My First Week as a Published Author
For anyone who has ever published an eBook, I’d love to hear about your experiences. It might seem like a fairly simple process but there are many elements to the whole concept. From the conversion, to the review, to the approval and once you receive the final document to be uploaded, you hesitate…wondering if the book (or maybe just yourself) really is ready. After shaking off any doubts, you finally hit the “publish” button to upload the book and wait for it to go live.
You receive word that the book is live.
And so are you.
But regardless of what you think of your work as the creator and regardless of the sales reports you receive, what you really want to know is…do others like the story? Do they like the characters? Did they enjoy the book as a whole? Will they look forward to reading more of your work as you continue to write and publish books?
While you should always write for yourself, and while you cannot please everyone, you are only human as you wait to hear how others will respond to what you have created. I had not realized just how anxious I was as I waited for the first person to finish the book and tell me what they thought. If no one really liked the book, would I continue to write? Sure I would. I would continue to write what brings out the passion in me as a writer and I would always remember this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt:
But while I believe writing for yourself is the key to a good book, there is no denying you still want others to enjoy your stories and you hope they continue to want more from you.
The wait seemed long to the point of agony but the relief I felt after receiving my first review was pure delight. If you visit the Amazon website to view my book, you will see a rating and a customer review. It is wonderful. Here is a portion of the review:
Since that review, I have heard from others who have finished the book or who are still reading it and I have heard more positive feedback. Not that I need my ego stroked, mind you, but it sure is good to hear that not only have others enjoyed the story and characters I created, but that they are looking forward to reading additional books in the series. It shows me that my passion has brought out a passion in others and that alone is enough to boost my so-called ego.
