I’m in the final stages of preparing my first novel for launch. It’s an exciting and terrifying time, all at once. Some days, I feel like I’m on top of the world — like when I got my beautiful cover finally done — and other days, I feel depressed and my brain keeps going “I’m never ever going to sell a single book, and if by some strange chance I do, the reader will hate ever word“. Those days aren’t exactly helpful and I try to focus on the positive feedback I’ve gotten from those who’ve read it so far (editors and a few chosen close friends).

Then there’s the part with getting all the technical stuff right — publishing on Amazon for the first time, making physical copies via either KDP or IngramSpark (or both?), making sure the book looks pretty if someone buys it.

I’ve gotten on TikTok, a platform I really don’t understand, but it’s a great place for the audience I want for my book. So I’m trying my hand at it — feel free to follow me, I’d love it. (I’m also on Instagram, and Facebook).

All the while, I’m juggling three kids (the youngest is turning three months in just a few days) and two courses at uni. I’m also supposed to be working on the fourth article for my dissertation.

Yeah.

And then I wonder, why am I stressing out, anyway? 

I try to enjoy my kids (though I have to say, it’s nice when they’re in school/pre-school). I try to enjoy the process of learning a thousand things about book publishing. I try to enjoy learning new things in my courses.

Someone will probably read the book. I have nine ARC readers (advance copy readers, meaning people who got my book before it’s officially released; you can sign up here if you want) and hopefully a few of them will actually read it and maybe even write a review.

Most say anyway that the important thing is to write more books. 20 books to 50K and such. Since it’s taken me twelve years to get this book finished, I’m not sure I’ll do twenty books in my lifetime, but I do have the manuscript for the second novel in the Elemental Saga almost finished. After a few rounds of editing, it will go to my editors, and I hope to publish that one within a year.

But anyway, no one’s going to read my stuff anyway, right? 😀