Having a book published is a major milestone in life. After years of struggle, of pouring out your heart and soul, of overcoming rejection, your “baby” is born! Break open the champagne. Spread the news. Scream with unbridled joy.
Then … reality sets in.
The world didn’t move. Your picture is not plastered on the front page of the newspaper. Your book is not on the New York Time’s Bestseller List. You are not rolling in money. So much for the glamorous life.
Welcome to the real world of the newly published.
Yes, your book is for sale on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and more. You have wonderful reviews and multiple “likes.” You’re a guest on many blogs. You’ve distributed post cards and inundated the social media. Obscurity, though, still exists.
Your publisher is well-established and has done a formidable job. The artwork on your book cover is outstanding. The content of your novel is above-average. You ask yourself what you’re doing wring. Nothing.
The fact is that you are a new name in the vast world of publishing. With the advent of electronic publishing and self-publishing (no, they are not synonymous), thousands of books are out there for the reading. There are so many choices for the reader.
You’re a guppy in an ocean.
After your book is published, the real work begins. Trying to create a “buzz” and word-of-mouth promotion takes time and more effort than realized. You spend as much time, or more, marketing the book than writing it.
On top of it all, you’re a writer and have to write. The next book beckons and the next and the next. It is a continuous process. Another gets published and the circus begins again.
Welcome to the real world of the author!