When you’re looking for a publisher, it’s time to listen to your author intuition.  Why? Decisions, decisions. Authors on the road to publication have a million of them to make. Beware. You can drive yourself crazy searching for nonexistent data to support your decisions. Sometimes there is data to analyze. Often there’s not.

Embrace Your Author Intuition

If you’re one of those indie authors who has ditched a full-time (read: safe) job in order to pursue a full-time writing career, you know all about following your intuition. Our dreams are not always rational. They cannot always be justified by looking at a spreadsheet for answers.

But our dreams — of becoming a best-selling author, for example — are valid, and they exist to spur us on to be our best, most authentic selves. So, those thoughts that keep popping, unbidden, into your head? They’re driven by, prompted by, and related to your intuition. Listen to them. If they’re telling you to take the plunge and try your hand at earning your living as an author, pay attention! If they’re telling you to put on your publisher’s hat and hire some self-publishing services, pay attention.

When It Doesn’t Feel Right

For example, when you’re shopping around for a publisher, your intuition has a lot to tell you. From the very first email exchange or phone call, right through to signing the contract, you have a wealth of information at your disposal to help you make the decision. It’s not on paper. It’s not on their website. But it’s there, inside your gut. It’s your author intuition. All you have to do is learn to pay attention to it.

• Do you have a vague sensation that something is off, but you can’t put your finger on it?
• Do you feel a slight pressure in your chest, or a sinking feeling in your stomach?
• Are you experiencing heightened anxiety or an increase in stress?

These are signs your intuition is telling you something isn’t quite right with this situation. It’s okay if you don’t know exactly what it is. Take a break, rest your mind, and let a little time and space free up the connection between your intuition and your consciousness. Talk to other potential publishing partners and see if it feels different. You’ll soon know what to do.

Ego and Fear

Your ego might try to interfere with your decision to work with a particular publisher by creating fear around entering into the unknown. It’s the job of your ego to protect you from harm. If it is fear you’re feeling, this has more to do with you than any contract you may enter into with a new publisher.

Check your thought processes here for clues you’re in the grips of fear:

“I’m afraid I will fail.”

“I’m afraid I will succeed.”

“What if I waste all my money?”

“What if I’m not actually a good writer?”

Any decision you make that’s based on, or influenced by, fear is likely to be the wrong one. Tread carefully here.

How to Know When it Feels Right

Here’s what you might experience when you talk to and/or think about working with publisher that is right for you:

• You feel happy and downright confident.
• You feel excited and inspired.

Finding the right publisher can take time. Or it can be instant. What works for one person may not work for you. Trust what your gut is telling you. It may seem like a risk, but it will be worth your while.