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The publishing process in GIF form

August 27, 2012 by Nathan Bransford 288 Comments

At first you’re thinking of writing a novel and you’re all…

But then you have an idea!

And you go…

But then you hit page 50 and you’re all….

And then you hit page 75 and you’re all…

But you power through!!

 

And then you’re finished!!! You have finished a novel!!

Only then find out you have to start querying agents.

So you write your query letter…

You obsess over it…

And then you send it out to agents and you’re all…

Then a couple of days go by and you’re all…

And…

And…

 

But then you hear from your first agent!! And you’re all…

And…

And it’s a rejection. But it’s just your first one so you’re all…

Then you get a few more and it’s more like…

But then! An agent calls! And they love your work! They want to represent you! And inside you’re like…

But you don’t want your agent to think you’re crazy so instead you’re like…

And you love your agent! When you say “yes” you want to…

But instead you go…

And then it’s time to submit to publishers. You are back on submission, and you’re like…

Then the editors start saying….

And…

And your inbox starts looking like…

And you’re all…

And…

And…

But then your phone says your agent is calling. And you want to be like…

But instead it’s more like…

And it’s an offer! You have an offer! And you feel like…

And…

And…

And…

And then you go celebrate with your friends and they’re all…

And on the car ride home you’re still like…

But it’s time for revisions. And you pretend you know what you’re doing…

And it’s back to…

But then you’re done! You’re really really done! Only your book doesn’t come out for another year. And so you’re like…

And…

You get your cover and you’re all…

But then publication day approaches! And your reviews start coming out and it kind of feels like…

But some of them are good! And you’re like…

And then your book is out there! People are reading your book!

And it feels pretty good!

And there’s only one thing to do. Start the whole thing over again.

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Filed Under: Publishing Industry, The Writing Life Tagged With: Life of a Writer

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. eric says

    January 9, 2013 at 9:06 pm

    That was awesome! Know just about every one of those emotions. So is this a good place to blog my recent book release? Dream Wedding Secrets: The All Important G.S.F by Eric Gulbrandson. It's the guest's perspective of the perfect wedding. It contains quotes from over 200 guests about what makes a wedding great or no so great for them as guests.

    Reply
    • Diane Black says

      April 27, 2022 at 1:27 am

      Brilliant

      Reply
  2. Daphnee Kwong Waye says

    January 16, 2013 at 6:34 pm

    This is so brilliant! I love this!

    Reply
  3. Carl Gedye says

    January 22, 2013 at 12:50 pm

    So good I had to comment.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    January 22, 2013 at 8:52 pm

    this is perfect for people who are NOT writers, so f*** you and the c*** you rode in on

    Reply
  5. JR Nolds says

    January 25, 2013 at 5:25 pm

    Love the humorous twist on reality! Brilliant!

    Reply
  6. Suzanna James says

    January 27, 2013 at 11:10 pm

    Terrific Nathan, and speaking as someone who received a lovely rejection from you, (honestly you were quite kind) and who has published many times, I think you've nailed it. I am particularly fond of Bert.

    Reply
  7. hadi says

    January 28, 2013 at 8:39 am

    This really makes me entertained.
    thank you

    Reply
  8. Sue Eves says

    January 30, 2013 at 5:56 pm

    Nathan, you should be honoured with a Ticker Tape Parade. Save the shredded paper:P

    Reply
  9. Donna cerca uomo Roma says

    January 31, 2013 at 3:24 pm

    Beautiful.Thank you!

    Reply
  10. Acidic Rider says

    February 16, 2013 at 4:48 pm

    lovely……..

    Reply
  11. Teena Stewart says

    February 18, 2013 at 5:43 pm

    You nailed it! Too funny

    Reply
  12. hereticfox says

    March 6, 2013 at 11:14 pm

    The display of brilliance, in blogger format.

    Reply
  13. Charles B. says

    March 8, 2013 at 11:47 pm

    Very cool and creative..thanks for insight and the laugh

    Reply
  14. Barbara Lange, Winnipeg says

    March 29, 2013 at 2:11 am

    I haven't laughed so hard, so long, and until I nearly threw up for years! Finally, someone who understands!

    Reply
  15. paruthi says

    April 6, 2013 at 8:06 pm

    Awesome!!! story as gif series… I enjoyed the GIF Story… But not just a story, every one who starts some thing goes through this..

    Reply
  16. Donelle Lacy says

    April 8, 2013 at 9:27 pm

    This was so fun and I especially laughed at the "come at me bro" owl. Great stuff! I haven't even gotten to the elf losing his mind stage yet. Can't wait for that stage!

    Reply
  17. HEATHER LYNNE DAVIS says

    April 12, 2013 at 11:32 am

    OMG–thank you for this. It made my day!!

    Reply
  18. William Kendall says

    June 7, 2013 at 5:45 pm

    Very funny, Nathan!

    Reply
  19. Barbara Koob says

    June 11, 2013 at 4:45 pm

    Absolutely made my day! Thanks!

    Reply
  20. Anonymous says

    July 21, 2013 at 1:08 am

    Unfortunately, your animations only reinforces that writing in today's publishing environment guarantees that the author will be treated like the lowest form of life in ancient feudal systems.

    What can we do to revolutionize creative writing so that the true writers, no matter how small they are, can get their work out for regular people to see?

    And, yes, I do mean that publishers, editors, agents, and even the creators of this web page seem to have lost touch with regular people…

    Reply
  21. Emma Adams says

    November 13, 2013 at 10:06 pm

    Ha! Brilliant.

    Reply
  22. Mike Pappas says

    September 4, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    Oh the feels.

    My life exactly…at least looking at it from this perspective I have something to laugh about.

    Reply
  23. Anonymous says

    September 13, 2014 at 12:49 pm

    Really funny & clever! "MY Emotions!"

    Reply
  24. J Medina says

    December 30, 2014 at 8:16 pm

    Best synopsis of writing a book I've ever seen haha! Too funny….

    Reply
  25. Ellie Langford says

    May 24, 2020 at 10:45 am

    Nathan, you are so uniquely creative!

    Reply
  26. Soni says

    July 22, 2020 at 12:00 am

    I love this! Made me laugh out loud.

    Reply
  27. braden donovan says

    August 4, 2020 at 3:31 am

    Hilarious! I was LOLing while reading this. 😀 Thank you!

    Reply
  28. Jeremy says

    June 30, 2021 at 11:31 am

    Wow. You nailed it.

    Reply
  29. Doris says

    September 12, 2021 at 4:19 am

    Love it! I have lived through some of these GIF moments and see a few more in my future. Thank you, Nathan! Truly hilarious.

    Reply
  30. Nanette J. Purcigliotti says

    February 21, 2022 at 4:51 pm

    Thank Nathan Branford, for this GIF publishing process I am out to embark, perfect timing. Yes, love the words, images, blends into one. Big punch…😃

    Reply
    • Nanette J. Purcigliotti says

      February 21, 2022 at 5:00 pm

      Nathan Bransford, tried to cancel earlier reply, went out too fast. But do love your publishing GIF.

      Reply
  31. Sara Dillinger says

    July 25, 2022 at 10:28 am

    With your brilliant montage in mind, I feel that I can face what lies ahead. At least I’ll know the appropriate expression to wear at each stage. You empower me!

    Reply
  32. Janet Morrison says

    February 27, 2023 at 7:15 pm

    I love your publishing GIF!

    Reply
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Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors achieve their dreams. Let me help you with your book!

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