With Wonderment only two weeks away from release date, I’m having all kinds of emotions at the moment. Excitement, stress, worry…. the list is endless. If I hadn’t been gone from the book world for five years I might not feel so nervous. Being an author isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, though. It’s a lot of hard work, and can get quite stressful at times when you have overhead costs before the books are even out. (Yes folks, it costs authors money to publish.)
Authors are superheroes because they can take you away to a place where you forget your worries for a little while. I often got lost in a book for that very reason, and I’ll always be thankful to my authors for that. Before I became an author, I already had so much respect for writers that published. They poured their heart and soul into a manuscript and let it out into the world to be judged by anyone who read it. Authors basically let you glimpse into their minds. That takes courage, strength, and above all a very thick skin because not everyone will like an author's work.
Once your book is out you have the reviews to look forward to. This is the part I enjoy the most, and don't get me wrong, not every review is good, but every review will help you develop as a writer. I know I haven’t written my bestseller yet, but I’m on my journey to reaching it, and that’s the best part.
The most important thing about writing is to stay positive. This isn’t a race. Don’t be
disheartened by all the other authors hitting those top lists before you. You’ll get there if you put in the determination and effort. The only writer you should compare yourself to is the writer you were yesterday.
Basically just keep writing and pushing. That’s what I’m planning to do anyway.