Dear Debut Author,
A year ago, when I
launched my debut novel , I told myself that I would throw myself into the next
twelve months and do all I could with the resources I had to bring my babe into
the world. It’s been a wild and crazy ride (as Steve Martin might say). These past twelve months, I’ve felt emotions
in concentrated, hyper-potent doses. I’ve been wistful, happy, and everything
in between; seasoned by all the events and people I’ve met, mistakes and
victories I’ve experienced. I’m both sober and inebriated. I have a long way to
go, and much to learn, but I hope you’ll consider these five things as you step
into your debut year.
Thing #1 –
Delight, enjoy and celebrate your launch.
You’re a debut author once. That’s it. Embrace your accomplishment. Give yourself time to breathe in your feelings
of pride and happiness—yes—happiness! If
you have to disappear into your bedroom closet to shout, do it! Hug your old
clothes. Spill your pent up tears. If you start blubbering with gratitude
because a bird landed on your front walk, ride the sensation—sob away. Be a
sentimentalist. Be melodramatic with joy. You’ve worked hard to achieve this,
harder than most people will ever understand.
Thing #2 – Pace
yourself. You will reach stations of utter exhaustion, moments when you are
overwhelmed, and confused. You will tell yourself not to complain. You will
tell yourself: This is my dream, how can
I stop pushing, doing, trying every day?
Well, here’s a silly joke:
“Knock. Knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Human.”
“Human who?”
“Human who needs sleep. Human who needs routines. Human who
needs healthy foods to function at debut author speed.”
Seriously. You will push harder than you thought you could.
But, you will hit that wall of fatigue. You won’t know you’ve bumped into it until
your head hurts and your mind is whizzing around Venus—hot and fiery. That’s
when I’d like to suggest you take a break, a few days off to parent yourself. Don’t worry. You’ll be back at it. You’ll book
another reading; you’ll write another blog post, you’ll answer more q&a’s, but
you must pause or you will burn up. Your
psyche will disintegrate. Respect the demands of your particular lifestyle,
family and financial constraints. Surround yourself with people who make you
feel good, who want the best for you. You
are the boss of your life.
Thing #3 – Beware
of Goodreads Reviews. (Okay. Laugh.) Every
author I talked to forewarned me: “Goodreads is particularly nasty,” they said.
“Not everyone will love your book.” You
will listen and nod and be grateful for the cautionary advice, but privately
you will want to be that one exception. You won’t be. No one is. Not Dickens. Not Jane Austen. Not
YOU. You will get that cranky, stupid
review, the one where a reader can’t or won’t understand your character, will
refuse to understand why your book has swears or sex. My cheap advice? Don’t engage. Let those nasty reviewers fade
away. Most will. (You can always vent with fellow authors. They will happily
vent with you.)
Thing #4 – Let surprises…surprise
you. A reader you’ve never met will fall
in love with your book, rave about it, pass it on to his or her friends, blog
about it, cheer you on Twitter and Facebook.
It’s not a fluke. It’s what you
hoped for but it will still come out of the blue, unexpected and thrilling. It’s
one of the most wondrous events, a gift from heaven designed especially for authors.
Soak it in.
Thing #5 – Do
everything in your power not to compare yourself with other writers and their
books. Comparing is an animal that seeks
out sink holes, swamps and depression. You’ll
follow it anyway. But keep a tight leash on it. Life is fickle. Readers and
reviewers are inconsistent. But you can remain constant about yourself. Don’t compare. Just don’t.
Now, return to Thing
#1 - Delight, enjoy and celebrate your debut year. Congratulations!
Warm wishes and good luck!
Jessica Keener
Author of Night Swim
