After the manuscript is written, edited, and finished, the author begins the next steps toward publication. Several types of publication are possible, but here are the four main avenues.

1. Self-publication is when the author is in complete control and responsible for every aspect, from writing to marketing. The author pays all costs and retains creative control, all rights, and all royalties over expenses. Self-publication is the fastest. Sales are limited to the author's ability to promote the books. My previous books are all self-published. I have done everything myself, except the editing and valuable input from a critique group.
2. Hybrid publication is when the author pays a few thousand dollars, non-refundable upfront costs, to the company for their services. They usually have a few more distribution capabilities than the author, and work on a faster timeline than traditional publishers. The author needs to be certain the Alliance of Independent Authors has vetted the hybrid publisher.
3. Vanity Publications imply that they are hybrid publishers, but they are not. Authors beware! Vanity publishers profit on the fees an author pays, not on selling books. Their results are high costs, poor printing quality (Remember--they don't care about the books), and low sales (They don't care). They frequently mislead authors, lock authors into restrictive contracts, claim exclusive rights, and offer minimal distribution.
4. Traditional publication is when the author writes the book and secures a literary agent, who then sells the book to a publishing house. The publishers have industry expertise and will only accept books that they can sell. They distribute to bookstores everywhere. The author has no upfront costs, but can expect low royalty rates, loss of creative control, and a very long timeline of two years or more from the publisher’s acquisition to actual publication.

 
Many authors, agents, and publishers offer lessons, suggestions, and warnings on how to write queries, proposals, and submissions to agents and publishers. Advice abounds in conference sessions, videos, meetings, and even in personal consultations.

Agents and publishers have preferences. The author needs to check the kinds of books the agent or publisher prefers to represent and follow their suggestions as to what you include in your query or proposal. When you honor their requests and preferences, you have one foot in the door. It reminds me of my interview for a job many years ago. The potential employer mentioned the font I used in my resume. It was a normal font, no frills, curls, or waves, but it seemed to be his main take away. Several days later, he offered me the job. In the meantime, I had accepted a better paying position elsewhere.

I have emailed queries to some agents and proposals to some publishers who allow unagented submissions. When contacting agents and publishers, they usually say to allow them 30 days to 120 days. I’ve heard back from some who had comments, such as

• start with an inciting incident at the opening 
• keep readers engaged with conflict and tension 
• pass
• we, as a group, are not very drawn to Christian fiction
• too much telling and not enough showing
• more than one point of view is distracting.

 
Well, you get the idea, and so do I. It’s humbling. While I wait for more feedback, I will improve my manuscript, continue research, and begin the next book. Will you wait with me? Will you pray for me? Please?
 
In faith and trust,
​Betty

     In a psychological thriller, surprisingly, I read a great passage about authors. I wish it were true, but the story is fictional. In this scene, two characters are strangers seated next to each other on a flight from London to New York.

     ... "I'm a writer."
     And those were the words that changed everything because writers were my rock stars.
     He instantly transformed from an irksome stain on the planet into a creature of wonder. We started chatting, and he was charming and witty and clever. The book I was reading went into the seat pocket and wasn't opened again. I have always had a soft spot for storytellers. I fall in love with their words; then I fall in love with the people who wrote them. I sometimes wish I could crawl inside their heads, hear their innermost thoughts, and see the world through their eyes.
     It isn't as though I'd never met an author before. The woman who raised me—when my mother gave up trying to—worked in publishing. I spent my teenage years living in a home that was often filled with writers. She would host these amazing dinner parties in her London flat, and they would all sit around for hours talking, eating, drinking. I would sit on the top step of the staircase, secretly listening, wishing I was allowed to be down there having fun with them. Those "dinner parties" often went on until the sun came up and I had to get myself ready for shool. I'd go to class exhausted but happy. It didn't matter to me whether they were million-copy bestsellers or award-winning novelists—though many of them were—they were all magicians of words, and that was my favorite kind of magic.
     We talked so much when we first met on the plane that I barely noticed when it took off ...
     ... It was a night flight to New York, and before long the cabin was in darkness. Most of the other passenters seemed to be asleep already—travel cushions tucked under their heads, eye masks on—but we continued to whisper, like children excited to still be up long after bedtime. We spoke for hours, and I felt like I could talk to him forever about books, travel, life, anything. I wanted to know everything about him, what he thought and felt, to know if his view of the world was the same as mine. Have you ever met someone and just clicked? As though you had known them for years even though you had just met? That's how it felt.

     Quoted from Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney. Diggi Books LTD. 2024. Flatiron Books. ISBN 9781250337788

Quotes on Books, Reading, and Writing:

• "When you finish a draft of a poem, or short story or novel, make sure you go out and celebrate all night long because whether the world ever notices or not, you did something most people never do: You started, stuck with, and finished a creative work. And that is a triumph." — Andre Dubus III (American author, novels, short stories) 
• "Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home." — Anna Quindlen (American author, novels, journalism)
• "Reading is to the mind, as exercise is to the body." — Brian Tracy (Canadian-American motivational speaker and author)
• "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." — C. S. Lewis (British author, scholar, Christian apologist - one of my favorites)
• ”Both reading and writing are experiences―lifelong―in the course of which we who encounter words used in certain ways are persuaded by them to be brought, mind and heart, within the presence, the power, of the imagination.” ― Eudora Welty (American photographer, writer, short-stories, novels)
• “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” ― Louis L'Amour (American writer, mostly western fiction - a favorite of my Uncle Rip)
• “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” ― Madeleine L'Engle (American Christian author, young adult fiction, other genres)
• "Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are." — Mason Cooley (American professor emeritus and speaker who used aphorisms)
• "A book is a dream you hold in your hands." — Neil Gaiman (English producer and author, novels, comic books, audio theater, screenplays, short fiction)
• “And by the way, everything in life is writable about, if you have the outgoing guts to do it and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." — Sylvia Plath (American author, confessional poetry)
• “The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them―words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.” — Stephen King (American author, horror, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy) 
• "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." — Toni Morrison (American novelist, editor)
• "Books last longer than digital media, with physical books (especially hardcovers) potentially lasting for centuries while ebooks may disappear without active maintenance. Many paper books, particularly high-quality hardcovers, have lasted for hundreds of years and will continue to exist indefinitely if stored properly. E-books and other digital artifacts have a much shorter lifespan without constant maintenance and updates. Internet engineer Brewster Kahle suggests that without active upkeep, digital books may not last a decade. A Yale study found that people who read books lived, on average, almost two years longer than those who do not read books. This survival advantage is thought to be linked to the cognitive engagement that book reading provides, which can hone critical thinking skills, concentration, and empathy. Researchers caution that this is an association, not a proven cause-and-effect relationship. Factors like higher income and education levels common among book readers may also contribute to a longer life." — AI Overview (artificial intelligence)
• "I read because I love to read. I enjoy all kinds of books―physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks—in many genres including my own. I write because I love to write. God gave me the desire to write as surely as He gave me the desire to sing, play piano, teach music, love, and be loved. And it is my desire to do His will." — Betty M Reeves (American author, audio producer, self-publisher - I know her well.)

Happy New Year 2026!
Thanks for reading!
In Christian love,

―​from Nathaniel Fryml, conductor of Amarillo Master Chorale, as written in the concert program, November 14, 2025, in St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Amarillo, Texas.

What a joy it is to be back in this elevating sacred space making beautiful music together. Our program this evening has been carefully selected not only to highlight the glorious acoustic of the nave of St. Andrew's, but also to evoke the feeling of a journey towards a safe place―perhaps a journey home.
​
The idea to organize a program around the poetry contained in Griner and Gawthorp's "Sing Me to Heaven" came rather unexpectedly. I had been puzzling for weeks over what direction to take this fall concert, a long-anticipated traditional choral event after a few years devoted almost entirely to masterworks and wonderful collaborations. I was writing a poem about an exhausted bird who collapses on a (seemingly) barren patch of hard earth, thinking perhaps I could build a program around this metaphor. But as I wrote, I discovered the poem was really for someone I dearly love who is sgruggling through a very difficult season in their life. 

I then started to reflect on the "other" implied in so many one-sided conversations we are privy to in music and throughout the arts, but especially in poetry. I began to reevaluate my long list of dream pieces for performance venues like St. Andrew's Episcopal with this in mind, and a common theme begn to emerge. And though this concert would indeed be infused with poetry, the central image would not be that of a fallen bird, but of a lamb―a lamb looking up at its shepherd, with questions in its heart but no words with which to articulate them. 

"If you would comfort me, sing me a lullaby..." From the infant's first awestruck, gasping breaths in the arms of a protector and provider, to the wizened yet labored sighs of one who has lived and seen much, we draw in and pour out comfort in a myriad of different ways. Words of affirmation, knowing glances, careful touch, warmth of physical presence, random acts of kindness, great acts of self-sacrifice, or even the humming of a simple tune―we feel instinctively we cannot bear to be alone, and we sense something inside of us that longs to move toward the "other," despite the fear of the unknown. Why do we reach out for love? Why do we feel welling up inside of us a love that has to be given away lest it overwhelm us or, worse, grow stale? Because at some point along our journey, there was an Other who first reached out to us in love. 

As in life, certain portions of our journey this evening will be colored by a tinge of loneliness. Other moments may invite painful reflection on deep loss we have experienced or that we dread may be waiting right around the corner. But then light starts pouring through broken clouds, or a fragrance of delightful memory is wafted on a breeze, or the hand of a friend rests lightly on one's arm, and suddenly the path forward becomes clear enough to take one more step. My deep hope is that, as we share the gift of music tonight, you will find the comfort and courage you need to take the next step towards your dwelling place.

Thank you for reading.
Happy Thanksgiving!

In Christian love,

• "When you finish a draft of a poem, or short story or novel, you make sure you go out and celebrate all night long because whether the world ever notices or not, you did something most people never do: You started, stuck with, and finished a creative work. And that is a triumph." — Andre Dubus III 
• "Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home." — Anna Quindlen
• "Reading is to the mind, as exercise is to the body." — Brian Tracy
• "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." — C. S. Lewis 
• ”Both reading and writing are experiences―lifelong―in the course of which we who encounter words used in certain ways are persuaded by them to be brought mind and heart within the presence, the power, of the imagination.” ― Eudora Welty
• “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” ― Louis L'Amour
• “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” ― Madeleine L'Engle
• "Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are." — Mason Cooley
• "A book is a dream you hold in your hands." — Neil Gaiman
• “The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them―words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.” — Stephen King 
• “And by the way, everything in life is writable about, if you have the outgoing guts to do it and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."  — Sylvia Plath
• "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." — Toni Morrison
• "Books last longer than digital media, with physical books (especially hardcovers) potentially lasting for centuries while e-books may disappear without active maintenance. Many paper books, particularly high-quality hardcovers, have lasted for hundreds of years and will continue to exist indefinitely if stored properly. E-books and other digital artifacts have a much shorter lifespan without constant maintenance and updates. Internet engineer Brewster Kahle suggests that without active upkeep, digital books may not last a decade. A Yale study found that people who read books lived, on average, almost two years longer than those who do not read books. This survival advantage is thought to be linked to the cognitive engagement that book reading provides, which can hone critical thinking skills, concentration, and empathy. Researchers caution that this is an association, not a proven cause-and-effect relationship. Factors like higher income and education levels common among book readers may also contribute to a longer life." — AI Overview
• "I read because I love to read. I enjoy all kinds of books― physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks—and in many genres including my own. I write because I love to write. God gave me the desire to write as surely as He gave me the desire  to sing, play piano, teach music, love, and be loved. More importantly, I desire to do His will." — Betty M Reeves 

Thanks for reading!
​Happy Thanksgiving!

In Christian love,

Our group of forty-something people went with a local leader to New Zealand and Australia in March. We had perfect weather, wonderful activities including snorkeling, riding in a glass-bottom boat, and parasailing over the Great Barrier Reef. We saw beautiful scenery, interesting animals including koala bears and other marsupials, kiwis, and crocodiles, and ate interesting food. We interacted with the native people from down under, and made new friends. I bought some black pearl jewelry and some natural opal jewelry. Our guide was knowledgeable and had a winning smile. We had a great time! I highly recommend Collette Tours. I will go with a group and the same local leader using Collette Tours in April to Greece (In the Steps Of Paul). The trip will even include a cruise to several islands. (Think Mama Mia.) I look forward to the trip. 

Two years ago before Christmas, I sold books at five events, but last year, due to the trip to Italy in November, I only sold books at the Christmas In October event and in our Pac & Mail. So this year, I am focused on selling books at more events. I have four lined up: Christmas In October, Cornerstone Outreach Ministry's Vendor Fair, Coulter Road Baptist Church's Shop-til-you Drop, and Texas High Plains Writer's READiculous Book Fair. Glenn is a retailer all year, but my retailing is mostly in the last three months of the year.

I thought my latest writing project/manuscript was finished, but, alas, I need to revise it. I can practically hear you nodding your head and saying, "Been there. Done that." Each revision makes it better, so I'm happy to make the changes even though they are time consuming and brain draining. Fortunately, I recharge fairly quickly. And there's the interesting research for the next book to keep me buoyed. I can imagine God on a ladder. Each time I climb a rung and think, "Hooray! I know a little more about you," he sprints up two rungs higher and lets me know I will never know him fully in this life.

I will skip through Halloween and wish you and yours an excellent Happy Thanksgiving and an amazing Merry Christmas. For me, the special music is the highlight of this time of year. So, go to some musical events, like First Baptist in Amarillo's annual Choir presentation, the Amarillo Symphony's Happy Holidays event, other church presentations, children's specials, and make some children happy! Try to eat healthy food even if, like me, you would rather eat every delicious dessert within reach. 

My author's mission statement is attached. Even this project needed revision. It was supposed to be "thirty words or less," she said. "Done," I finally stated. "Exactly thirty!"

Let me know what your favorite part of Thanksgiving and Christmas are! May God bless you and keep you within his comforting embrace. ​

In Christian love,  
 
Betty
​

I have exciting news! (drum roll) I finished the manuscript for Expecting and Encountering the Messiah, the first book in my new Biblical Historical Fiction series for adults, On the Fringes. Hooray! Also, I sent my proposal to a publisher. They said I should hear from them in less than a month. The title and cover may change, but I have attached it at the bottom for you to see. While I wait, I will begin researching for the second book in the series. Please pray for the best outcome for the books and the series, whether they get published by a traditional publisher or self-published by me. 

That is my big news. Please, feel free to let me know your big news, too.

In February, our Sanctuary Choir, FBC Amarillo, went to Washington DC to sing in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. We joined a couple of other choirs to sing Saviour, A Modern Oratorio, The Story of God's Passion for 
His People. Our director was one of the four soloists.

On the Saturday before Palm Sunday, we in Amarillo Master Chorale, Amarillo College Concert Choir, and a select orchestra presented the complete Handel's Messiah. The three parts are: 1. prophecy of the Messiah and his birth (Christmas). 2. passion, death, resurrection, and ascension. (Easter) 3. redemption of humankind and victory over death, Paul's teachings on resurrection, and Christ's glorification in heaven. I am thankful that I can still sing in such beautiful music.

When the children's choirs present a program at church, I sometimes play a song or two for the third and fourth grade choirs. I am usually their rehearsal pianist. I do as much as these old fingers will let me.

This past November, a friend joined me on a trip to Italy. Then, she invited me to accompany her to Australia and New Zealand. In NZ, we took a short cruise on Milford Sound in the Southern Alps. In Australia, we went to Cairns and to an island near the Great Barrier Reef. Some snorkeled at the reef while others of us snorkeled in shallow water, rode in the glass-bottom boat, parasailed, and relaxed on the island. In Sydney, we toured the famous opera house. Actually, it is the Great Performing Arts Theatres. I was fascinated with the sail-like design of the roofs. The largest ones cover the opera house, the medium ones cover the Performance Hall, an the small ones cover the Band Hall. Its construction spanned from 1959 to 1973, but it is still considered very modern.

Then, my friend and I decided to go to Greece in April, 2026. In fact, we have our first meeting about the trip tomorrow evening. Fun, fun, fun!

In the midst of all this fun, I researched and wrote, researched and rewrote, and sent it to my editor. The finished manuscript weighs in at 79,400 words. Oh, boy! But my editor is still looking through it for anything that needs fixing. 

May God bless you and yours.
Give me a shout sometime!
In Christian love,

Betty

For you who are in and around Amarillo, Cheryl Brewer, FBC Amarillo librarian, and I will lead the study using the Bible and Dr. Robby Gallaty's The Forgotten Jesus: How Western Christians Should Follow an Eastern Rabbi.

​We will meet:

• from 4:30 to 5:30 pm
• in room 102 on the first floor of Amarillo FBC (just under the church offices)
• for eight Sundays, from this Sunday, January 12, through Sunday, March 2. 

 The Forgotten Jesus will open your eyes to:

• the first-century world in which Jesus lived
• important Hebraic perspectives on the Messiah
• differences between the Western and Middle Eastern thoughts and actions.
• differences between our Bible, influenced by the Greeks and Romans, and the truth of Jesus and His people, the Jews
• essential connections between parts of the Bible that are often overlooked
• reasons that Jesus’s words on the cross had deeper meanings than we may realize.

"By uncovering the teaching of the first- and second-century rabbis and Christian theologians, and highlighting little-known Jewish idioms and traditions, Gallaty takes Christians on a biblical journey to rediscover a forgotten Jesus from a biblical perspective, deepening our relationship with God." — quoted from Amazon.com.

"The message of Jesus may be timeless. But his life, teachings, death, and resurrection were all time-stamped. They took place in the real word at a specific time and place. In The Forgotten Jesus, Robby Gallaty helps us better understand the long-forgotten culture and context of Jesus's life and ministry so that we may better grasp the timeless beauty and power of his gospel." — ​Larry Osborne, Pastor/Author, North Coast Church