So You Wrote a Book!

So you wrote a book! Congratulations! It's no easy feat to write a book. Give yourself a pat on the back, have a night out, treat yourself. Whatever you do to celebrate.

Then take a deep breath. Exhale. And prepare yourself for the emotional rollercoaster of a lifetime.

At first, I thought my own personal insecurities were creating anxieties. That is, until I came across an article? Blog? I researched so much I honestly can't remember anymore where I read it but the message was clear:

"To be a writer, Frodo Baggins, is to be insecure."

Okay, I may have massaged that a bit from one of my annual viewings of Lord of the Rings but it was sound advice I needed to hear. You've finished writing your first book and as you're going through the publishing process, you're experiencing a flood of emotions. Your book is your baby and you poured your heart and soul into it. It's only natural to have strong feelings attached to it, and you might be nervous or even offended that someone doesn’t share the same feelings as you.

To put such a personal work of art into a public setting can be difficult. The journey to publishing and in particular, your first-ever journey is going to be a turbulent one. I have been excited, nervous, dejected, and excited again all in the same week. And yet people close to me will know that I'm usually calm and steady!

Much of my stress came from the seemingly insurmountable list of things I had research, understand, and accomplish to reach my publishing goal. Several times I would take a step back, sort my thoughts, and reset my compass.

What are some things you can do? Research, talk to people, understand the industry—read my blog! Be wary of those sources that appear biased, though. Someone who is bitter about not getting traditionally published isn't necessarily going to be sharing objective advice.

Learn from your critique partners, beta readers, and editor(s), all of whom will provide you invaluable feedback. Also keep true to what you believe in. If someone is telling you that something's not working and after much thought and consideration, you've decided that the change would be a disservice to your character or book, stand your ground.

We live in a society where we’re accustomed to instant gratification and while you shouldn’t drag out your publishing process (if you have control of it through self-publishing), you also can't rush it. One thing I did was to try to become familiar with certain processes or guidelines months in advance so I wouldn't be overwhelmed when it came time to publish. Any time I rushed through something, I made a mistake. This didn't occur as often as it could have since I'm painfully detail-oriented but you don't know what you don't know, so try to get a handle on the publishing process as early as you can.

This road will get easier once you get your first book underway because then you'll have developed your business connections and will start to get the hang of it. (Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. I’ll share my perspective in a year.) Meanwhile, slow down and allow yourself time to think with a clearer head before making decisions. Your book will thank you for it.