--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a very long time, I thought everyone…" description: "\"For a very long time, I thought everyone I met through the process of getting an agent and a publishing deal had made a mistake. When they agreed to pa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/lisa-jewell-6988_book_for-a-very-long-time-i-thought-everyone_1729671.jpg" --- # For a very long time, I thought everyone I met through the… ![“For a very long time, I thought everyone I met through the process of getting an agent and a publishing deal had made a mistake. When they agreed to pay me for the book, I thought they would ask me for the money back.” quote by Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/lisa-jewell-6988_book_for-a-very-long-time-i-thought-everyone_1729671.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/lisa-jewell-6988_book_for-a-very-long-time-i-thought-everyone_1729671.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/lisa-jewell-6988_book_for-a-very-long-time-i-thought-everyone_1729671.jpg) > “For a very long time, I thought everyone I met through the process of getting an agent and a publishing deal had made a mistake. When they agreed to pay me for the book, I thought they would ask me for the money back.” [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authors often fear financial exploitation, but publishing contracts are standard business agreements **In simple terms:** Fear of being scammed in publishing Key Takeaway Trust the process, but read contracts carefully Themes caution trust publishing industry Mood cautious reflective Type advice informative When to use this quote - signing publishing deals - agent negotiations - royalty discussions Key Concepts contract law author rights financial literacy Questions to Reflect On - What red flags do you watch for in contracts? - How can authors protect themselves financially? A Different Perspective Contracts can still be unfair without proper counsel ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I never had trouble getting an agent. I went out and got my first couple roles, and literally within six months I never had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-norris/i-never-had-trouble-getting-an-agent-i-went-out-and-got-my-first/) [Dean Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-norris/) > [Of course I had a piece of luck I couldn't have imagine for myself in a million years: I got an agent. That sped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/of-course-i-had-a-piece-of-luck-i-couldn-t-have-imagine-for-myself-in/) [Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/) > [Everyone in L.A. talks about getting an agent or a manager in terms of getting on a sitcom or getting on a movie or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-shaffir/everyone-in-l-a-talks-about-getting-an-agent-or-a-manager-in-terms-of/) [Ari Shaffir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-shaffir/) > [Getting an agent is hard, and I also think people rush to get an agent too soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-mendez/getting-an-agent-is-hard-and-i-also-think-people-rush-to-get-an-agent/) [Lindsay Mendez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-mendez/) > [For so long, I could not get a publishing deal to save my life. I couldn't get a record deal to save my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lainey-wilson/for-so-long-i-could-not-get-a-publishing-deal-to-save-my-life-i/) [Lainey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lainey-wilson/) > [I had a publishing deal way before I had a record deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-swindell/i-had-a-publishing-deal-way-before-i-had-a-record-deal/) [Cole Swindell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swindell/) > [But I guess the first time I made career money was signing a publishing deal when I was still at uni. That was when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mura-masa/but-i-guess-the-first-time-i-made-career-money-was-signing-a/) [Mura Masa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mura-masa/) > [I didn't do anything but write for six months after I got my publishing deal. That was just trying to get better and figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-wallen/i-didn-t-do-anything-but-write-for-six-months-after-i-got-my/) [Morgan Wallen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-wallen/) > [I own every song I've ever released. I do not have a traditional record deal. I still get the lion's share of my money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jelly-roll/i-own-every-song-i-ve-ever-released-i-do-not-have-a-traditional/) [Jelly Roll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jelly-roll/) > [When I got my first publishing deal, I felt some responsibility to try to write with the people that they were asking me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-nutini/when-i-got-my-first-publishing-deal-i-felt-some-responsibility-to-try/) [Paolo Nutini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-nutini/) > [At 18, I got a publishing deal, so I was like, 'I can do this for real and not go to college.' When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-trainor/at-18-i-got-a-publishing-deal-so-i-was-like-i-can-do-this-for-real/) [Meghan Trainor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-trainor/) > [The crazy thing is after I had my son, that next year, I got a publishing deal. The next year, I got a record…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/the-crazy-thing-is-after-i-had-my-son-that-next-year-i-got-a/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [I got a publishing deal with BMG, they were supportive, and some money to record demos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-sheik/i-got-a-publishing-deal-with-bmg-they-were-supportive-and-some-money/) [Duncan Sheik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-sheik/) > [I signed my first publishing deal when I was 14, and it was from two records I put on MySpace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mnek/i-signed-my-first-publishing-deal-when-i-was-14-and-it-was-from-two/) [MNEK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mnek/) > [Before I ever had my record deal, I just had a publishing deal over at Sony ATV. I had that title, 'Flatliner,' and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-swindell/before-i-ever-had-my-record-deal-i-just-had-a-publishing-deal-over-at/) [Cole Swindell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swindell/) ## More by Lisa Jewell > [“is a work”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/is-a-work/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [I changed my mind about being a famous pop star when I realised that it meant I'd never be able to get on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-changed-my-mind-about-being-a-famous-pop-star-when-i-realised-that/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [I loved her more than she loved me, that was the problem. A basic imbalance. Relationships like that never last, however hard you try.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-loved-her-more-than-she-loved-me-that-was-the-problem-a-basic/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [I knew I wasn't the sort of person who could do a full-time job and write in the evening and at weekends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-knew-i-wasn-t-the-sort-of-person-who-could-do-a-full-time-job-and/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [I must always, always have a box of Extra chewing gum in my bag because I have developed a terrible cheek-chewing compulsion. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-must-always-always-have-a-box-of-extra-chewing-gum-in-my-bag/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [I am a terrible, terrible typist. I could not have been a writer in the age of typewriters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-am-a-terrible-terrible-typist-i-could-not-have-been-a-writer-in-the/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [I don't think my first book was chick lit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-don-t-think-my-first-book-was-chick-lit/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [My husband loves having his own room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/my-husband-loves-having-his-own-room/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [I would never, for the sake of the story or a twist, have a character do something that they just wouldn't do. I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-would-never-for-the-sake-of-the-story-or-a-twist-have-a-character/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [My publishers find me really challenging, as a lot of the time, I don't even know what I'm going to be writing about until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/my-publishers-find-me-really-challenging-as-a-lot-of-the-time-i-don-t/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [If you feel that your father was lacking as a husband, it affects your own choice of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/if-you-feel-that-your-father-was-lacking-as-a-husband-it-affects-your/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [Everyone thinks they've got a book inside them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/everyone-thinks-they-ve-got-a-book-inside-them/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [“You're here every night, you join in, but you always seem to be - I don't know - more of a spectator than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/you-re-here-every-night-you-join-in-but-you-always-seem-to-be-i-don-t/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [When I travel, I can leave everything at home apart from books. I curate my holiday reading rigorously and would be devastated if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/when-i-travel-i-can-leave-everything-at-home-apart-from-books-i/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [Publishers have published women's fiction into a corner, and now we are all trying to punch our way out of it. We just have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/publishers-have-published-women-s-fiction-into-a-corner-and-now-we/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) [Explore all 96 Lisa Jewell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For a very long time, I thought everyone I met through the process of getting an agent and a publishing deal had made a mistake. 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