Saying "I Knew You When..."

It's not about the money, money.
A quick internet search showed results for participating authors' 2014 earnings. Over 50% of annual writing income from either traditional or self-published authors made less than $1,000. Hybrid authors made slightly more. The next largest percentage of moneymakers was the $3,000-$4999 range for all three types. Annually. Very few authors make it big.

 Signing the Contract

I'm going to be published soon. Do I think that means I expect to be rich and famous? Absolutely not. Especially in a niche market for the LDS audience. Do I still hope that people will read and love my book? Absolutely. Most authors want to send some kind of a message, make a difference in people's lives, and they continue to write because they love it.

Along with these stats, it might be fun and interesting to learn a few facts from my personal journey to publishing.
1. I'm estimating it took two years between 2010-2012 to write Secrets of the King's Daughter, including revisions.
2. I submitted the first chapter to two contests in 2011 and won first place in both for my category.
3. The manuscript was rejected by my publisher once before I fixed some crucial problems and resubmitted.
4. I submitted the manuscript in spring of 2013 and received acceptance news in August.
5. I was offered a contract in April 2014 and signed an in-house revised contract on 9/29/14.
6. Number of release dates: 3 between November 2014 and March 2016.
7. Became a LDStorymaker member August 2015.
8. Cover Release date: January 29, 2016. Watch for it!

So what do writers do between all that waiting? They write something else, of course!