Tina Haapala, Excuse Editor

For those who have struggled through the 40,000 to 90,000 words to create a novel: congratulations! You have created something from absolutely nothing, and now you want to share that miracle with the world, preferably with a hefty advance, a book tour, and a movie deal, thank-you-very-much. Writing your novel probably wasn't easy, so you shouldn't expect the publishing and marketing of it to be either. Here I touch on some of the major steps when sending out your novel for traditional (not self or vanity) publication. Prepare yourself You are in for a long road. Even if you have already spent months, years, or even decades on your writing, your work has just begun. It's a "new chapter" of your writing life. Do what you need to do to make the challenge enjoyable. Find a way to stay calm, and come back to that place as often as you need to (after your first rejection, or horrible paper jam, for example) Edit Being "done" with your n...