by Cindy Sproles @cindydevoted

You’ve heard it, and I’ve said it a hundred times. What’s your rush to publish?

I, better than anyone, know what it’s like to wait. I know how hard and frustrating it can be. My writing journey to publication took seven years. I get it.

When my journey began, there was no such animal as self-publishing, and rejection letters actually came snail mail. When I received my first rejection letter via email, I had mixed emotions. It was awesome to have a faster answer, but internet speed brought the sting of rejection much sooner.

It’s taken months to decide to share this, but I’m gonna show you why I wanted to publish the old-school way – traditionally.

Now, there is nothing wrong with self-publishing. I simply ask you don’t skip the steps necessary to publish quality work. I’d be less than honest if I said it didn’t sadden me to see a new author jump into self-publishing before they’ve experienced the value of the publishing process.

When my journey began, the folks I was with became my high school class, for lack of better words. Our freshman year of writing, no one was published. When our sophomore year ended, two or three of my peers were published. The path continued. Each year more and more of my peers became published. They reached that level of writing skill that made publishers 1) love their work and 2) believe they could sell it.

So, here’s my confession:

Out of the seven close peers I began my writing journey with, I was the last one published. My friends were published a good three to four years before me. Talk about discouraging. I began to wonder what was wrong with my work. I’d worked hard, attended conferences, learned the craft – or so I thought.

Self-publishing was now in full swing, and I was faced with the dilemma to publish or wait. Making that decision was hard. I finally landed an agent. Which, if you want to add insult to injury – I acquired the agent because I’d co-authored a book with a friend who was already agented. His agent picked me up because she had to if she sold the manuscript. Double sigh. Needless to say, things were not looking good for me going the traditional publication route.

Six years of waiting, and self-publishing was looking pretty good.

What prevented my work from publication? A couple of things.

1) The writing I loved was not in the eye of publishers. Timing is vital. Sometimes we write excellent things, but the industry isn’t trending that direction. Trends will force us to wait.

2) The state of the economy. Unfortunately, by the time my work was at a publishable quality, the economy crashed and publishing houses took a tumble. Even with my hungry desire to be published, self-publishing during an economy fail was not wise or economical.

Still I waited. And waited some more. I chose not to self-publish. I was willing to wait because I wanted the experience of traditional publishing. However, I didn’t sit around on my duff while I waited. I worked to build a platform, and I continued writing, improved, and learned to be a speaker. All things that would both extend my career and embellish it once I landed a contract.

The waiting paid off. The prayers I prayed for the opportunity climbed relentlessly toward heaven. God heard . . . and answered.

I did – and still do – work hard to continue my writing education. It’s important to read other authors, practice our skills, and learn to be a better self-editor. I pray I never lose the desire to put forth my very best work. This is who I am.

How do the old-school ways of the publishing process help us as writers?

Rejection forces writers to improve.

The truth is, less than one percent of the new writers who attend writers conferences are ready for publication. They may be good writers, but good doesn’t mean publishable. Back in the day, a rejection letter became the nudge needed to learn the craft.

Self-editing grooms writers to be strong authors.

Sure, we self-edit today, but when writers can self-publish on a whim, they tend to proof a manuscript and call it editing. Self-editing teaches writers the value of every word. Not only do you learn to correct those writer faux paus, but you learn to cut unnecessary words, delete scenes that slow your story, and repair holes in your plot. Then, there is the experience of working hand-in-hand with a professional editor. What a basket full of learning at your fingertips.

Publication is not an entitlement.

Instead, it’s hard work and a reward well earned. When publication arrives, your work has gone from beginner to publishable. At this level, rejections still come, but not because of the quality of writing – it’s generally a “need” issue.

The point of this confession is to show you waiting is not a bad thing.

Waiting allows you to grow, learn, and master the craft. It teaches us there is value in the work. In a world that demands instant gratification, whether we need something or not, it’s important to learn to wait. Be encouraged, and remember: your time will come. It will.

Does this mean you should never self-publish? Absolutely not. There are folks who are a perfect fit for this type of publication, but I encourage you to challenge yourself to wait. Seek after the growth and reward that comes with traditional publication. It is an experience you will cherish forever.

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. She is the cofounder of ChristianDevotions.us and the executive editor of ChristianDevotions.us and InspireaFire.com. Cindy is the managing editor for Straight Street Books and SonRise Devotionals, both imprints of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She is an award-winning and best-selling author. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com. @cindydevoted