Ups and Downs Before I Publish my First Book… so far

So as some of you know I have my first book coming out soon. It’s really exciting and so much work has gone into it. Here though I thought I’d write a short post about the good and the bad as well as the in between of the journey so far.

 

The bad first )o:

It has to be getting your head around setting up a platform. Nearly a year ago today I set up a blog. I had no idea where it was going but knew I wanted to make some kind of contact with like minded people. Setting up the individual aspects of a platform isn’t very difficult but trying to keep all of it going is. Creating the blog, website and setting up an account on various social media sites is a simple thing to do, the hard part is using them effectively while juggling them all at the same time. I still haven’t done this and from what I can see everyone struggles with some aspect  of this process.

Next is the sheer work involved in the edit and rewrite process. With my previous short stories it was as simple as write, self edit, send. If it is picked up then the editors of the magazine will edit it for you and publish. Now this isn’t everyone’s experience but it has been mine and I got used to the routine. My editor Jennifer Collins did a great job and pushed me in the write direction in terms of story and writing ability but it took a lot of work to get there and I am nowhere near where I want to be… yet. As I have been finishing up the last few edits on my book I took a look at how different it is to the first draft. It’s like its cousin 12 times removed. Not quite chalk and cheese but near enough. It’s a lot better.

 

The good (o:

Working towards a greater goal. This goal for me is becoming a full time or near full time writer. Getting the first book finished and eventually out there is both full of anxiety as well as hope. I’m sure there will be a readers base out there somewhere but its still a frightening prospect. The goal is to have at least 4 titles out there by year end. Unless you nail that breakout title early on, writing seems to be a gradual process.

Next is making connections. I’ve spoken about the indie writing community before but in the last few months I’ve made connection with both indie and traditionally published writers. Everyone has been willing to offer advice, discuss strategy and help out in any way which has been great. I’ve never been a person to network very well but I’ve come to realize it is more about meeting like minded people and offering to help out in any way you can. Generally you’ll get a response and mutually benefit. It really is a great feeling.

 

The Inbetween /o:

I’ve found there is none. I either feel fantastic or completely down in the dumps. It’s peaks and troughs but I still love it. Writing is something I do in my spare time that may or may not lead onto something bigger and that’s exciting. Even if I never make much from my writing I still enjoy creating and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.

 

Let me know what you’re experiences have been? I’d love to hear them.

 

Cheers,

 

David