Sometimes sending a book into the world means waiting—and wondering if anyone will ever write back.
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
— Galatians 6:9 KJV
Last week, I wrote about what happens when someone writes back.
There is another side to being an author.
Most of the time, nobody does.
You send the book.
Or you give a friend a copy.
You wait.
And you hear...nothing.
Did they read it?
Did they start it?
Is it sitting on a nightstand underneath three other books?
Did they enjoy it and simply never think to tell you?
Or did they get to Chapter Three, quietly close the book, and decide that perhaps friendship was more important than honesty?
You don't know.
That doesn't make a very exciting photograph for a blog.
But it is a very real part of becoming an author.
When I began sending my books into the world, I suppose part of me imagined there would be more conversation coming back.
Not necessarily glowing reviews.
Just something.
A sentence.
A comment.
Even a simple, “I finished it.”
Sometimes that happens.
My friend Marco read Ride the Fire and took the time to write a thoughtful review. I've also had encouraging responses from people and organizations who have discovered my books through interviews, author features, and other opportunities.
Those moments matter.
But between them there can be a great deal of silence.
And I am learning that silence is something an author has to become comfortable with.
A book doesn't travel according to the author's timetable.
Someone may receive it today and read it next month.
Or next year.
A reviewer may have dozens of books waiting ahead of yours. A friend may genuinely intend to read it but have a life filled with other things demanding attention.
And some people will read a book, enjoy it, put it back on the shelf, and never realize that somewhere there is an author wondering what they thought.
I can't control any of that.
What I can control is what I do next.
I can keep writing.
That may be one of the unexpected lessons this journey has taught me.
Writing requires faith long before a book is published. You spend months working on something without knowing whether anyone will ever read it.
Apparently, publishing requires a little faith too.
You send something you created out into the world without knowing where it will go, who will read it, or whether you'll ever hear what happened when it arrived.
Galatians tells us not to become weary in doing good, because the harvest doesn't always come immediately.
I think there is wisdom in that far beyond writing.
Sometimes we plant.
Sometimes we water.
Sometimes we wait.
And sometimes we never get to see what grew from the seed.
So I'll keep sending the books.
I'll keep giving away the occasional copy.
I'll keep writing.
And I'll try not to stare at my inbox too often.
Although I make no promises about that last part. 🙂
