7 Things I've Learned from Publishing My First Book

 

    I published my first novel in November of 2020. In July of 2019 I made the choice to split my then-standalone into a duology, so my time was spent splitting the novel in half, editing the first half (ignoring the second half… but we’ll get to that), and then hit the ground running with all things publishing and marketing. I learned a lot of things. What worked, and what didn’t.

    Looking back I remember the process of editing and publishing feeling a little chaotic and rushed, but even then it was a fantastic learning experience. So here are seven things I learned with publishing my first novel.

 

Build the Hype

    Start now, even. Find free images and make a collage or an aesthetic reel (which is really fun btw). Share quotes, even (if you want). But build your readership before they read. Interact with others, build friendships.

     It doesn’t have to be fancy reels or quotes though. Small peeks or writing updates are fun too! Save the juicy stuff for later on down the road if you want. I’m sharing quote graphics (Canva is perfect for this!) for book 2 of the Rebel Empire duology, and it’s been so fun!

     Or, if you don’t feel the story is ready for the hype (which is totally okay!) start connecting with other writers and readers. Interact on their content, build relationships and friendships.

 

Have Your Series PLANNED

    I’m still kicking myself over this one, to be honest. When I divided my standalone in half, I focused solely on the first book, Empire of Blood. I made choices that would impact book 2, Siege of Gold, but I didn’t stop to think about if it would be a good impact or how I'd have to finagle around it later.

     Boy I’m paying for it now!

     It’s gotten easier, but I think it would have been a little easier a lot sooner if I had worked SoG alongside EoB, and weighed the pros and cons and consequences of the choices I made for the first book (and even the ones I made for the second book).

     But I’m learning to be okay with this. I’m still really proud of where both books are (on a good day anyway XD), and I’m grateful for the experience and knowledge I gained from them both.

     All that to say, it probably won’t hurt to keep the following books in your series on the backburners while you work on the others. At least let them simmer!

 

Organize/Plan Deadlines

    This one was a serious sanity-saver for me. I bought a big desk calendar and taped up the months I needed leading up to release day. I marked deadlines for edits, for preparing materials for a virtual book tour, and deadlines for when I needed to send files to my formatter.

     It made a chaotic rush of activity a little less scary when I could see everything at a glance, and I was able to space them out and not forget or procrastinate until the last minute.

     The only change I’d make for myself is giving myself more time, and to space things out further. Because life happens, and life can get nuts.

 

The Comparison Game: Quality

    This is really important. I want you to read this carefully:

     Do not compare your WIP (work in progress) to someone else’s finished product.

     Let’s read that again:

     Do not compare your WIP to someone else’s finished product.

     Don’t do it. I have to tell myself this a lot too as I write and revise Siege of Gold. You’ll see other writers sharing their own quote snippets or aesthetic reels for their published novel. Or you’ll read someone’s published work.

     Your project is still in progress. It’s still growing (as are you!). It’s not yet finished. So don’t go holding it up to the ones that ARE finished. It will kill your enthusiasm and motivation and everything will look bleak.

     Don’t do that to yourself. You don’t deserve that kind of mindset, and neither does your story.

     Enjoy that author’s finished novel. But don’t go “my book’s nowhere near as amazing as this” or “why isn’t my book this good?”

     Look at your novel, and love it. Love the parts that make you laugh, or smile. Or make you thrill with the adrenaline of the action.

     You will find more joy in what your novel IS and where it’s going than wonder why it isn’t like the others.

 

Brutal(ly honest) Feedback

    Now this comes with some explanation.

     With Empire of Blood, I was able to hire fantastic editors. They were super great, and made EoB amazing.

     With SoG, however, I’m still trying to figure out who to hire and when. Because, as stated above, life happens. And sometimes life likes to require expensive things (the audacity).

     I’ve come to realize that while editors are REALLY great, you don’t HAVE to have one.

     If you have writer friends–emphasis on writer–who are willing to read your story and give you 100% honest feedback, you can get a lot of great critiques. But let them know you want that high level of honesty. Let them really dig in to it and hold nothing back. Because a hired editor won’t.

     ***I say this knowing full well I’m an editor myself, but I also know hiring someone can be an expensive part of publishing.

 

Study the Craft

    Writing a novel is a huge endeavor. Being an author comes with its own hurdles and joys like any other job or profession.

     So to keep improving our craft, we have to read. We have to write.

     Read fiction, read nonfiction. Read books or articles that discuss writing techniques. Take notes (color code them to make them fun!). But continue to learn. Don’t just stop at the basics of storytelling.

     There’s way more to it, trust me.

     It’ll be hard work, but it’ll be worth it.

 

Comparison Game: “Fame”

    Wait, didn’t we just discuss this?

     Sort of. We discussed comparing your book to the books of other authors.

     Now it’s time for me to tell you to stop comparing yourself to other authors.

     Yeah, don’t do that either.

     Don’t look at another author’s follower count on Instagram and wonder why you haven’t gotten the numbers they do, or the popularity they have. Don’t compare your own following to theirs.

     Their journey is different than yours, so don’t expect your own author journey to give you the same results theirs gave them. Don’t be discouraged when it feels like everybody else in your genre is getting all the attention and the photo you were really proud of doesn’t seem to get as much interaction as others.

     I’ve been down that path, and it’s the suckiest feeling. You feel like questioning your choice to be an author. Because what’s the point if everybody else is getting the fame and glory and awards? Or if they’re getting the interviews or fun opportunities?

     Don’t. Don’t do that to yourself. God put you where you are. He put your story where it is. He gave you that story, so don’t wish for somebody else’s.

     I say this, but know that I still struggle. It’s hard to scroll through Instagram and see authors in my genre getting so much attention on their posts. It’s hard to feel happy for them.

     I didn’t feel it as much with EoB, because I wasn’t super immersed in social media/marketing EoB like I am now. I’m more aware of it now, as I write Siege of Gold and try not to compare my rough drafts to finished drafts.

     And it’s hard, I know. It discouraging. But it’s only going to make our journey harder if we keep stopping to wish for the journey of someone else.

     God didn’t give us their journey. He gave us our own, because He has a role for us in it. Maybe your book didn’t win an award. That doesn’t mean all opportunities are shut down. Maybe that just opens the door to a new connection, and that connection leads you to a fun podcast interview.

     It takes work to build a platform and readership. And some authors may have been at it longer. They’ve had to trek through the beginning stages of marketing and all its nightmarish secrets too.

     So be patient, and trust. And for the love of daisies don’t compare your readership to someone else’s. Take your readers and love them fiercely. Take your followers who are interested in reading your WIP and call them yours.

 

Bonus: Don’t Rush

    Don’t rush the process. You might feel like you want to, and get your book out as fast as possible. And sometimes it works out.

     But don’t sacrifice quality for speed. Pace yourself, set reasonable deadlines.

     Because this is also where that “don’t compare yourself/your novel to others” comes into play. You might watch authors churn out three books in only a couple years and feel like you’re too slow.

     You’re not slow. You’re going at your own pace.

     We all have vastly different lives. Some of us are managing full time jobs, some aren’t. Some are raising kids, some have a cat (who acts like a child anyway but that’s another story). We have our own life events, our own schedules and habits and rhythms. What works for one writer may not work for another.

     So don’t think you have to get it all rolled out right away. Give yourself grace, set deadlines that work within your own schedule. Find habits that can help you write more if you’d like. Those can’t hurt!

     But don’t rush yourself. It’ll make everything feel stressed and crammed too close together.

 

    I’m not finished learning all of these things. I’m still discovering things I did in EoB and how I’d like to do it differently for SoG. And it’s exciting. Writing craft is a field I don’t think I’ll ever stop growing in, and while that’s a little overwhelming, it’s also exciting.

     For example, I’m learning how exciting research can be. But that’s another blog post. ;)