Writing Journey: Journal Entry 34

September 1, 2021

Day 335, Week 47

• Emotional State: Knocking my Goals Out like Mike Tyson

The First Book

THE BOOK HAS LAUNCHED. I REPEAT, THE BOOK HAS LAUNCHED.

I have to admit that when I sat down to post my book to the platforms, I wasn’t exactly jazzed. I wasn’t unhappy, but I was just doing all the things that needed to be done. I was in that zone – the practical zone – and didn’t think I would feel anything when I finished.

Technically, I didn’t. It wasn’t live yet – it can take up to 72 hours for that, so I felt a little zing, high-fived my husband and went back to planning the marketing that was to come.

And then I saw it live on Amazon. My book, my cover, my beautiful work of writing. I was a published author. I AM a published author. But dinner needed to be made, so I headed down to do it. And remembered something you read about in my post on Friday. A moment from my childhood, where I danced, and twirled, and played out stories in my head.

I cranked up the tunes – the tune really – and twirled and danced in my kitchen as tears streamed down my face. Yes. It is all worth it. Every single stress, imposter syndrome, moment of doubt, moment of joy, the good, the bad and the ugly moments.

And now, whenever I say, “I’m a published author,” or talk to people about my book, I tear up. Every time. I achieved my dream – it all came true and it is glorious.

Little bit of soapbox here because I can’t help it.

Go after your dreams.

Make them a reality, no matter what it takes. Don’t let life stop you from doing what you dreamed of doing. Because it will. There will always be an excuse, a reason, a thing blocking you from achieving your goals and your dreams. Do it anyway. Find a way, even if it means chipping away at it one tiny chunk at a time.

I waited 36 years to achieve mine; thirty-six years when I could’ve achieved it sooner, worked for it harder, got over my bullshit and got it done. If you’re younger, don’t be me. Don’t wait. If you’re older, be me and do it right now. It’s worth it, more than you could ever believe possible.

Okay. I’m off my soapbox now. Back to reality. And reality is… book marketing is a slog. It’s hard, it’s complicated. I wished I’d researched more and prepped more. I wished I’d set up my launch plans sooner.

But I didn’t. So now I’m coming in from behind and getting it done. I have some ideas of how to take the “things you do when before you launch your book” lists and make them work for me with this book. Or the companion novella I plan to release in six months. Either way, it’s not too late and I can still get the momentum I need to make it happen.

And it is happening. I made a funny video on TikTok of checking my royalties on the first day of launch. I made $2.07 when I posted that video. It was enough to buy a really bad cup of coffee. Had I left my house and gone to the gas station to buy that cup of coffee, it would’ve been the best thing I’d ever tasted in my life, because my dream fueled it.

Since then, I’ve made enough for quite a few decent cups of coffee and I love it. My initial goal was to be able to afford to buy a latte for my husband and I. I’ve achieved that. My next goal was to sell 25 copies of my book. I’ve sold 36 in a week. I’ve already passed that goal. My next goal is to sell 50 copies and get 25 reviews in 3 months. I’ve got one review…but people are still reading it, so it may take a bit more time for that to happen.

My goals are realistic and achievable. I’ll get there, just not right away. You may be thinking – 36 copies? That’s it? Yep. And I’m over the moon with happiness about it.

I love every single person who purchased my book before it launched (mainly because they are friends and family and my biggest cheerleaders). And I love every single person who purchased my book after it launched because they are buying the book I slaved over for months. I’d be dancing if I sold two. I danced when I made enough for a bad cup of coffee, why wouldn’t I dance when I sold 36 copies?

I hope I never take it for granted, the people who purchase my book. Because they are why I wrote it. I wanted to share the fictional story in my head. I wanted to entertain them and give them a place to hide away for a while from the real world. We’ll see if I achieved that goal when the reviews come in. I hope so. I think I will.

Other Things

I wanted to touch on a few things. You may have noticed the blog has changed. Yes, I updated it for the book launch. I wanted the landing page to be promotional for my book and my brand. But a little thing went wrong when I updated it. Okay, I did two things wrong: I didn’t back it up and I didn’t resync the content I created between the staging site and the live site.

I lost a few posts that were live and three posts that were scheduled. Well, I lost more than that, but was able to find quite a few of the posts in email, Medium and random hidey holes on my computer. I had to recreate three posts that were written and scheduled for later. They aren’t as good as they were, but I did the best I could.

I’m also furiously working on marketing plans, posts, ideas, etc. It never ends. Seriously. It’s like a giant blackhole of time that sucks away your life, a little bit at a time. Adding TikTok to the mix didn’t exactly help with that time suckage, but I’m actually liking it.

Yes. I said it. I like posting and engaging on TikTok. I didn’t think I would. I thought I was too old for that sort of thing. But I’m not, because on TikTok I get to use a different side of my creativity. I get to be the silly girl I’ve always been, but hid from the world for various reasons (shy, people shut me down in the past, etc.). So I’ll keep doing it until I won’t anymore.

Because we could all use a little silly in our lives. And a spin in a kitchen after achieving our dreams.

To read more of my weekly whine fests and writing journal journey posts, click here.