So You Published Your First Book ... Now What?

A sweet card from my writer friend, Jenny Bravo, of Blots & Plots Publishing your first novel can be quite an odd, surreal, harrowing experience.
I should know--I published my first full-length work, "The Charismatics," two and a half weeks ago.
During the last six months, I've felt a lot of things--excitement with my new fantasy world, finding my true passion in life, and beginning the journey to turn said passion into a career--doing something I loved day in and day out and planning to make a living with it.

I imagined changing lives with my writing. Making a lot of money so that I could give it away, starting charities and bringing awareness to current ones, all while I continued to translate the beauty and sadness and feelings from this Earth into stories that readers would relate to, love, remember. Hold onto. Cry from.
As I said, my debut novel, "The Charismatics," released a few weeks ago. Reception has been fantastic so far--I've got a number of four and five star reviews on Amazon, some from readers I don't even know (this is huge; validation that their words and critiques are not because they personally know me).
But how have I felt since the release? In one word?

BLAH. 
You heard me. Blah. BLAH.

But why? Well ... I think the main reason is something a lot of authors go through when they've published their first novel; you've spent two months or six months (in my case) or one year or five years honing this thing into something readable, sellable, and now it's out there in the world, and NOW all you can do is wait.
Wait.
Wait for the reviews to come.
Wait for the numbers to get higher.
Wait for your royalties from Amazon to deposit in your account sixty days after a sale.
Wait for that better-known author/reviewer to give your work a chance, possibly to share it with their readership and gain more sales and more clout.

So what do you do now that you've published this book baby and it's ALL in the readers' hands? What do you do as a debut indie author, someone who has perhaps slaved over this written work for many, MANY nights, infusing it with your heart and soul and fears and doubts and desires and hopes?
I'm just gonna lay it all out there on the table for you--from one writer to another. There's nothing to be ashamed of in feeling sad about your sales numbers, or apathetic when it comes to sending the novel to more book bloggers for reviews, or dejected when the library refuses to carry your self-pubbed masterpiece. Here are the things I've thought, learned from, and plan to do since publishing my first book ... and maybe they will help you a little to consider, too.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED:
1. Your sales numbers are not going to be very high.
You are a debuting indie; an unknown. People don't care who you are; don't expect to sell three hundred copies in one day (unless you have a HUGE and supportive extended family). Don't even expect to sell twenty in one day. I sold ten. (I'M NOT ASHAMED!!!!!!)
2. Your early readers are everything.
A number of friends who purchased "The Charismatics" at my book launch party have texted me lately with encouraging words; "I can't put your book down! Seriously! It's really good!"
Or even better ... "I LOVE Roan, but Merry is such a brat!" etc. etc. When your friends talk to you about your characters, and their favorite scenes ... these are the best conversations ever. You wrote a book! People are reading it! They are LOVING it!
3. Book reviews are REALLY hard to get.
Um...yeah. I still haven't figured this one out yet. I thought that "book bloggers" and "vloggers" and "reviewers" would *want* a free e-book to read at their leisure? Not so, at least, not for me. I've contacted several dozens to barely a peep in response.
I'm not sure what to make of it besides the age-old "oversaturation" of the market right now regarding reading material...there are so many books out there, and so many good ones, and so many written by authors people KNOW about, that the chances of your indie debut being chosen by a reviewer seem to be slim to none. I have had one vlogger respond, and she is currently reading "The Charismatics." So it's not impossible; just time-consuming with some rejection along the way. So prepare yourself, and be SUPER thankful and professional and FOLLOW THROUGH with the reviewers who show interest.
4. Social media can be hard to maintain.
Another thing I'm figuring out now. For the months leading up to "The Charismatics'" release, I had book cover releases and giveaways and newsletter contests and guest posts and interviews and TONS OF OTHER STUFF and now that it's over ... I don't have much to talk about. (I *have* been taking a lot more pictures of my cats though, in various poses. I'm sure my IG followers appreciate that greatly.)
5. It can just all be sort of ... sad sometimes.
The week before I released my novel, I got a job at a local restaurant because I'd officially run out of money. So that weekend was my release, and the next Monday I was ... serving Black and Tans. Yep. Spilling ranch dressing and Guinness on myself. Kissing ass for a 12% tip.
Now--as my sister and mom and friends and even *I* have told myself--I AM LUCKY AND BLESSED TO HAVE A JOB. Absolutely. I am a Caucasian, young American female with ALL the undeserved blessings one can think of. Truly, I know that, and I remind myself of it everyday.
HOWEVER ... it all did feel somewhat insignificant after what I'd just experienced. What I'd just spent months doing--writing a novel and creating a social media platform and collaborating with art professionals to perfect it to something I could be proud to have my name slapped on--and yes, there I was again, serving beers.
Do you feel that way at your day job? That there is something else you should be doing, some better way you could be contributing to society?
I don't have an answer on how to make it better. I just wanted to tell you that I feel the same way.

BUT! But. There are things you can do now. Things I plan to do now, to bolster this fledgling writing career that much more. It's a marathon after all, not a sprint ...

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE:
1. Write something new!
After pouring so much energy into a fantasy novel, I wanted to try a new genre; contemporary. I am currently working on the first draft of a novella called "Misery and Marlene"; this has accomplished a few things for me. 1) I'm not focusing on my sales numbers for "The Charismatics," because I'm excited to be working on something new! 2) I now have something else to share about on social media. 3) What does Hugh Howey, amazing indie author, say? KEEP WRITING/PRODUCING TO SELL MORE BOOKS. Backlist, backlist, backlist. Keep growing it with new titles to increase exposure.
2. Let my readers do the marketing for me.
I didn't pay for any marketing, and I don't plan to. Partly because I'm poor, but also because I hoped that my work would be good enough that readers would share it themselves. Take selfies with it, use the hashtag #TheCharismatics, etc. So far it's been working; a small but growing following has begun. I've sold an e-book nearly every day since release, and three days ago I sold five in one day. This thing is growing organically; that's how I want it to.
3. Get involved in the community.
I am scheduled to give a talk at my local high school in January about "Pursuing Your Dreams;" I had reached out to the superintendent right before my release to suggest it. I have since sent my presentation to the principal who stated he LOVED it; he encouraged me to contact other high schools in the Phoenix area and offer my services. Not only am I doing one of the things I love to do (community outreach), but I'm going to be hitting my TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC--teenagers. So things can happen, ya' know? I'm supposed to be featured in the local newspaper for this talk as well as an interview I did with them a week ago; more publicity while also doing something to benefit others.
4. Connect with small bookstores and the library.
No idea how this is going to go. When my mom went into her local library and asked whether they carried indie books, apparently the employee stated only those reviewed by reputable (see "Publishers Weekly") reviewers would be accepted. Doesn't mean I'm not going to try. I mean, come on; if you see that my book is well-made and beautiful and I'm willing to give you FREE COPIES, why not carry it? What's the harm? Same goes for the bookstores; a girl's gotta try. Updates on my success to follow.
5. Send it into contests/awards for consideration.
I'm going to search for various contests and awards to send "The Charismatics" into. I really believe in this book; the response so far is that it's something special. Winning something would help to cement the validation needed as a debut indie author that it's something a reader will be satisfied with.

SO. There you have it. My plans for the weeks and months after publishing my debut ... writing something new, continuing to share the novel, and enjoying any positive response I get. Hopefully this list helps you as well, and if you have any others thoughts, PLEASE share in the comments below!

As always, keep writing and keep dreaming!