In an industry that often celebrates speed—quick drafts, rapid releases, and fast turnarounds—it’s easy to forget the long road to publication some books must take. A story might begin with a spark of inspiration, only to sit untouched for years. Life intervenes. Confidence wavers. Priorities shift. But for certain authors, the pull of the unfinished manuscript never fades.
These are books that refused to be abandoned. They lived in drawers, on old hard drives, in boxes in the attic—until the time was right. For some writers, that meant decades of delay. For others, it meant returning to a project with new skills and perspective. The common thread is a quiet persistence and a belief that some stories are worth finishing, no matter how long it takes.
“This Story Wouldn’t Let Me Go”
“The book that was just published is much better than the one I put together 40 years ago.” — Ray Bonnell
For many authors, the commitment to a book isn’t a sprint—it’s a lifelong relationship. These are the stories that wouldn’t stay shelved, even when the odds weren’t favorable.
Ray Bonnell began his book A Creek, a Hill & a Forty in the early 1980s.
“It is the history of a New Deal agricultural project, as seen through the letters of one of the project participants, who happened to be my wife’s grandmother,” he said. “Margaret Miller was still alive when I started the book.”
Although he secured early interest from a regional publisher, editorial delays and the death of his editor led to the manuscript being shelved. It remained dormant for decades until Bonnell, now experienced in historical writing and self-publishing, returned to the work.
“I have to say that the book that was just published is much better than the one I put together forty years ago. My writing has matured, and the historical resources available now are so much better.”
Teddi Ahrens began her manuscript in 1992, after being inspired by a survivor of the Siege of Leningrad.
“I met her and her family during an exchange trip to St. Petersburg,” she said. “I also fell in love with the family, and they graciously helped me see more of their country and visit places involved in their story.”
The manuscript evolved over years of research, travel, and reflection.
“I needed to imagine a different story, but one that includes some of the experiences I had been told about.”
The book, The Nightingale Kept Singing, is now ready for publication. “That’s the saga of the story,” Ahrens said. “Whew!”
Jerome VanSchaik started his novella Ironjaws on a typewriter in the late 1980s.
“I reworked it over the years but never tried to send it off or submit it.” It was recently published by Pete’s Press. “That has nothing to do with how I feel about the novella now and the real value of the book to me.”
The Decades in Between
“Never give up. Park things if they get difficult. Don’t beat yourself up if you seem to be writing so slowly… Persevere.” — Stephanie Williams
Sometimes it’s not the writing itself but everything else—life, family, doubt—that stretches the timeline.
Adam Scribentis wrote the first version of his debut novel between 1999 and 2011, while juggling academic studies.
“In 2011 or ’12, I offered the MS to a literary agency, to be promptly turned down on the grounds that they did not see a market for it.” He set it aside for a decade. “After failing to achieve something else I had been hoping for, [I] went back and started to revise it for publication in 2022.”
Scribentis finished the book with support from an editorial team and published it in 2024. “I am glad that it was rejected earlier, since the delay gave me time to recognize a serious plot hole… and to take advantage of the rise of indy publishing.”
Jeff Probst remembers the moment his intention began: “13 May 1971, San Francisco. I write in my notebook: ‘I will write a novel.’”
He started work on Bachelor Butterflies in Johannesburg in the late 1980s, continued revising in London, and finally self-published the novella in 1994.
“I meet a Sunday Times reviewer; his review appears two months later—‘A short but strangely compelling narrative.’”
Now, decades later, boxes of the book remain in his loft, but the memory of having done it—and done it his way—remains strong.
Stephanie Williams has a pattern of long gestation times. Olga’s Story took ten years of research and writing. Running the Show began with an archival discovery in 1980 and wasn’t published until 2012. Her current book, The Education of Girls, also began more than a decade ago.
“My agent couldn’t get anyone to take it on,” she said. “So I am currently in the throes of self-publishing, after going for a walk in filthy rain last October.” Her advice? “Never give up. Park things if they get difficult. Don’t beat yourself up if you seem to be writing so slowly… Persevere.”
The Book Got Better
“I spent years doing research… so that the characters and settings in the book would be as authentic as I could make them.” — Teddi Ahrens
Time itself, frustrating as it may feel in the moment, can improve the work.
Bonnell said that his decades of experience helped him shape a stronger, more historically grounded book.
“The research skills I had honed while writing my column, as well as the publishing skills gained from self-publishing three books, stood me in good stead to finally bring Margaret’s book to fruition.”
Scribentis, too, found value in waiting. “The delay gave me time to recognize a serious plot hole that needed fixing.”
For Ahrens, the intervening years brought both a deeper emotional connection to the subject and access to archives and diaries that hadn’t been available earlier. “I spent years doing research… so that the characters and settings in the book would be as authentic as I could make them.”
Time also helps authors gain perspective. VanSchaik said of his long-delayed novella: “The real value of the book to me” has little to do with timing or sales—and everything to do with personal meaning.
Lessons in Patience (and Persistence)
The one thing these stories all have in common is that none of the authors let go. Even when the publishing landscape changed. Even when the world told them no. Even when they changed as people..”
Ahrens acknowledged the non-linear nature of creative work. After decades of researching, writing, and even pausing to publish another book in the meantime, she’s finally preparing her siege-era story for release.
“I hold these people of Leningrad in my heart,” she said. That connection endured, even as everything else changed.
Scribentis reflected not only on the improvement of his work but on his changing outlook. “I could wish that I had not had to wait… but I have no regrets,” he said. “In hindsight, everything that delayed me also helped me.”
And Bonnell’s conclusion is a reminder of what sustains many writers over the long haul: “I will never get rich off the book, but money isn’t everything.”
The Scenic Route Is Still a Route
These books took years to finish—some because life got in the way, some because the story needed more time, and some simply because the authors needed to become the kind of people who could write them.
What kept them going varied: a deep connection to the subject, a refusal to give up, a long memory, a walk in the rain, or the encouragement of a friend. Some shelved their manuscripts for decades before picking them back up. Others chipped away slowly, learning to stop beating themselves up for not writing faster. Many found the final version was far stronger for the delay.
Whatever the reason, the books were worth finishing. In an industry built for fast turns and tight schedules, it’s worth remembering that the long road is not only valid—it’s sometimes the most rewarding one. Keep going. Park the manuscript if you must, but don’t throw it away. As more than one author said: never give up.
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