The creative side of writing is a joy, but, as we all know, the business of getting your novel into the world can be daunting. As I’ve learned, it takes a village and a support network along with a healthy dose of determination to birth a book.

I started my publication journey by joining Sisters in Crime. It was during one of their book clubs that I had the good fortune to meet Stiletto Gang member Donnell Ann Bell. She took an interest in my legal thriller featuring a former Miami prosecutor, which I hadn’t shared with anyone other than my husband, critique partners, and a few close friends. I nervously let Donnell, an award winning published author, read my first chapters. As a result, she demanded (and if you know Donnell, that is not an exaggeration) I enter writing competitions.

That was three years ago. Despite winning or finaling every writing competition I entered, my novel couldn’t find a publishing home. I kept writing my legal thriller series and faithfully scoured Manuscript Wish List and Query Tracker for agents representing my genre. No one was looking for a legal thriller. I began to doubt myself. Was there no market for anyone outside of the big three — Grisham, Connelly, and Turow?

Time for my own market research. An Amazon search on “legal thriller” turned up many authors with hundreds and even thousands of four-star and higher reviews. This confirmed that there was a huge number of readers and buyers out there, hungry for legal thrillers. An even bigger surprise was that outside of the big three, almost all were self-published, with only a couple of exceptions.

One of the exceptions caught my attention: Severn River Publishing. Curious, I researched the company. What I saw resonated with me. Relatively new, the company “was founded by military veterans and family members who shared a love of story.” When I saw they focused on thriller and mystery genres including — I held my breath—legal thrillers, I submitted my first novel to them.

Fast forward three months. I signed with Severn River for a four book series and couldn’t be happier working with a publisher that exceeds expectations. I’m excited to share their announcement in Publisher’s Marketplace with you.

“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”

– Harriet Beecher Stowe, author