It has been a little over 3 months now since my book release, and it was a whirlwind of excitement the first month! People are stoked to buy the book, you are glad that there are those who are excited along with you and anxious to see your creation!
Now the real work begins! Marketing and booking events on my own has been a fun challenge but still a challenge indeed. There are days that are super quiet and nothing is going on, and you feel like you have to be doing something or that maybe you are not doing something right.
Unless you are an author that strikes it big on your book instantly, which most authors dream about, a fair amount of talented writers do no have that happen! All new authors have started out in the same position as the extremely successful ones have. We have all gone through the thought process, the idea from mind to page, the nervousness of finding a publisher who wants to publish your masterpiece, the editing, the proofing, the final draft and finally the release date!
It is kind of cool to feel the same feelings as those writers like, JK Rowling, Robert Munsch, Dan Brown, Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, etc. had when they released their very first book! We all stood at the same place as they did, and we all hope to be as successful! Like everything else in life some people get their big break and their art form takes off!
I have experienced through the writing community on Twitter, how many truly talented and courageous people are out there putting their own hearts and labours of love out for the world to see! Along side so many terrific authors, I myself have had all these exhilarating and nervous feelings!
Now things have slowed down, and I have seen over 100 of my books sold, and I am truly grateful that 100+ people wanted to share in this ambition and story I created!
It may not be millions of copies but in reality it feels that way! When I first sent my idea off to the publisher, I was afraid that no one would want to read it let alone buy it, pay for my work or be remotely interested! I was elated to see the sales start coming in, grateful for the small successes of the quaint book signings, the surreal feelings I had when I signed that first copy for someone! I thought to myself, “ this must be how JK Rowling must feel!”, and it was very mind blowing!
I am truly happy for taking the chance to put myself out there, to share my creation with others and I have been extremely lucky to have had it received so wonderfully by those who bought the book! I have been lucky to see first hand the reactions of the children who read the book and be delighted in it, I have been lucky to see a child hold it in their hands and read from it, explaining to me how much they loved the book and why! This is why I wrote it in the first place!
So, yes… here is to even the small successes, because no matter how big or small, it is still…A SUCCESS!!! I am proud to call myself a published author and proud to be part of a vast community of creators of stories!
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