How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop?

In response to posting about the Becoming Real anthology yesterday, my mother sent me a text:

Mom: I just read that you’re being published! My order is in. You didn’t mention it?

Me: The piece was accepted two years ago! I’m sure I told you then.

Mom: I guess it was too long ago for this memory. It’s coming out in October, a definite release date!! So proud!!

Me: Thanks mom! The preorder* is appreciated by all!

So I thought perhaps I could get more granular about the time it takes to get a piece in an anthology published. Because it’s not a straightforward or short journey, and if you haven’t been through it before, you might not know what happens in between writing something and seeing it in print:

• December 2021: Laraine Herring put out the call for submissions. Which means she had already done a lot of work conceptualizing and proposing the anthology and securing a publisher. So the effort to create this book started long before the call for submissions was made public.

• February 2022: I wrote my essay (from data I collected on a weekend trip in October 2021)

• March 2022: I received feedback and made revisions. (Make sure you have a trusted writer or editor or coach review your work and offer suggestions for improvement – with enough time baked in to accommodate schedules and deadlines! Thank you Julie Artz!)

• April 1, 2022: Submitted essay. The deadline was June 1, 2022 but I wanted to get mine in ahead of the curve! Received a form acknowledgement the same day thanking me for my submission and estimating decisions would be made in Summer 2022.

• September 2022: Inquired with editor about updates on submissions; informed notifications were coming soon

• October 2022: Received acceptance email 

• November 2022: Signed contract 

• December 2022: Bio & brief info on speculative choices due to editor; edits received from editor 

• January 2023: Revisions due 

• April 2023: Requests for blurb sent (thank you Nancy Stohlman!)

• February 2024: Release date scheduled; marketing and promo info due 

• June 2024: Preorder link available*

• October 2024: Publication date!

Looking back, I see a long journey, a lot of “hurry up and wait,” a lack of certainty at every stage. Publications tend not to happen fast, but in breadcrumbs. So why do it? 

It’s not about money: I will receive no payment, no royalties for my contribution to the anthology. I will get a contributor copy which I will proudly display on my bookshelf.

It’s because I have a story I want to tell and I want people to be able to read it. I am so, so gratified when people say “I’m interested to see how you wrote about that topic” or “I had a similar experience” or “I felt like I was the only one until I read your piece.” 

This is how I raise my voice. This is how I get to be seen. And I will do it one crumb at a time. Thanks for reading.

*Why are preorders important? 

A preorder is a gift from present you to future you. On a day in the not too distant future, you will receive a package in the mail, and you will not know what it is until you open it, because you will have completely forgotten that you did, in fact, order it months ago. A fun surprise! 

A preorder also helps with inventory management on the production side. A book is less likely to be out of stock if fulfillment is planned in advance.  

Preorders demonstrate customer interest and demand before the book comes out. If there are strong preorders, there is justification for more excitement and enthusiasm (read: marketing budget and visibility) from the publisher to the book can reach more people!