All Wrapped Up- 2025

My dad has always been a “wrapper upper.” Anytime we have an experience, see a show, take a trip, have a meal— basically, you name it—he summarizes the events into a neat package. But the funny thing is, I have been known in recent years to do the same thing. It could be genetic.

Yesterday, a friend who recently finished a first draft of her first manuscript came over seeking advice about next steps in the world of publishing. She knows I have a book releasing in February and figured I’d have some pearls of wisdom.

We sat at my dining table, her computer out, her glasses on the tip of her nose, and created a game plan for her moving forward. First and foremost, I encouraged her to revise, find readers willing to provide constructive feedback, and revise again. I gave her tips about finding developmental editors if needed. I walked her through how to write a query letter, a synopsis, and how to build a query package. We discussed all the possible avenues for publishing, from self-publishing to hybrid to traditional. I shared any free resources I’ve discovered for finding information about agents and publishers, from their genre preferences to their personal wishlists. We discussed publishers that require an agented submission versus publishers that do not. By the time she left my house, she had a bullet point list of next steps, and though she seemed overwhelmed, she also had a firmer grasp of what needed to be done.

I am no expert in the world of publishing, but I will say I know far more than the average bear. I was my friend eleven years ago, but I didn’t know a soul who knew anything about publishing, so instead, I set about researching what I needed to know. And I also learned a lot from failing. I wrote that first manuscript without alpha or beta readers and went on to query a multitude of agents with it, despite having zero clues about how to write a query letter. Rejection, lots of rejection, with the occasional insight as to why I was being rejected, led me to my next research opportunity. I took courses, I joined writing groups online and even one in person, and picked the brains of anyone who’d let me. I attended conferences and not only sat through classes but also reached out to other writers to learn about their experiences. I made friends in the writing world and continue to build my writing community. So I guess what I am saying is, I felt good about imparting information to my friend. It isn’t just my advice, but the advice of anyone I’ve trusted along this journey.

I know. You are wondering how this ties into the “wrap up.” Well, this year has been one of the steepest learning curves in my writing career. It started on January 1st with an email from my publisher saying they wanted to move forward with my book. And like a steam train pulling from the station, things started slowly and ramped up to max speed pretty quickly. So many details go into making the books I always took for granted as I pulled them from a shelf. From revisions with the publisher, to cover art input, to dedication and acknowledgement pages, to proofing, then proofing again, to sending out advanced reader copies, to nagging those readers to write reviews, to navigating social media, to querying podcasts and print, to facing yet more rejection in the form of silence when many podcasts and print media don’t respond, to feeling every day like I am excited, thrilled, and terrified of my release date because what if people hate the book!? Or what if all the hard work that was put into making this book is all for naught because no one even buys it? It’s enough to keep a gal up at night. And yes, I am aware of the run-on sentence that leaves any reader breathless.

But there again, my final wrap-up is this—I gained knowledge I never had before. And if I can serve that advice on a platter to a friend who is basically me many years ago, I will gladly do it. Because not only is she a friend, but she is now a member of my writing community.

I wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday and new year. It’s a wrap on 2025!

Gap Year will be released on February 3, 2026.