This was so grounding, especially for those of us who’ve been orbiting publishing for years but still find ourselves Googling “option clause vs. reversion clause” at midnight. Your clarity and tone remind me how human the industry can feel when someone actually explains the mechanics without gatekeeping. I especially appreciated the distinction between IP and Work For Hire—easy to conflate when you’re just starting out. Would love a future post breaking down reversion clauses or termination triggers in more detail (especially for hybrid or agency-managed rights setups). Thanks again—bookmarking this!
This captures the wild emotional whiplash of authorship so well. That mix of pride, vulnerability, and total “oh no, my insides are outside now” energy. I especially loved your reminder that once the book is out in the world, it belongs to the reader. That perspective shift—that healthy distance—is pure gold. I'm keeping this post handy for when it's my turn to freak out (because let’s be honest, it’s coming). And Michelle’s review? Goosebumps. That’s the dream right there.
I will never understand the need to leave negative reviews. It’s so easy to throw shade from the sidelines, so hard to actually go through the excruciating process of putting your work into the world. But also, does it not occur to people that perhaps they just weren’t the target market?
So glad you were “seen” by your reviewer. Every creator deserves this. And I love a human who goes out of their way to tell someone when they made a positive impact in their life. The world needs more positive shares. Hooray for the championing of the good advice and joyful discoveries!
Congratulations I am so happy for you! 👼🏼. I am still in the phase of trying to get an agent to talk to me when I don't have a publisher and a publisher to talk to me when I don't have an agent. Very proud of my self published book and card deck but needing to take it to the next level. If you have any advice on how to get that one person to believe in you please let me know. ❤️
We loved having you on Write-minded and can't wait to share your book with our audience. Thanks for all your hard work on behalf of writers and authors, Kate!
I bought your book! I haven't read it yet but it's on my shelf and I can't wait to dig in as I tackle the second draft of my novel. I have a feeling it's wonderful. ❤️ I never understood negative reviews, really. Remember that lesson from kindergarten? "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything." I feel the number of positive reviews offers plenty of information for readers to judge without stomping on someone's creation.
Too, true! When my first novel was published in 2019, on the back cover, it clearly stated that the protagonist was a VEGAN who falls in love with a rock star after becoming his VEGAN consultant. And, the first few pages clearly show the protagonist as an active VEGAN. And, yet, my only two-star review was titled “Very Vegan” and in the body, she wrote “If you're interested in becoming vegan or curious about being vegan, this is the book for you…I didn't find it very interesting.” I actually laughed aloud at its absurdity. But, it helped me understand how unpredictable (and unhelpful) some reviews can be, and that I can choose how I interpret and use them.
That sounds soooo exciting! I look forward to reading your words. I watched several interviews with Hernan Diaz after he co-won the Pulitzer, for "Trust." I kind of felt he was having some of that feeling when the interviews would ask him to explain some minutia of his storyline. Congrats!
Lol. Thanks for that heads up. I literally dedicated my book to you, the reader. But I'm still too afraid to talk about it so... I posted it onto a facebook group! What? Yea, I talked about my book, but didn't leave any link for it, and got 50 encouraging comments. So I'm happy with that... as I plot how to genuinely publicize my book, lol.
Oh man even on book six this feeling never gets easier. But I've decided it's a good thing, because it means we did something we care about. I've really enjoyed watching your journey with this book, and thank you for sharing!
(Also Surprise Dino looks utterly delightful, and I want a copy now!)
Yes! Read this! ⬇️⬇️
https://substack.com/@dukelott/note/c-109597000?r=5h1xth&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
This was so grounding, especially for those of us who’ve been orbiting publishing for years but still find ourselves Googling “option clause vs. reversion clause” at midnight. Your clarity and tone remind me how human the industry can feel when someone actually explains the mechanics without gatekeeping. I especially appreciated the distinction between IP and Work For Hire—easy to conflate when you’re just starting out. Would love a future post breaking down reversion clauses or termination triggers in more detail (especially for hybrid or agency-managed rights setups). Thanks again—bookmarking this!
This captures the wild emotional whiplash of authorship so well. That mix of pride, vulnerability, and total “oh no, my insides are outside now” energy. I especially loved your reminder that once the book is out in the world, it belongs to the reader. That perspective shift—that healthy distance—is pure gold. I'm keeping this post handy for when it's my turn to freak out (because let’s be honest, it’s coming). And Michelle’s review? Goosebumps. That’s the dream right there.
I will never understand the need to leave negative reviews. It’s so easy to throw shade from the sidelines, so hard to actually go through the excruciating process of putting your work into the world. But also, does it not occur to people that perhaps they just weren’t the target market?
So glad you were “seen” by your reviewer. Every creator deserves this. And I love a human who goes out of their way to tell someone when they made a positive impact in their life. The world needs more positive shares. Hooray for the championing of the good advice and joyful discoveries!
❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜
LOVE that engaging book cover!
www.writeradvice.com
Eeek! So exciting!! I love how you’re rolling with the other side of what we do as agents. Hello authorship!!
Congratulations I am so happy for you! 👼🏼. I am still in the phase of trying to get an agent to talk to me when I don't have a publisher and a publisher to talk to me when I don't have an agent. Very proud of my self published book and card deck but needing to take it to the next level. If you have any advice on how to get that one person to believe in you please let me know. ❤️
We loved having you on Write-minded and can't wait to share your book with our audience. Thanks for all your hard work on behalf of writers and authors, Kate!
Can’t wait to listen!
I bought your book! I haven't read it yet but it's on my shelf and I can't wait to dig in as I tackle the second draft of my novel. I have a feeling it's wonderful. ❤️ I never understood negative reviews, really. Remember that lesson from kindergarten? "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything." I feel the number of positive reviews offers plenty of information for readers to judge without stomping on someone's creation.
Love this. 👏🏼 what I needed to hear
Too, true! When my first novel was published in 2019, on the back cover, it clearly stated that the protagonist was a VEGAN who falls in love with a rock star after becoming his VEGAN consultant. And, the first few pages clearly show the protagonist as an active VEGAN. And, yet, my only two-star review was titled “Very Vegan” and in the body, she wrote “If you're interested in becoming vegan or curious about being vegan, this is the book for you…I didn't find it very interesting.” I actually laughed aloud at its absurdity. But, it helped me understand how unpredictable (and unhelpful) some reviews can be, and that I can choose how I interpret and use them.
That sounds soooo exciting! I look forward to reading your words. I watched several interviews with Hernan Diaz after he co-won the Pulitzer, for "Trust." I kind of felt he was having some of that feeling when the interviews would ask him to explain some minutia of his storyline. Congrats!
Can't wait to read it! Congrats!
So excited for you! Dance, sing, and celebrate however you can. You deserve it.
Lol. Thanks for that heads up. I literally dedicated my book to you, the reader. But I'm still too afraid to talk about it so... I posted it onto a facebook group! What? Yea, I talked about my book, but didn't leave any link for it, and got 50 encouraging comments. So I'm happy with that... as I plot how to genuinely publicize my book, lol.
Oh man even on book six this feeling never gets easier. But I've decided it's a good thing, because it means we did something we care about. I've really enjoyed watching your journey with this book, and thank you for sharing!
(Also Surprise Dino looks utterly delightful, and I want a copy now!)