My Writer Resolution: This Book Is Getting Published One Way or Another

It’s officially 2025, and I am still not a published author.

My debut dark fantasy, Beneath The Night, is still collecting proverbial dust on my computer. I’ve lost track of the how many rejections I’ve received, and how many rejections I didn’t receive from agents who requested my full then mysteriously disappeared. And the ones I have heard back from—well let’s just say I’ve gotten every variation of rejection one can. From the form to the personalized, and while I appreciate every single one—even the scathing ones—I am officially over it.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: J.G., you’re giving up? Hell no. It’s like you people don’t know me at all.

And I know what you’re thinking next: Well, shouldn’t you?

No one would blame me if I did, but I think it’s important to define what giving up means in the world of publishing. I am far from the first writer to die in the querying trenches, and I will be far from the last. Did those writers give up? I don’t know. Some of them might have stopped writing altogether, deciding that publishing is just too much and the process of breaking into it just too stressful. In that case, I’d say yes, that constitutes as giving up.

But what about the ones who fell in the trenches, with their unpublished work the only thing shielding them from the shrapnel of the subjective industry? The ones who get back up, lick their wounds, dust off their shoulders, and join the chaos again with a brand new shield, even if it’s not the one they began with?

You see, most authors don’t break into the industry with their first-ever novel. Some don’t even accomplish it with their second.

To my credit, I’ve tried to move on. I have another book that I’m currently drafting and can’t wait to bring to life. And I’ve been thinking of shelving Beneath The Night for months to do so, but every time I try, I just can’t seem to let it go. Partly because I’m a stubborn, obsessive freak but mostly because I want to share Jaara’s story—to finish her story—and that means getting it published, even if I have to do it myself.

I submitted to Bindery’s open submissions call in early December, and if nothing comes of it, then that’s exactly what I’ll do: self-publish. And who knows what will happen? Maybe Beneath The Night will be a mild success. Maybe it won’t. Either way, this is my way of moving on. This is my way of picking up my shield, licking my wounds, and getting back up.

So get ready folks! Beneath The Night is coming to you in 2025!