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It's fitting that today is our insecure blog day as I am now hitting record levels of insecurity. In about two weeks (give or take, because I have learned nothing happens when you expect it to) my first book will be released.
MY.FIRST.BOOK!
To say I'm a might stressed out might be the understatement of the year. To say I am feeling very insecure and soon-to-be exposed is another major understatement.
If you're new to my blog-I'm going Indie published-aka doing all this madness on my own. So not only do I get to be stressed and insecure about my writing, I also get to worry about the cover art, layout, fonts, formatting, editing, more editing, promo, swag, ISBN's, barcodes for ISBN's, and more!
So you take writers, a naturally insecure bunch, and add a self-employed business on top of it. (Or for those of us with full-time day jobs, a second full-time job). And what do you have? A super freak! (And no, please don't start singing the disco song ;))
I know this is a once in a lifetime moment, I'll have three books coming out this year, and more next, but this will be the only FIRST BOOK EVER that I have. I am trying to relish the moment. I am. Really. Did I mention that I woke up at 3 am thinking, "AMAZON KEYWORDS!!! I don't have any keywords ready!!"
It's interesting how the mind works, the 'oooooo- this is exciting!' part is being completely overwhelmed by the 'let me just edit one more thing' part. I guess that would make sense in the wild, where not worrying, or freaking out, about some wild animal about to eat you as opposed to you admiring a pretty flower, could get you eaten. You would think, after all these years, that the human brain would just knock off the fight or flight response. And judging from my insecure and freaked out mindset right now, you'd be wrong.
So here I sit, being secure in my insecurity, logically knowing if something goes wrong (and plenty has already-LOL) it won't be the end of the world, but emotionally having a major freak out.
Have a great Insecure Writer's Wednesday!
At least you have a very good reason to feel freaked out!
ReplyDeleteBTW, keep plenty of notes oneverything you learn about self-publishing. I may be asking you lots of questions some day.
Hi Ken, just checked out your webpage.
DeleteLooks great.
Thanks, Ken! I promise to share anything I learn :)
DeleteWow! Your first book. What an accomplishment. Celebrate! Freaking out is okay but try to enjoy the journey.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane! I'm hoping to get some celebrating in eventually :).
DeleteIt sounds like you're in a good place actually. Releasing that first book is a wild experience. Things will go wrong, and you will handle them. Just take it one day at a time and enjoy the ride. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elizabeth, it's good to know I'm at least aiming the right direction ;). This is one wild ride so far-can't wait to see what happens!
DeleteCongrats on your new release! I'm sure I'll be feeling the same way come July. Hell, I'm already feeling the insecurity! As long as you have fun with it, that's what counts. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL! Yay L.D.! Welcome to the crazies! I love company :). I keep reminding myself I WANTED to do this ;).
DeleteCongratulations, what an amazing accomplishment. That awful self doubt, ruining the party, eh? Don't let it. Do a crazy happy dance every time it comes along. Dance that doubt away!
ReplyDeleteThanks you, Angeline :). That's a good idea- although my day job might not go for the dancing -but I could dance in my head ;).
DeleteHow did you know I was playing the song in my head....Freak Out! I do feel for you. You're worrying about things I had to look up to understand what your worries were about! I hope you found a mentor or a website or a book that is helping you keep all these things at least straight in your mind if not done yet. You can do it. I know you can. Go, Marie!!!
ReplyDeleteLOL, Sharon, because it was going through my head when I wrote it ;). I have found mentors, and books, and websites everywhere- pretty much becoming a sponge for any all info and help! Thank you for believing in me and your help!
DeleteYour cover is gorgeous. You are brave to do all that work. I wish you much success!
ReplyDeletePlay off the Page
Thank you, Mary! I will admit to squeeing when I saw it :).
DeleteLet me say - GREAT COVER! One less thing to worry about. Good luck on your book.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kai! I agree and that- I really lucked out on finding an awesome artist! (Aleta Rafton if anyone needs a great cover!)
DeleteCongratulations! Take a deep breath. The good news is this--since you're doing it on your own you can come back later and tweak anything that you didn't feel went as planned. No pressure!
ReplyDeleteNow, plan a release party with some family and friends and enjoy this time!
Thank you, Charity! You are right, I think the tiny animal part of my brain keeps blocking that out-I CAN fix things! SIGH. ;).
DeleteCongratulations!
ReplyDeleteRecently I redid my first book (a non-fiction self-help book). I'm better at writing these days, and as an indie author I get to call the shots. It's not an easy path we've chosen, but it's also a lot of fun. Believe me, I know about the freak outs!
Thanks, Nadine! Good to know you've pubbed, revised, and lived to tell the tale :). Gives me hope :).
DeleteWhat an amazing accomplishment! And, you will always be thinking "could I have made this better?" "could I have edited this paragraph to make it tighter?" I think it'll be very hard to let it go, like a first born going to college, but you will be the proud parent when you see it on Amazon and the first numerous star reviews come trickling in...best luck to you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Heather! You just want to "touch one more thing"...but they have to grow up sometime, don't they?
DeleteOh darling, it is a scary but AMAZING time. You're publishing your first novel! WHAT!?!?!?! It's a milestone for sure and you need to really enjoy this great accomplishment. Just so you know - everyone is a super freak when this time rolls around. What if it sucks? What if no one buys it? What if they think I'm TERRIBLE? We've all been through it. But trust yourself and your talent. It's time to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteI think the fear drowns out the, "OMG- how cool is THIS" moments- if I can just grab on to those, I might be ok. And it's good to know everyone freaks out about this- others seem so CALM! LOL!
DeleteCongratulations on your beautiful first book!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tyrean!
DeleteOh, congratulations and best of luck to you! It is a VERY exciting time, so try to enjoy it, nerve wracking as it can be.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hart!
DeleteCongratulations!!! That is such a wonderful day!! Revel in it, drink a glass of your favorite whatever makes you happy, kick your feet up and relax for an hour. Don't check your sales every hour (that will make you crazy!) but definitely check them once in a while b/c how COOL is it to see your book selling? It's delicious :)
ReplyDeleteExcited for you!
~AJ from Naturally Sweet
An April A-Z co-host
Thank you, AJ! Heck, I'm already checking Goodreads to see if anyone has put it on their shelf to read-LOL. I may need a self-restraining order to keep me off Amazon ;).
DeleteI'm sure it will do great. :-)
ReplyDeleteHere's my link if you'd like to drop by :-)
Anna from Shout with Emaginette
Thank you, Anna!
DeleteCongrats, Marie! That's so exciting! I was going nuts like you're doing, last week. And then my book went live, and there were formatting issues, and — talk about the fight or flight response. Major freak-out! Everything got straightened out fairly quickly, though, and all is good. Best of luck with your book release! Hope it all goes well!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lori! Oh, man! I'm glad things got sorted quickly, but dang! That's terrifying!
DeleteI love your cover! That's so exciting, your first book! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michelle!
DeleteCongratulations on your first book! It is something you should enjoy (while freaking out at the same time.) Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThank you Patricia :). Yeah, every once in a while I try to pull back from the freakout and remind my self how cool this is!
DeleteAll that responsibility would have me freaking out too.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the release of you first book :)
Thank you, Dolorah!
DeleteI'd say take it one hurdle at a time. That's the only way I can write novel-length work and the only way I can edit same. Good luck and enjoy this! It's awesome!
ReplyDeleteI see you write about faeries too. I'm curious what kind of fae your MC uses in her exploits. The plot sounds awesome, from one fantasy writer to another. :)
Here's my IWSG post if you want to visit: Have You Found Your Tribe?
Very well put, Donelle! That worked (the hurdles) until I got where I am now---final read of the formatted work! But it's still just another step :). My fae are tiny, little faeries with serious drinking issues ;). They are fun and goofy and a lot more than they seem to be :). Thanks for coming by and us fantasy writers need to stick together!!
DeleteYou can do it!
ReplyDeleteDespite the apparent freak out, it sounds to me like you have everything planned out. You're on top of things, you have an awesome cover (and I'm looking forward to the rest of the covers), and your story sounds like a lot of fun.
Deep breath and... ahhhh, freak out! (sorry, I couldn't help myself)
LOL!!! Thanks, Loni! Even if you did put the song back in my head ;). Thanks for coming by and the support- it's good to hear from others who have done this and survived!
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