1. Grow a thick skin. Be prepared for your baby to be ripped apart – shed a tear and then get over it.
First by your line editor- remember that this is growing for both of you. Just like the needle pricks from getting a shot hurts for a short time, but save you from a lot of pain later, that’s what a line editor is doing for you. She/he is making your work better than it was before.
After you’ve overcome the trauma of having your work ripped up by the line editor, you’ll think you’re done and it’s perfect. Think again – it’s your proofreader’s turn. Just remember to look at all of this as a learning experience. What you’re learning from your editor and proofer now will help you write your next book even better.
Then finally, once you’ve published, it’s the reviewers’ turns. You cannot please everyone all the time. It’s impossible. And some people are going to get you, and some are not. Don’t sweat it. Most negative reviews are just a reflection of the reader’s subjective interpretation of your work, or they may not like the subject… or sometimes they don’t even like your genre, yet decided to read and review your book anyway. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
2. Slow and steady wins the race. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
Sure, some people seem to break out with their first book and sell thousands of copies all at once. They become a huge hit and make it big immediately. For others, it’s their third book, or eighth. And for most, they get modest recognition on their novels, no matter how many they write. Don’t forget that you’re doing this because you love it and because your stories need to be told. If you don’t tell them, no one will. If one person reads and loves your work, then you’re a success even if you never sell a million copies.
3. There is no magic formula. No secret trick to success.
Your job is to do your best and put out your best work. You can try different promotional methods to gain recognition. You can follow the same patterns you’ve seen others have success with. But don’t get discouraged if they don’t work. Keep writing. Keep going. Don’t let anything make you want to throw in the towel.
4. Promotion is a part of the work. Yay! You hit publish. But wait – the works not over yet.
Find ways to get the word out about your book. It might be twitter, or book blogs, or blog tours. Don’t beat people over the head with your book, but do make sure they know that it exists.
5. Write the next book. Back to the keyboard for you! Don’t bask in the glory of finishing your first book, keep going!
Amanda Hocking and other authors had backlogs of several books written before they even published the first. Honestly, this is probably ideal. But if you’ve only got one book finished and you’ve published it, don’t get so wrapped up in promoting it that it takes you more than a year to get the next one out. Get it out as soon as reasonably possible without skimping on quality.
Survivor
*Novella companion to Sanctuary
What if the Biblical End Times unfolded in a way no one told you about and the rapture didn’t happen before the tribulation began…
Aliens have attacked and Rory’s mother is missing, but none of that matters much to him. He’s safe in his apartment complex, has his friends and his twin sister, Hailey. But as supplies start to dwindle, it becomes obvious that he needs to do something to make sure they all survive…even if it means he has to brave going outside through the Shisa and the zombies people have become. As long as they are safe, that’s all that matters, right?
Start the series with award winning Sanctuary
Sanctuary
Left Behind for the Hunger Games Generation
In a heart-racing thriller described as Falling Skies meets The Walking Dead, Jennie struggles to find a safe place for what s left of her family. But it seems as though there is no place sacred, no place secure. First the aliens attacked the sun, making it dimmer, weaker, and half what it used to be. Then they attacked the water supply, killing one-third of Earth s population with a bitter contaminate. And when they unleash a new terror on humankind, the victims will wish for death, but will not find it…
When the world shatters to pieces around her, will Jennie find the strength she needs to keep going?
Watch Sanctuary’s Book Trailer
Sanctuary crosses boundaries and borders and incorporates elements of all kinds of action and intrigue, from thriller-like adventure to a post-apocalyptic tale of life after aliens invade. Thus it will delight readers seeking something truly different, while disappointing those who anticipated a shallow, one-dimensional subject and story line.”
Pauline Creeden
Pauline Creeden is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy. In her fiction, she creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.
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