So You Wanted to be a Published Author ☺
Congratulations! You got your wish. After much trying in the trenches of queryland or working through multiple rewrites, edits and the whole shebang involved in self-publishing a product you could be proud of, you’ve done it.
You’ve published your first book.
For many authors, the first reaction is to jump up and down with joy screaming, “I did it!”
Next thing to pop into their head is, “Oh dear goodness, what did I get myself into???”
Well, take heart in knowing there are lessons every writer learns after they publish that first book:
1. The buzz machine must always roll – Before the book you slaved over and nurtured made it to the bookshelf or became available with one click of a button, you probably started building buzz, alerting readers and bloggers to the arrival of your baby – erm – book. Maybe you did a cover reveal and ARC giveaways. That buzz was great, but it shouldn’t slow down. Keep the buzz moving, keep the momentum going and add fuel to a little thing called “word of mouth.” Okay, it really isn’t a little thing. It’s very powerful and can be key in helping build sales of your story because “the word” spreads like wildfire.
2. There is power in multi-tasking by priority – I am a single mother, employed full time, love to read and have self-published one full length novel as well as three novellas of varying lengths since September of 2012. My schedule was pretty hectic before the reading and writing, so multi-tasking was something I thought I was good at before I published Neverlove, my debut YA novel. After I published, multi-tasking took on a whole new meaning. Now I had to really involve myself in marketing and promoting. Being a single mom and spending eight hours of each day at my day gig can eat a LOT out of the time I have. I struggled, sorely, on this front, not having time for much of anything like living. It’s still a struggle, but it’s day-by-day. I’ve learned to make time by prioritizing better. It’s freed up more time I would have wasted spinning my wheels. Now my daughter doesn’t quite see me as the blur that moves around our home and I don’t hover over my laptop as much. And that is a good thing.
3. Deals are brokered and broken, so keep writing – Publishing is a business. That is probably the one lesson every author learns rather painfully after that first book publication. Book deals can happen, modest advances brokered and an excellent novel released to the world. But if sales flop, it’s a hard part of the business that the three book deal can just as quickly be canceled. Because…publishing is a business. It isn’t intended to be ruthless, but these things happen. It’s the same with self-publishing. I am rich in love, thanks to my daughter, but I can’t afford to pay for professional book covers, content editing, proofreading, book tour setups, etc. then get absolutely nothing in sales from my books. I could choose to do none of those things but I want to put out a product I can be proud of, imperfect, for sure, but something I can enjoy sharing with the world. So that is also why it’s important to keep writing. If a book deal falls apart, the writing is always there. If sales just aren’t going well, the writing is an ever-present opportunity to work on something better. Things may not go 100% perfect with the first book, but keep writing so it definitely won’t be the last.
It can be tough learning these and plenty other lessons after publishing that first book, but armed with newfound knowledge, the first time author doesn’t have to be a one-hit-wonder.
----------------------------
Born and raised in Little Rock, AR, Angela Brown now calls Central Texas home. She's a lover of Wild Cherry Pepsi and chocolate/chocolate covered delicious-ness. Steampunk, fantasy and paranormal to contemporary - mostly young adult - fill her growing library of books. Mother to a rambunctious darling girl aptly nicknamed Chipmunk, life stays busy. Her favorite quote keeps her moving: "You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result." ~Mahatma Gandhi
She is the author of Neverlove (Shadow Jumpers)
,
They All Fall Down (Shadow Jumpers)
, and Frailties of the Bond (NEO Chronicles)
.
,
They All Fall Down (Shadow Jumpers), and Frailties of the Bond (NEO Chronicles).