A book update

Back in March, I wrote “The first draft is complete.” I’ve written From Fisherman to Shepherd: The Story of Peter. It’s an in-depth account of the most well-known apostle’s life and times. You can read a snippet of the description here.

I wanted to update you on how things are going. In short, lots of “no’s” so far. As I’ve reached out to publishers and agents, thirteen distinct negatives have been received. I’m grateful for the kindness in the rejections. It’s usually a “We appreciate your work, but this is not a good fit for us at this time.”

What I don’t like is the initial interest, followed by questions about how big my social media following is. Essentially, the publishing industry has decided to “play it safe” and prioritizes projects that are guaranteed to sell because the author has a built-in audience. While this is understandable, it’s also disappointing. It means that there are a plethora of truly creative works out there that probably won’t see the light of day because of the publishing game.

While there have been distinct “not a good fit” emails, I’ve got over 20 more emails out to agents and publishers. Each round of emails requires about a 60-day wait to hear a response. Due to the lack of a standardized submission process, it’s time-consuming to customize submissions in order to meet a publisher or agencies guidelines.

I’m not discouraged at all. It’s part of the process. I’d appreciate your input, however! Here are some things I’d love to hear from you, my readers:

1. A commitment to pray for the book’s publication.
2. Wisdom about possibly self-publishing. I said in my other post that I really don’t want to, but I’d also prefer to get the book “out” for readers.
3. Are any of you artists/designers? I’d love some input or ideas on cover designs.

Finally, if you haven’t read my first book, I’d appreciate you grabbing a copy online at Barnes and Noble or Amazon!