Publishing Expectations vs. Reality

Lessons from the Trenches

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I have a special guest today—Adria Richmond, a writer and former journalist who also happens to be one of my agent siblings! You can subscribe to her Substack here, btw. 😊 I’m so delighted that she agreed to write a guest post for us today. Her snarky, tongue-in-cheek meditation on expectations versus reality in publishing had me nodding and cringing because, baby, I’ve been there—and I’m guessing many of you have as well. Get ready to laugh… and grimace a little too.

Take it away, Adria!

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by Adria Richmond

After twenty years of writing and fifteen years of seeing my work published—that includes Op-Eds, plays, poetry, journal articles, and the occasional piece that gets forwarded by my mom—I thought I had this whole “publishing” thing figured out. Then I wrote my first novel.

Spoiler: I did not have it figured out.

Despite having novelist friends who’ve regaled me with their war stories, living through traditional publishing is like describing a roller coaster to someone who’s never left the teacups. You can’t fathom it until you’re clinging to the edge, screaming for dear life. Despite writing success in other veins, publishing a book is an entirely different beast—one that eats your confidence for breakfast and spits out rejection letters for fun.

But if there’s one thing my years in the field have taught me, it’s how to laugh at the absurdity of it all. I’m not here to promise you six-figure advances or instant bestseller glory (if I had that secret, I’d be hiding behind a paywall and cashing checks). What I do have, though, is a few brutally honest hot takes to help you navigate the chaos with your sanity (mostly) intact. Let’s get into it.

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1. On Querying: The Agent Myth

Expectation: “Agents will love my book. I mean, it’s brilliant, right?”
Reality: Agents will love extremely polite emails about why your book is marketable. Oh, and spelling their name right actually is important.

You’ve spent a year (or more) building the most dazzling fantasy world, filled with sexy, smart characters and a title that screams, “I’m the next big thing!” Bad news, bestie: None of that matters unless you can sell it.

Your book’s brilliance doesn’t mean squat without knowing your target audience, comp titles, and how your work fits in the marketplace. I’ve seen award-winning books get passed over because they weren’t "marketable enough" (yes, I’m looking in a mirror when I tell you this). If your dream is traditional publishing, think less tortured genius, more strategic salesperson. After all, an agent isn’t only looking for a great book—they’re looking for one they can sell.

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2. The Writing Process Ideal

Expectation: “I’ll write in a cozy coffee shop, sipping lattes and channeling raw genius into my laptop.”
Reality: You’re in sweatpants at 3 a.m., eating stale french fries and yelling into the black mirror of your Word doc: “WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?”

Writing is messy and definitely not Instagram-worthy. I wrote my first novel in a red wine whirlwind during a stretch of the pandemic when I’d lost all concept of brushing my hair or undereye concealer (and that book got me an agent). Sure, you can drag your audience along for the ride on social media if it keeps you motivated, but don’t let aesthetics get in the way of the actual work. No one’s going to care how you looked while writing—they’ll care about what you wrote.

And let’s get real: You’ll have stretches where you hate your story, doubt your talent, and wonder if the whole project is a colossal waste of time. That’s normal. There’s an old saying that if you’re worried about being a bad parent, you’re probably doing fine. The same applies to writing. If you care enough to wrestle with it, you’re on the right track.

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3. Editing Delusions

Expectation: “My editor will lovingly polish every word I’ve written like a jeweler working on a rare diamond.”
Reality: Your editor will send you a Word doc full of “???” and comments like “Does this make sense?” You’ll start questioning your existence.

Editors are there to make your book better, not to validate your genius. I’ve worked with friendly editors, gruff editors, and editors who could give a drill sergeant a run for their money. None of them are there to coddle you.

Be prepared to do the heavy lifting. And when they tell you to kill your darlings—yes, even that perfect sentence you sweated over for hours—listen to them. The sooner you accept that writing is rewriting, the better off you’ll be.

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4. The Book Deal Fantasy

Expectation: “I’ll sell my debut for six figures. My life will finally make sense.”
Reality: Advances are more like six nickels for most debut authors. But hey, congrats—you’ve just joined the ranks of the overworked and underpaid!

Publishing isn’t a golden ticket to riches. It’s a business, and a tough one at that. Sure, you might hear about the occasional debut author snagging a six-figure advance, but for most of us, the reality is more modest. My incredible agent sibling and agent extraordinaire Jenna is dope enough to pull back the veil on royalties and how much she’s made as an agent in 2024. Review the aforementioned and adjust your expectations.

Budget wisely, learn about royalties (yes, they’re a thing), and don’t quit your day job just yet. And remember, this is a long game—success is measured in persistence, not paychecks.

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5. The Sequel Trap

Expectation: “If my first book does well, the sequel will be a breeze to write!”
Reality: Writing a sequel feels like trying to catch a greased pig while everyone shouts, “Make it better than the first one!”

Wait—you’re telling me I wrote an entire book (that hasn’t sold yet), and now I have to write another one? And another one? Until I DIE?

Second books are hard. Third books are harder. Ask me how I know. You’re carrying the weight of expectations—yours, your readers’, and maybe even your publisher’s. The trick is to remember why you fell in love with your story and writing in the first place. Focus on what made the first book great, raise the stakes, and ignore the haters. Someone’s always going to say sequels suck. So what? Write it anyway.

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Final Thoughts: Keep Going

Sitting here with two books on submission and a third in the works, I still get those dark little moments of doubt. What if none of them sell? What if I’ve spent all this time chasing something that won’t happen?

Friend, I’m here to tell you that if you’re waiting for your book to be traditionally published to call yourself a writer, don’t do that to yourself. Being a writer isn’t about sales, advances, or Amazon rankings. It’s about habit. It’s about showing up, even when it’s hard, even when no one’s watching, even when rejection feels personal.

The publishing process is brutal. It’s frustrating. It’s definitely not fair. And it’s one of the most rewarding things we do as writers. It’s vulnerable. It creates character and it makes you tenacious. So keep writing, keep submitting, and keep showing up. The only way to fail is to stop trying.

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Adria Richmond is a writer from Texas and Substacker-in-Chief of Open Jaw. She holds a master’s degree from Southern Methodist University and studied poetry at New York University’s Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House. She has published poems, plays and short fiction, and has provided editorial contributions for USA Today and The Dallas Morning News. She drinks a lot of red wine, eats a lot of Vietnamese food, and watches a lot of Wong Kar-wai films.

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Thank you Adria for sharing your journey and insights—as someone who has also had to redefine success and failure throughout my years writing, querying, and watching book after book die on sub, I super resonate with all of this.

How about you, Dear Reader—what struck you in particular? I’d love to hear!