Thank you!

I'm so sorry to hear that. I had to take a bit of break from the writing when this all happened to me. When I pushed through, it took a while to get back to a good place. I've heard horror stories about rights reversion. I was lucky that my book wasn't published yet and I had an agent navigate the entire process for me. I'm sorry the rights reversion was so difficult and stressful for you. Happy to hear you got your rights back. Hugs.

the worst part was getting my rights back--I have them--but another author gave me advice and I followed it. I used a document her attorney had drawn for her and edited it for my needs. the publisher was upset: apparently they just wanted me to ask for my rights in writing, "give me my rights back," and that's it. I don't think I was wrong in covering all the bases, and I think they were wrong to be offended. I had a right to protect myself. I ignored the nasty reply because it was accompanied by my rights document, and that was all I needed from them. Just have to wait for one more quarter of meager royalties and I am done with them forever.

Jenny, it helps to know these things happen, so if they happen to you you know you aren't alone. I know many people who have had great experiences in traditional publishing, and I do think it's worth pursuing.

Lecia, your story and Kourtney's both make me shudder. To me, this is the lure of being an indie author. Even though you are at the whim of the readers, you are in charge of the publishing process and no one can fire you. That being said, I still plan to try traditional publishing first to (hopefully) build a reader base. But the fears of the ups and downs of publishing are real, and they are strong.

Hi, Suzanne. I'm so glad that you enjoyed the post. It took some time to process it all and put it in perspective, but I'm happy I can share it now!