Your masterpiece is done. Your edit phase is done. (As done as any writer can be. It is challenging to know when to say enough is enough). You have a cover. You should be thrilled. Part of you is thrilled. Another larger part of you says, "now what?" You know you should begin looking for a publisher. Or if you have a publisher, you should begin marketing your work. You should want to market your work, right? Not necessarily. I was rather shocked about the reality of how much of the marketing falls on the author. I was under the impression that all I had to do was write incredible books, sit back and bask in the moment. Well, that is not the case in this age of publishing. Gone are the large bookstores. The large publishing houses are dwindling. At first, this bummed me out a little, but then I saw the opportunity in it. The publishing world is going through a huge transformation. I will get into that in a different publishing/marketing post.
I want to come back to the, "now what?" question. Here is my advice, celebrate. Take some time and let it sink in. Stare at your book. Pat yourself on the back. Smile. Enjoy the moment. It is a huge accomplishment. I have heard statistics that for every 200 people that want to write a book, only one person writes a book. There is plenty of work ahead for you so take a set amount of time and relax. For me, it is about 2-4 weeks where I just don't write. I think a lot about my next book, but I don't write. I want the process to stay fun. I don't want to get caught up in the, "I have to do this or that." Maybe if it was my only income, I might be harder on myself. :)
I just published my second book. It dawned on me that I may be writing books for the rest of my life. I am in no hurry to get them all done. In fact, I will likely never be done. As a writer, that is a very good thing. So, now what? Who knows!!! I sure don't and that fact makes me very happy.
Hi Marlies,
ReplyDeleteI heard you speak at Saturday's writers panel. I am also an author and spoke that day. I am in the process of publishing my first novel. I had to leave almost before you were done speaking. I loved hearing you. You are so full of enthusiasm and energy. Your blogs are also fun and so generous. The thing you remind me of is to have fun. I has slipped into frustration. Thank you. You are an inspiration.
Jo
I am so glad you wrote. Thank you. As authors, we need to motivate one another to have fun. If we aren't having fun, then we need to get into a new business. :) I don't ever want to feel pressure writing. I would hate to lose the spark and joy! I'm actually giving myself a longer break between Book Two and Three in my series. (shhh...don't tell my publisher.) My non-writing life is a little busy right now so instead of writing, I have been focusing on other life things. And guess what, that is okay!!!! What a concept! Sometimes we just need to give ourselves permission to not stress and simply live! Keep writing! I hope to see you again at the next author's panel.
ReplyDelete