Hi friends! I’m sure this post could literally be a book itself (actually if you’re an author and you haven’t already picked up Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum, get it immediately), but I’m going to try to condense my thoughts as much as possible. Being an author is like riding a constant roller coaster of emotions while also trying to come up with a less cliche metaphor for all the ups and downs you’re going to experience. Being a debut is just the latest peak on this ongoing ride and even though I’m still not that far removed, I already have learned so much. I’m going to attempt to boil it down for you, though of course disclaimer that not everyone will have the same experience because obviously that’s not how life works! These are all important lessons and obviously I did not do most of these things so learn from my mistakes!
Stop Looking at Goodreads. Seriously. I had a moment about a week or so after my debut when I was riding the high of all the overwhelmingly positive energy that debut day brings and decided I would check in on my Goodreads page just for funsies. LOL. Do not do this. Once your book debuts, your Goodreads rating is going to go down. That seems to happen to everyone. So just know that and stop worrying about it because you can’t control it (yes, I know, easier said than done). I was in the habit of checking of my Goodreads author page almost daily and now I rarely even look at it and that’s much better for my mental health. If you really want to see what the masses are saying, send in a friend and have them report back (only the good things). Really, I would avoid looking at all reviews, but if you must check, Amazon is actually a better place to go because you can separate them out by star rating (only read the 4 and 5 stars, seriously, trust me).
Don’t Check Your Sales. Did I literally just check my Amazon ranking like right before writing this sentence? Yes, yes, I did, but do as I say, not as I do! Honestly though, checking your sales ranking is very pointless because unless you are number one (and if you are, someone will tell you, promise) what does it even mean? This also goes for checking any kind of sales numbers your publisher might give you access to. My advice there is to wait until the first month has passed and then log into your portal. According to my people (I have people), it takes a few weeks for numbers to fully update anyway. Also, if you’ve done any research into this subject, you might have noticed that there’s no definitive answer as to what “good” sales are anyway, so while I’m sure it can be helpful to pay attention to trends (like hey my numbers jumped when that TikTok video went viral, maybe I should reach out to some more TikTokkers) don’t get bogged down in the numbers and rankings.
Your Book Won’t Be on Every List and That’s Okay. Just to be completely transparent, my book wasn’t on most lists. You know the ones, the 20 Most Anticipated or the Best Romance in February. There are a lot of them, and while your book will likely show up on some, it’s basically impossible for it to be on all of them. Sometimes it can be hard to scroll through one of those lists and not see your beautiful cover so if you think something like that might be triggering for you, I highly recommend not reading them. Someone will tag you in the ones you are on (or someone on your team will let you know) so there’s certainly no need to scour every list if you don’t feel like it.
Get a Therapist. Seriously. I’m sure many of us were already in therapy even before landing a book deal, but if you weren’t or you were taking a break, definitely dip back in in the months leading up to your debut. I had a lot of anxiety about my in person events, and of course the normal angst of what if everyone hates my book (literally impossible) and it really helped me to talk it out with my therapist once a week. Even on the weeks when I was feeling good, mental health wise, it was still nice to be able to spew out all my inner writer turmoil to someone other than my husband (who was also very appreciative of not having to listen to all of my inner writer turmoil). Even if you are the rare bean who doesn’t experience self doubt and anxiety, publishing is a mindfuck so just invest in your mental health please and thank you.
Plan Something Fun for Release Day. A lot of my release day was real life because it was a Tuesday and I had to do things like pick up my kid from school and help him with his homework. Such is life. But I made sure to take some time during the day with my husband to go to some bookstores and sign my first books, and go out to a celebratory lunch. Let’s be real, your debut is a big fucking day, one you’ve likely been working toward for years and it deserves to be celebrated and acknowledged! Also, it helps take your mind off any of the self doubt and anxiety you might be experiencing about releasing your book baby to the world. Treat yo self!
Pace Yourself on Social Media. On release day, you will likely wake up to hundreds of notifications across your social media platforms. Which is great! People are excited for you and they want to share their love and congrats, but it can be a little overwhelming when you start to respond to each and every notification. Now, I am of the mindset that you should respond and interact with those who are taking the time to share the love for your book. You certainly don’t have to, but if you are going to, pace yourself. Don’t attempt to tweet ‘thank you’ to a hundred different tweets all at once. First, on the practical side of things, none of your followers want to see their feed filled with a hundred thank yous in a row. Second, that’s just going to break your brain. So take it in small chunks, and take a couple of days to respond to as many people as you feel able to.
Remember, No One Owes You Anything. This one was a hard one for me. I’ve been a blogger/bookstagrammer for a long time now and I promote a lot of authors and books and spend a lot of time (and money) doing so. However, I do that because I love books, not because I want those authors to owe me something in return. Chances are you will be pleasantly surprised by some of the fellow authors who support you and post about your book, just as you will be not so pleasantly surprised by some that don’t. And it’s okay for that to sting a little, but it’s really important to remember that your fellow authors are people and everyone has their own shit going on in life and just because you feel like you supported them doesn’t necessarily mean they have the bandwidth to support you. It can feel very personal, but it’s usually not. Try to focus on all the love you do receive instead of the love you don’t.
Your Book is Not For Everyone and That’s Okay. Not going to lie to you, it’s not easy to see or hear or read bad reviews. And you will see/hear/read some because it’s inevitable. A lot of those people will not make this distinction, but you should: Your book isn’t bad, it’s just not for everyone. I’ve read reviews that called my writing horrible and awful (USA Today called my first chapter cringey!), but I know that’s not true. I know my style and voice aren’t for everyone, but my writing isn’t bad–I wouldn’t be published if that were the case. And if you’ve made it to this point–you queried and signed with an agent and went on sub and nailed a book deal–your writing is not bad. It won’t be for everyone, no one’s writing appeals to EVERYONE, but you are not a bad writer.
Read Some 1 Star Reviews. Not yours, obviously. Do not read your one star reviews (and you will get some). Instead, go read the one star reviews for some of your favorite books. Some NY Times bestseller. Some BookTok sensations. We all get them, and honestly, a lot of them are quite entertaining. The greatest writers in the world get one star reviews, and you will too, so if you need to make yourself feel better go see for yourself that it really does happen to everyone.
Releasing my first book baby out into the world has been a surreal experience. I have had so much love and support from so many people and I have felt it all in my heart and cherished every message and positive interaction. All things considered, I came out relatively unscathed, but there are some things I will do differently with the release of book two. And that’s okay, because it’s all about learning and growing. If you are a debut or an aspiring writer, hang in there, take care of yourself, and know that it’s all going to be okay!