By:
Ashley R. Carlson
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?
. . .
Read the full article HERE!
~*~
If you
missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are
again:
- Writing
Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (9th
ed .) | Zetta's Desk http://ow.ly/I1BIY - Interview from the Author Hangout - Where Writers Win http://ow.ly/I1DMC On Marketing EBooks!
- What readers say about ebook prices | The Fussy Librarian http://ow.ly/I1ElQ
- How to Create Characters Worth Reading | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/I3h0X
- The
Elements of a Well-Reviewed Audiobook |
Audiobook Creation Exchange Blog (ACX) http://ow.ly/I3z5s - 10 Common Fiction Problems and How to Fix Them - Elizabeth Spann Craig http://ow.ly/I500D
- Ebooks:
A Treasure Trove For Dyslexic Readers | The Creative Penn
http://ow.ly/I543LSo You Published Your First Book
... Now What? - Ashley R. Carlson Fantasy Author http://ow.ly/I54pM - Free book giveaways – when do they work? When don’t they? | Nail Your Novel http://ow.ly/I54wz
- Seven Techniques You Must Know To Make Editors Notice Your Poetry - Writer's Relief, Inc. http://ow.ly/I55um
- Keep your writing resolutions in 2015! - The Writer http://ow.ly/I56JP
- Fiction University: Should You Avoid Topical Issues in Your Writing? http://ow.ly/I575v
- #39: 7 Tips to Create a 3-Part Video Series - Amy Porterfield http://ow.ly/I57fHKsenia Anske Books/Blog/How often should you blog and indulge in social media? http://ow.ly/I57qL
- A Publishing Blog for Writers and Book People » Women mystery writers break out of the shadows http://ow.ly/I58Nh
- Wanted: How to Find Your Best Editor by Corina Koch MacLeod and Carla Douglas — The Book Designer http://ow.ly/I59li
- Premium WordPress Themes for Authors http://ow.ly/I59W0
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