The Song of the Blackthorn Tree: Publishing Updates (March 24, 2025)

Wow. Typing that title into my blog writer this morning was surreal. I have been sitting on this story since I was five, and it seems a little insane to finally say, "okay world. We're under way." 

Before I jump into the nitty-gritty stuff you actually care about, I wanted to write a little about why this is such a monumental thing for me. Sure, we all want to write a book - you probably wouldn't be reading this if you didn't. But finishing? Publishing? Putting a physical copy into someone's hands and saying, here, read this!?

I have always believed in myself. One of my superpowers is that I have fierce, irrational belief - in myself, in other people, in the power of doing good and creating beautiful things. I think it's the reason I've made it so far in life, especially after all the emotional junk I've had to sort through all these years (that's a story for a different time). Hear me when I say: I have always believed I'd get here. 

The problem is that "here" was always in some far-distant corner of the future. I didn't expect to go rooting through my subconscious one morning, only to find that I've been "here" for quite some time, and too scared to admit it. I've made every mistake in the book, including hiding from the really good stuff because I was too scared to let it show. 

Well. Here we are. 

This week is a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me, but hopefully you'll learn just as much from it as I have. Ready? Let's go. 

Note #1: Editing

Editing this sucker is a beast. I think I wrote about it a little bit last time (I'm too lazy to go back and look) but it can be really tempting to blast through this process and leave out the stuff that seems a bit tedious. If you're in the editing phase right now and can't wrangle your brain to actually do the small stuff like this, please hire someone. Your story is worth it. 

To give you an idea of where I'm at: 

1. Developmental edits are done. The story (unless publishers demand it...and even still I'm quite stubborn) isn't changing. Or as I tell my students, the story blocks are here and they're (mostly) in the right order). 
2. I'm slightly past character edits - I keep flopping back and forth while I figure out some things. The story is 162,000 words long, and I'm editing it down by combining a few things and making the stuff I DO like in the story work a lot harder for me. (side note - I have no issue with the length, even if publishers might. I'd happily double it. Who wouldn't? But I know there is fluff in there that needs to go, so death of the ego it is)
3. My plan is to have this round of editing done soon (within 30 day) so I can type up a new draft to have ready for beta reading. I have had quite a few people reach out with their credentials, so I think I'm being swayed to go for it in the near future. 

Knowing me, this will all probably change a little bit, but it's working for now. 

Note #2: Publishing

Now this is a whole mess. 

I'm still going for traditional publishing - I've been playing around with query letters for a while, just because I hate them and I'm going to have to revise mine about 4,356 more times before it's in any send-able shape. While I was working on that, however, I got in my head a bit and freaked out. 

Yay, Rachel. 

This is probably the most predictable thing I could have done, all things considered. Publishing of any sort requires a lot of grit and (as mentioned above) death of the ego. It's like opening your chest cavity up and saying, "here are my vital organs, please don't poke them" and then expecting NOT to get a fist in the kidney. 

(sorry for the graphic image - but this is EXACTLY what it's like). 

The fear of this process is often worse than the process itself - we get so up in our heads about it, and then sprinkle in the vulnerability that comes with sharing our baby with the world and BOOM! It's a ready-made panic attack. 

WEEEEEEE!!

I don't even think rejection is that big of an issue for me. I've been rejected in so many different ways throughout my life that even though it stings, it doesn't stop me. I have ALWAYS found another way to do what I want to do (hence this blog/business). The issue is that I'm not always able to communicate the value of the thing I'm writing to the person who needs to read it. 

It's an issue that comes up a lot in sales, actually. I have these writing guides (shameless promotion: the worldbuilding, plotting, and character guides are game-changing, and if you haven't grabbed them you're missing out) and everyone who uses them finds them to be super helpful. I get hundreds of messages each week from people who took the leap and started using them, and they're all amazed at how powerful they are. 

The problem? The people who don't understand, because I couldn't find the right words to tell them that this is the solution to their frustration. It's not that those people are stupid (they aren't). It's that I couldn't tune my words to the right frequency to get the message across. 

It's such a chronic problem for me that I wake up at night in cold sweats about it when it comes to my book. "Just give me a chance" is not a good way to get agents to read it. There are so many people out there who are asking agents to "just give them a chance" - you HAVE to be able to differentiate yourself. A query letter is how you do that. 

Do you see why I'm shaking in my boots?

The good news is that this is a skill. I'm good at learning skills. I taught myself so many things these last few years - what's one more skill? 

The bad news is that I have to get over my own ego to do it. (Death of the Ego x3).

Note #3: Why Should You Care

What I hope you take away from this rambling session is this: 

I'm a writing coach. All day every day, I teach writers how to be confident in their work, finish their books, and move towards being published. Does that mean I've mastered these skills? 

Not entirely. 

In fact, I'm scared all the time. Fear doesn't really go way. It's more like a wailing siren in your brain that you learn to tune out over time. 

I face fear getting out of bed each morning - fear that my book will flop, fear that someone will leave a nasty comment on my Instagram, fear that I filed my taxes incorrectly and the IRS will show up at my door. Both rational and irrational fears have always been a part of my life. 

The difference between me and my students? 

I know how to tune them out. I know how to move even when I'm pinned to the wall with my fear. I know exactly how to face this publishing problem - I just have to muster up the courage and self-discipline to do it. 

If you're in this place, too (or any place where you feel fear) remember that you don't have to wait for the absence of fear to move. It's very likely that fear will never fully leave. 

It's better to take a step, take a risk, and get moving. 

Here's to another great week, my friend. I'm cheering for you, and I'm so glad I get to take you on this journey with me. 

Happy Writing! 

xo Rachel