There’s a great amount of courage that goes into publishing a novel. Whether you’re getting ready to send out that first query letter or your finger is poised over the “publish” button on Kindle Select, it takes tremendous bravery to put your book out there. Authors know about rejection. We know about bad reviews. But, we write on. We must have faith in our talent and our abilities. And, we have hope that others will recognize our efforts by buying our books and reviewing them favorably.

Authors are among the most courageous people I know. Tonight, I’m dedicating this song to all those authors out there. My wish for you is that by listening to Brave by Sara Bareilles, you’ll muster that little bit of extra bravery you need to finish your manuscript, write that query letter, or take that leap of faith by self-publishing. Be strong. Be brave. Be writers!