5 Things I Learned When My Publisher Went Under @kellyleefiction #amwriting #myWANA #failure

There's nothing like the first time you sign a contract with a publisher. There's this heady sense of arrival. Of validation. Of overcoming your insecurity about whether anyone other than your mother or best friend will like your book. It fills your chest to bursting.

But what happens when that publishing experience isn't what you thought? (Hint: it never is) Or worse, when your publisher closes its doors forever? The latter happened to me, and after I stopped crying, drinking, and cursing….I settled down and learned some things. Important things. About the world of publishing, failure, the kinds of people I surround myself with, and most critically - myself.

If this has happened to you too, listen up.

Lesson #1: It's not because your writing sucked.

You didn't cause this to happen. Your book did not singlehandedly sink an entire company. In fact, there are probably several (if not many) award winning, bestselling authors who signed with your publisher. You can bet something was happening with the publisher you didn't know about and couldn't have predicted – like poor leadership, crappy business model, or ineffective execution. But know this: as a rule, publishers don't fail because they signed bad authors. Generally, the writing community knows this (thank goodness), but the people in your life don't and it can be hard dealing with sympathetic eyes tinged with a touch of suspicion.