All Three Roads Lead Here: How a Bestselling Author Found Her Best Publishing Experience Yet

A Writer Who Has Done It All

Most authors think that getting a traditional publishing deal is the best way to bring their book into the world. But for author Meg Myers Morgan getting a traditional book deal wasn’t what she thought it would be.

Meg is a bestselling award-winning author whose work speaks to the nuances of womanhood, motherhood, and self-worth. Her essay collection, Harebrained, won the Gold Medal in the Humor category of the Independent Publisher Book Awards. Her career development book, Everything Is Negotiable, became a bestseller and was translated into multiple languages. She has spoken on stages across the country, earned a PhD in creative writing, and built a loyal following that shows up for her online, in person, and in bookstores.

Meg has put her books through every publishing pathway: self-publishing, traditional publishing, and now with her debut novel, The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair, hybrid publishing with GFB. Few authors have traveled all three publishing paths. Fewer still can share the pros and cons of each path.

The Golden Ticket That Wasn’t

When Meg landed her traditional publishing deal, she expected collaboration, conversation, and—if she’s being honest—a shortcut to success. “I thought it would be the ticket,” she says. “Like, ‘Look at me! I got a book deal! Books will fly off the shelves!’”

What she got, instead, was a quieter experience. Her imprint secured some meaningful media—an interview on The Jenny McCarthy Show and on WNPR, an article on Thrive Global—but once the book was released, the publishing house’s support largely evaporated. “After the book came out, that was it. And that’s true for all authors who don’t have a massive built-in audience. So I was left holding my book and thinking, ‘Okay, now what?’”

Meg’s response to the lack of support from her traditional publisher was indicative of her character: She got to work. She began giving keynotes on the book’s themes, negotiating bulk purchases for audience members, and driving sales . . . all by herself. Eight years after the book published, Meg has sold more books in one quarter than she did in her book’s entire first year of publication. “I’m in control of my success,” she says, “no matter who publishes me.”

A Crash Course in the Business of Books

In addition to publishing traditionally, Meg explored self-publishing—which she approached with her trademark rigor and intention. Meg and her husband formed an LLC, hired a freelance editor, commissioned an artist to create a book cover, used beta readers for feedback, and organized book events—basically treating her self-published book like a start-up. Harebrained went on to win an IPPY Gold Medal and led directly to a TEDx Talk.

“In self-publishing, you have to step outside your ego and your writing to understand that publishing is a business,” the author says. “That’s a very different hat to wear. But if you can wear both hats [that of an author and of a publisher], the pros outweigh the cons.”

What Meg had built, book by book, was a master class in publishing from the inside out. By the time she sat down to write her debut novel, The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair, she knew exactly what she needed—and exactly what she wasn’t willing to settle for.

The Road to GFB

When Meg’s longtime literary agent shopped The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair to traditional publishers, the responses were encouraging but inconclusive: great feedback, a few nibbles. But no deal. For many authors, that’s where the story ends. Not for Meg.

“Just because fifteen editors didn’t buy the manuscript didn’t mean it wasn’t a good—or even great—book,” she reasons. “I believed in it enough to overcome any, and all, rejections.”

She and her husband considered self-publishing again. But what Meg really wanted was a team who could help her edit, produce, and market the novel. That led her to research hybrid publishing, a model her agent enthusiastically supported. After speaking with multiple hybrid publishers and reviewing detailed proposals, Meg chose GFB. The deciding factor? Editorial depth.

“I stand behind the idea that editing, more than anything else, is the key to a book’s success,” she says. According to Meg, GFB’s proposal was the most comprehensive, professional, what she needed. GFB’s female-led and -majority-owned team sealed the deal for Meg. “That aligns so well with who I am, what I write about, and who I write for.”

The Full Treatment

With GFB, Meg received the complete suite of services: one-on-one consultation, deep editorial development, comprehensive cover and interior design, and a full marketing strategy. For an author who had navigated publishing pathways largely on her own instincts, having a dedicated team in her corner was a revelation.

Having a marketing strategist work on the book exceeded the author’s expectations. When Meg admitted she wasn’t sure how to promote a novel the way she promoted her nonfiction titles—she couldn’t exactly give a keynote about a work of fiction—GFB’s marketing strategist challenged her assumption. “She looked at me and said, ‘Why can’t you?’” Meg recalls. It was a lightbulb moment for the author. She developed a keynote based on Gemma Sinclair, something she had never seen another speaker do. As a result, Meg’s novel held a spot on the Amazon bestseller list for months and became the top-selling book of the year at her local independent bookstore.

That is the GFB difference: not just executing a plan but helping authors see possibilities they haven’t even imagined.

What Meg Knows That Most Authors Don’t

After experiencing three publishing paths and building a career on her own hustle, Meg has a clear-eyed view of what publishing can and cannot do for an author. “Millions of books are published a year. Just having a book published does not guarantee you readers. In fact, having readers doesn’t guarantee you buyers. Every book sale is a miracle,” she says.

Meg is generous with her earned wisdom—and characteristically direct. “Writing is a solitary endeavor. Publishing is a group project. Most writers don’t want to embrace this. But that is the key to success. Invite experts to the table and then get out of their way.”

For Meg, GFB was at that table. And The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair—a debut novel that survived fifteen rejections, found its home in hybrid publishing, and landed on multiple bestseller lists—is proof that the right partnership changes everything.

“I’m not there yet,” she says of her ongoing journey to become an established author. “But with GFB’s help, I’ll get there.”

We’d argue that she’s already arrived.