The Publishing After Party

My publishing after party is going pretty well. I made Crimson Romance’s best sellers list. I signed a contract to publish my second book Worth the Wait (tent release date January 7, 2013). I talked about choosing e-publishing and Crimson Romance on The Write One Blog, and Australian author Monique McDonell interviewed me.  I got two new 4 and 5 star reviews between Amazon and Goodreads. So for all intents and purposes I’m feeling fine.

But, since I do have a tendency to worry I’m also suffering from the “the ish is about to hit the fan” syndrome. Know how you can tell? Biggest sign is the fact that I know how many new reviews I have on both Amazon and Goodreads. That is my way of admitting that I am fighting against falling into the dark side of publishing. The side that makes you constantly check Amazon rankings and wonder if you’re doing enough to promote your book. This dark side also makes it easier to succumb to self-doubt, nervousness and the testiness of others.

Luckily, I realize that I’m killing my proverbial after party buzz and am taking steps to combat it. First by writing more. I finished my third novel (now titleless) two weeks ago and gave myself a writing hiatus. That left a lot of time to read, but also a lot of time to B.S. around on social networks and websites. I’ve pushed aside the characters calling me and an idea for a short story serial during my hiatus, and that wasn’t productive.

Second, I’m going to take the advice in the September article in RWR by Cheryl O’Donovan entitled “Surviving the Road to Success: Dealing with Insecurity and Jealousy.” I shall limit–not eliminate–the amount of time I spend reading reviews on my book and other books. Eventually, I’ll get a bad review and it’s will probably hurt. Best to delay that as much as I can. And reading reviews of others just gets me all worked up about if I’m doing enough to get my book reviewed.

Third, I shall chill out and completely enjoy the fact that I’ve accomplished my goal. Thus far people are buying and enjoying my book. I am so grateful to everyone who has called, emailed or texted me to say they’re reading my book and loving it. My sister’s co-worker event told a customer of her’s in Arizona to read my book! How awesome is that? I’ve got too much good in my life to succumb to the dark side. And when compared to the real problems in the world, my Amazon ranking doesn’t mean a damn thing.

Now, let’s get back to the party. “Who let the dog’s out?”…Too old? My bad…”Raise the roof!”…What the hell, I’m a 90s girl!