I hate when the internet makes me feel like in order to become a successful writer, I need a loyal fanbase before I even publish a book – like I need a platform that’s already big and promising.
I hate that in order to meet agents and editors, you have to live in New York or California. F*** you, Midwest.
I hate the reality that publishing is based on money. On sales. On how much money an agent thinks they can get out of your book and your career.
I hate that the indie market is so flooded with poorly written books, making it harder for indie writers to stand out.
I hate that people don’t read like they used to, but every other person seems to have written or is writing a book. There’s more writers than there are readers. (And they’ve all got a YA Fantasy.)
I hate that is it so impossibly hard to stand out in a crowd of thousands of people who are trying to do the exact same thing that I am – get published, get noticed, get that dream agent who connects me to my dream job of a full-time writer.
I hate the stigma toward indie authors, enough that some people turn up their nose immediately at the term “self-published.”
I hate the people on writer forums who have never published a book, are not an agent or editor, yet they know everything about writing and publishing. They’ll tell you what’s wrong with your query letter.
I hate that editors or so expensive. I don’t have 1200 bucks to throw at someone who may or may not give me worthwhile advice.
I hate that beta readers are so spotty – I’ve got several that have just dropped off the face of the world, usually after I pointed out things in their novel that didn’t work or that could sue some work. Hmm. Go figure.
Leading off that last one, I hate writers who assume that their book is gold, and anyone who doesn’t think so is just too ignorant to see otherwise. They want to argue your opinion of the book/plot/character, like you’re wrong.
And… scene. Sigh.
I’ve finally come down from the high of writing that epic fantasy that’s literally consumed my life since October. I’ve trudged into the horror of trying to find things to edit, places to work smooth, and plan the trajectory of the series. I’m fitting back into the rut of realization that I’ll probably not get published, just like every other book I’ve finished and edited and queried a hundred agents for.
Beatrice B. Morgan 
If you can work past this moment and keep writing and keep learning and keep looking for just the right reviewer/critique partner, it will happen. The only provisos are that you keep learning, keep getting better, and keep writing. That means putting stuff out there. Regularly.
It’s not easy. In a way, that’s a good thing. Lots of people drop off the moment someone says something about their work they don’t like. They don’t recognise the value in those words. They’ll huff and they’ll puff and they’ll disappear in the smoke of the imagined crushing of their house of cards/words. the dogged and dog-eared and determined will keep going until there’s nothing left but skin and bone; they’ll build their world with bricks of tomes, double-skinned. Why? Because there’s no other way to live.
So, what you gonna do?
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Or maybe some words of wisdom from this guy:
http://www.hughhowey.com/writing-insights-part-four-publishing-your-book/
It lays it out like cards on the table.
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HAHA, “The first path means writing query letters, which is like a pitch and a resume all rolled into the most difficult and uncomfortable single page you’ve ever written and edited a billion times over in your entire f****** life.”
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Oh, this one is good too: “Most mistakes writers make arise because they want it all. They want a literary writer’s respect, a presence in bookstores, the glow a major publishing house bestows, millions of readers, piles of money, awards, movies and TV shows, and a phone call from Oprah. The hubris that leads us to write in the first place comes with the kind of psychological baggage that gets overage fees and well-deserved TSA checks at airports. Greediness leads to terrible career decisions.”
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Oh, I like this one – it follows the same lines as my thinking for this post. “In the end, I was pressured by some early fans to submit the manuscript to publishers. I was told that giving my book away for free would harm my career, not kickstart it. One of the early mistakes I made as a writer was to listen to people who weren’t having any luck along the querying route and follow their lead. I should have trusted my gut and my observations of those who had broken convention and had found success.”
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