June, and the contact person has advised me that they will be sending over the publishing contract in due time. According to friends who have already gone through this process, they informed me that it could be months before I receive the contract, and I'm curious as to why. Don't publishers usually use the same wording for contracts? Like "You'll receive xx% royalties", "You'll get x free copies", "You can”

“I’m looking for honest advice from authors who have worked with small presses. I’m grateful they believed in my book, so I’m not trying to complain, but I’m starting to worry. I signed in March 2025, sent my manuscript in April, finished edits by December, and proofing began around May 2026. It’s now late July, and I still don’t have a finished proof, cover, release date, or clear timeline. (they said they don’t run on deadlines, which now I see stresses me out) Communication has also been incon”

“Let’s imagine the scenario where you finish your project, but it never gets gets accepted for trad publishing/ it gets published, but absolutely flops in sales/ it gets zero recognition being posted online/ etc. For now, let’s set aside the possibility of getting any kind of traction in future. Nobody cares about your work, and it’s final. Would you still be content with where you got? submitted by /u/Academic-Reply-8970 [link] [comments]”

“Hey so as a new writer (who hasn’t even gotten a first draft done XD) I was really nervous and though I might indie my first books because I’m scared I’ll get rejected, so firstly, can you motivate me? In the future I am SO going to need it. Secondly, because of my paranoic fear of rejection, I’ve found three different self-pub links (Yes, one is KDP. But I’ll also give you tips.) Firstly KDP . Shortened form of Kindle Direct Publishing, it is an amazing platform for indie authors worldwide. No,”

“Im writing a book that I've been meaning to write for over 10 years. I am not a professional writer by any means. I have a day job and I write in my free time. It's just a passion project. I think my book could help a lot of people, and my goal is maximum number of eyes on paper. Money is not at all a motivator for publishing, but it would certainly be nice if it could pay off the credit card. What publishing options should I consider? What time line should I be looking at for reaching o”

“I've decided to self publish and as much as I want to pretend it's something else, the main reason is... I'm simply terrified of editors. What if they change my writing so it doesn't sound like me? What if they change the plot? What if they want me to remove my favorite parts that I already know are a risk? What if they just put it through grammarly and make it sound like it was written for a college essay? And gods... What if they're mean? (Visibly shudders) Anybody else dea”

“First time author (if its possible to call oneself an author without ever publishing anything). I've tried the traditional route and have over 130 rejection form-letters from literary agents I've queried. Obviously I think my book is publishable and I'm not giving up yet, but has anyone here actually secured representation? I feel like I'm shouting into the storm. submitted by /u/MathematicianFun5092 [link] [comments]”

“Hello Everyone, I finally self published my debut novel last week in Amazon. It’s a dark psychological romance. I was so happy until I started promoting my book. I’m receiving multiple hate comments on the reel I posted about my book. The reel is a teaser of my book. Guess what ? Most of the hate comments from men because it’s based on woman’s desire and her complicated love triangle. I’m not generalising but it’s just what I’m seeing. I genuinely posted it to bring readers for my book, now it t”

“After reading so many people's posts and comments about how they have books written but not published, given up on ever getting their stuff published, etc. It's kind of Disheartening. Can someone, anyone here, please, honestly, tell me they actually got something published and are happy that someone, even if just a small handful of people, has enjoyed their work? No fluff, no lying to spare my feelings, just straight to the point honesty, please submitted by /u/JKKillebrew [l”

“So, I've been halted by quite an inadequate issue which seems to be re-titling my books. I've spent the last wee days searching for new titles for my works and stumbled upon the queer matter that many of the older titles were unfit to the plot and to solve the issue I found better titles that better suited the story, scrapped projects I no longer wished to pen (which led to my workload lessening) and chose to rewrite the plots of many, yet my current challenge lies with this. As you saw,”

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“Hey everyone! I'm an aspiring writer, currently working on a sci-fi dystopia. The process drags, crawls, and sometimes completely stalls, but I keep forcing myself to push forward and write anyway. I promised my niece, whom I once shared the core idea with, that I would finish this book for her. So giving up is not an option =). Right now, my first draft is at 33k words, which is roughly 75-85% of the book. As the end of Book 1 gets closer (I split the story into 3 logical parts), I'm ge”

“I’m the worst at titling my work so I figured Reddit would be a great place to ask (still a newbie redditors so sorry if this sounds off) — my work is a summer/fall romance read. I wanna self publish it so I need to figure out the title. It still needs a few edits but so far it’s about a woman and man in their early 30s who vaguely know each other and are both lost in life, end up going to the same city for a vacation and spending about 3 months together. The whole summer vacation for them is ab”

“I've finished my book and I have some friends alpha reading it for me. Following feedback, I'm going to go in with edits. I am hoping to start querying in the fall. Are there any specifics in a query letter that got you an agent? Or does anyone have advice as to what exactly should be in a query? I know some agents ask for a query letter and a summary, but I thought the short summary goes in the query. Thanks in advance!! submitted by /u/Junior-Rip-895 [link] [comments]”

“So , I just wrote the first chapter of a fantasy book I am Writing , and i want your honest and brutal review and tell me weather to write a second chapter or no . And am I allowed to write the first chapter here or no ( if yes please tell me ,i would love to write it down here) submitted by /u/The_Critick [link] [comments]”

“I kept my name off for anonymity, but I finally received my finalized cover for my fantasy novel. My editor and illustrator are both scheduled to be finished in September. I started the novel on 12/17/24, and it has been such a fulfilling process. The pre-edit edition is at 130,000 words. submitted by /u/Snoo_10363 [link] [comments]”

“Heyy, so I've been working on a fantasy book for a couple years and I want to get it traditionally published. However, I have no idea how the process works, where I can find agents, proofreaders, or a publishing house and I don't know how much this costs. Like what is required for a publishing house to actually accept my book and how do I get it onto bookshelves? Please can you give me some advice or share your personal experiences about this? Would you recommend traditional publishing o”

“Recently published my first book with an indie publisher in my city. Only to discover there is a typo in the first chapter of my book. Literally on page 14. A whole word is missing from a rather important sentence. I’m mad at myself, I’m mad at the editor. I told the publisher and they said they’ll have it updated but I’m so mortified, it just makes the whole thing look so amateur. I don’t want to promote, or tell anyone about the book anymore. I feel like I’m starting from square one again. It”

“Today I realized something. I'll keep writing, regardless of rejections. I've sent Volume 1 to publishers, and I'll be finishing Volume 2 in a month. Even if I have to finish five volumes before anyone decides to take it on? I'll keep writing! submitted by /u/Sir_Zachary_00 [link] [comments]”