Not all authors are lucky enough to get a book published. Some try for years, even decades, without success and eventually give up. Others keep at it, hoping for a book deal, even if the chances are slim. And the others? They do the one thing they swear they’d never do. They publish their own books.
Life After Kat Greene
After my debut novel, Kat Greene Comes Clean, came out in 2017, I was on cloud nine. Becoming a published author had been a long-held dream, and I felt like I’d won the lottery. Until my sales numbers came in. Understandably, my publisher turned down my second book, and my agent tried to find a new home for it. Things didn’t pan out, and eventually we parted ways. I found a new agent, and wrote a third book.
Disappointment and Despair
Despite my new agent’s enthusiasm, editors weren’t feeling the love. “The voice feels too young,” some would say. “The voice feels too old,” said others. Sometimes, editors wouldn’t respond at all. Hopefulness gave way to hopelessness, and it got harder and harder to stay optimistic. I knew I wasn’t a failure, but I definitely felt like one.
My daughter, Chloe, saw me struggling and gave me a book called Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. I appreciated the gesture, but I felt too deflated to read it. At the same time, I knew that if I didn’t make some serious changes, I’d be stuck in a never-ending loop of disappointment and despair.
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
The first step was breaking up with my agent. We had formed a strong professional bond over the years, filled with trust and mutual respect, and I worried that pulling the plug would feel like a personal betrayal. Thankfully, my agent didn’t see it that way. They admired my courage to forge my own path, and promised to remain friends. It felt like a burden had lifted, perhaps for both of us.
But after I terminated my contract, reality hit. I had no agent, and no clear way forward. Although I knew indie publishing was an option, I doubted it was right for me. Sure, many authors were doing it, but as someone who’s worked in publishing for more than thirty years, it still carried a stigma I couldn’t shake. Plus, all that hard work! All the uncertainty! And all the decisions I’d have to make, from hiring a cover designer to securing an ISBN number, and everything in between. For a risk-averse person with fair to middling decision-making skills, this was my worst nightmare.
Snowy Wings Publishing
And then I discovered Snowy Wings, a group of MG and YA authors who banded together to form their own publishing house. It’s a cooperative model, which means the authors in the collective share resources and advice, and help to cross-promote each other’s books. What could be better than that? So, I contacted the founder, Lyssa Chiavari, and bombarded her with questions. Lyssa patiently answered them, and then invited me to join the group.
My first novel with Snowy Wings, Camp, Crushes, and Other Catastrophes—an epistolary novel that focuses on two thirteen-year-old BFFs, Maddie, who’s getting bullied at sleepaway camp, and Kenzi, who’s back home in NYC, babysitting her bratty little brother—will be published on May 4, 2027.
I’d be lying if I said I’m not freaked out by going indie, and the learning curve is steep. But the thought of having more control over the publishing process is worth the price of admission. And then some. Watch this space! 🙂
Melissa Roske is a writer of middle-grade fiction. Before spending her days with imaginary people, she interviewed real ones as a journalist in Europe. In London she landed a job as an advice columnist for Just Seventeen magazine. Upon returning to her native New York, Melissa contributed to several books and magazines, selected jokes for Reader’s Digest, and received certification as a life coach. In addition to her debut novel Kat Greene Comes Clean, Melissa’s short story “Grandma Merle’s Last Wish” appears in the Jewish MG anthology, Coming of Age: 13 B’Nai Mitzvah Stories. Learn more about Melissa on her Website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
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