“I’m (not) a publishing failure”
Have you ever felt like a failure? I’m sure most of us have. It’s especially easy to feel like you’re failing when you publish a book with great excitement, only to discover that no one wants to read it. I have a few thoughts about this phenomenon that I hope will help you.
How do you define success?
In many ways, you as a person are successful:
You completed your goal of writing and publishing a book. The percentage of people who are authors, not just dreamers, is incredibly small.
You not only published a print or electronic book, you released it in audio as well.
You learned how to write, how to edit and revise, how to tell a better story, how publishing works, etc.
You grew as a person through this process.
Write the next book
The best way to sell one book is to publish a second one. It is goshdarn hard to get traction with one book. Very rarely do folks make it big with a debut novel if they don't have a publishing juggernaut behind them. There's a reason why publishing experts tout having a back list. When Book Five is released, readers who like to read series in order go back to Book One and start from there.
Sunk Cost Fallacy
Don't let the Sunk Cost Fallacy trip you up. If you truly feel that writing and publishing are not for you, then it's OK to stop here. Sometimes folks think that because they've invested X,XXX dollars and YYY hours they must keep going. That's not the case at all. If you are done with publishing, don't keep throwing good money after bad. You can pat yourself on the back, knowing you fulfilled your dream, then pack up your typewriter and move on to your next life goal.
What’s next?
If any of this resonates and you want to rejigger your writing or publishing strategies or you're ready to retire, I’m here to help you make the transition. Let’s chat!
And whatever you decide, you will always be a published author.
