Beyond the Book: What I Learned

“What is the most important thing you learned after completing your first book?” 

I thought this was an interesting topic because in my opinion most new authors are totally clueless about what to do after their book is accepted for publication. My first book A New Leaf was published first in paperback. The publisher sent me some advance reader copies that I had no idea what to do with. In short, I knew nothing about being an author beyond writing the words down on paper. From that first experience I learned several things.

First, you’ll probably sell a fair number of copies of your first book because your friends and relatives are excited that you published a book and will want to see if you’re any good. But they won’t buy enough copies to put you a bestseller list anywhere. So, you have to learn how to promote your book, and how do you do that?

You could begin with joining author groups either in the real world or online. They’re a great source of support and will probably help you to promote your book. Besides that, there’s something so wonderful about talking to other authors who are probably going through the same struggles and challenges that you are. 

You can also take advantage of free or paid promotional sites. You can find them all over the internet, but do the research and make sure it’s worth your money and time. Not all of those sites are created equal.

Also, why not join some social media sites to let people know that you’re out there and have some books available? There’s a fine line here, though. You can over promote if you’re not careful. People don’t really like that. 

The second thing I learned was that not everyone will like your book as much as you do. As an author you’ll have to develop a thick skin, especially as you read reviews of your work. I try to evaluate the negative reviews to see if the criticism is valid or not. Sometimes I’ve found myself agreeing with them. You’ll also need to remember that your editor may want changes in your book that you disagree with. I do think it usually pays to listen to them. 

The third thing I learned, and I think this one is the most important, is that writing should be a labor of love. Most authors I know say that they couldn’t stop writing if they wanted to. They have stories in their heads just desperate to get out. I’ve always felt that way too. It gave me a sense of satisfaction to write and definitely satisfied my creative side. I think that if you don’t love writing it would become a terrible chore and not a pleasure. If I ever come to that point I’m planning on a nice break from writing. Then I’ll give it another try later. 

And along with my third point, write the book the way you want to. A few years ago authors of erotica made a lot more electronic sales that authors of sweet fiction. I just couldn’t do it though. That wasn’t what I wanted to write so I didn’t. I probably would have sold more copies if I had, but that wasn’t the way I wanted to go. Be true to your own vision. 

Authors, what did you discover after your first book?