Dealing with Disappointment

A funny thing happened on my way to the market…

Wait, that’s a different story.

It was the mailbox. . .er. . .my inbox. A funny thing happened on my way to my inbox. My manuscript was turned in, and I was waiting to hear from my editor on the rewrites. Instead, I received a message shortly before the conference that said something I never expected to hear.

Barbour is delaying the launch of their new mystery line.

There was more to the message, but for several heart pounding moments, those were the only words I could focus on. What did this mean? How long would we have to wait before our book would finally be published?

Okay, Lord, I thought to myself. I know you said all things work together for the good of them that love You, but this?

I reread the message, this time focusing on everything I’d missed the first time around. Words like “marketing push” and “advertising campaign” caught my attention. Slowly, the shock and disappointment wore off and I began to see everything Barbour was doing in a positive light.

Barbour wasn’t postponing the launch because they didn’t believe in the line, they were postponing it because they were committed to its success. With money earmarked toward publicity, and resources I could only hope to tap at their disposal, I suddenly realized that the execs at Barbour could accomplish something I could only hope for—a marketing blitz geared toward guaranteeing the success of my book.

A spark of excitement returned to my heart. Amidst a plethora of messages from new authors bemoaning low sales figures and pleas for ideas on boosting low sales figures, I felt a swell of gratitude for the caution and care with which Barbour was proceeding.

Okay, so I won’t try and pretend that waiting is easy, but I can with confidence say that it’s good. And while I still hope to hold my book in my hands early next spring, I’m more than willing to wait until the powers-that-be decide the time is ripe. After all, I have a sequel to write!