It finally happened. Eleven years after the first traces of a story crossed my mind, and more than two years after I finally sat down and started writing, The Pride of Central is published and on sale.
That alone is a little overwhelming to me. Many days, I did not think that would happen. But it gets crazier.
People are actually buying it. Not enough to make Stephen King worry, but people are actually spending the money they have earned so they can read a story I wrote. I'm receiving messages of congratulations from friends and co-workers nearly every hour, and even have some coffee shops and radio stations interested in having me at events.
Life is different as a published author.
But not that different. Maybe about five percent different.
That could be a surprise to you, especially those of you hoping to publish your own novel. It seems like life should be completely different after accomplishing a big goal.
But in the forty-eight hours after the release of The Pride of Central, there was more than selling books taking up my time.
I'm still a husband and father. None of my responsibilities or joys within my family changed. I still had to homeschool my son, wash the dishes, shop for groceries and walk the dog.
The release of the book made the schedule for those things a little tight, but they still had to be done. And I was still able to enjoy those activities (well, not the dishes). This is for the best, for my family and for myself. Yes, we all should be happy that the book is selling, but if public success changed our relationships, that would mean there are problems in our private lives.
It's not just relationships with family that need to remain stable, either in times of success or failure. Our friendships, especially those with your inner circle of closest companions, should not change no matter how sales go. The quality of our work at any other profession we hold should not suffer because of our writing. Our relationship with God is sacred, and should never be dependent on earthly events.
That's all good news. I wouldn't want to be a published author if it meant that I'd lose morning classes with my son or afternoon walks with my dog.
I hope each potential author reading my blog does eventually get that first novel published. I hope it changes your life.
But only five percent of it.
Next week: You can't sell your book
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