It’s wild to be able to say this, but Shot in the Dark was published THREE WHOLE MONTHS ago. It simultaneously feels like my debut novel has been out in the world forever, and yet I can’t believe how little time has passed since I held the finished copies in my hands.
Having a book published is a wild ride, and I wanted to share some thoughts at this early point.
AT FIRST I SAID YES TO EVERYTHING, BUT I’M NOT DOING THAT ANYMORE
Launch? Yes please. Signings? Okay! Book fairs? I’ll give it a go. Q&As? Alright. Panels? Sounds lovely! Readings? I’m terrified but I’ll try. Online events? Pass me a mic. Late night Christmas shopping? Righto. Blogs? Yup. Newspaper articles? Heck yeah. Podcasts? Sure.
Frankly, I’ve been blown away by the amount of people who’ve wanted me to rock up and talk about Shot in the Dark. The first two months after publishing were BUSY because I said yes to EVERYTHING.
It was a bit mad, but it helped me figure out what I enjoy, what I find tiring, and what I would rather never do again. I was pleasantly surprised that I actually really love reading sections of Shot in the Dark – something I’d been adamant I’d be terrible at.
It was good to try a bit of everything, but the past month has been much more peaceful. From now on, I’m thinking carefully before I say yes. This is because I know now what I enjoy, but also because at the rate I was throwing myself about the place, I would have got no writing done.
There’s such a delicate balancing act between wanting to SHOUT about the books you have out in the world while also making time to create more. I need lots of uninterrupted quiet time to write, so that means saying no to some things. I’m trying not to panic about it (what if I say no and then everything falls apart?!) and remember that the writing has to come first.
THE SLUMP DOES COME, EVENTUALLY
People (who are wise) told me (who is stupid) about the post publication slump and I nodded along but didn’t pay much attention. The truth is, that for two months after Shot in the Dark launched, I rode a constant high.
I think part of it was because I was too busy doing events to stop and think. I was dashing around, chatting about my book and meeting lovely people and everything was great. I didn’t know what those (wise) people were chatting about. Maybe post publishing slumps weren’t really a thing.
What a plum I am.
I stopped doing events, had a rest over Christmas, and January slammed into me like a brick wall I’d been happily skipping towards. I didn’t have lots to distract me, the social media tagging slowed down, and my book dipped in the Amazon rankings.
Oh, so the slump is real! If only someone had warned me.
This last month has been a bit weird. The high has abandoned me. I’m left with a book out in the world, which isn’t floundering but isn’t getting that NEW BOOK BUZZ anymore. I am really trying not to feel down, but the slump is tough.
As always, writing has saved me. I’m working away on book two of the Martin and Stern series, and diving into an imaginary world helps me to block out the noise of wondering if I should be posting on social media more or if it was a mistake to do less events or whether anyone anywhere will ever buy my book again (no, I’m not dramatic, why do you ask).
The slump is real, but now I’m keen for a plateau. I’ve had the high and the low, and I’m ready to settle in. I’m in this for the long haul, so I’m going to have lots of new book highs and not so new book lows. But through it all, I want writing to be my most important thing. The thing I cling to when things are confusingly amazing and confusingly slumpy.
I LOVED MY LAUNCH PARTY
I am not generally a LOOK AT ME type person. I’m more of an IGNORE ME SO I CAN READ MY BOOK type person. I’m not great at being the centre of attention and I’m super introverted so I find lots of people-ing tiring.
However, I was sure I wanted to have a launch party for my debut novel. I wanted to celebrate this tough thing I’d done, because getting a book out into the world was hecking hard. I wanted to gather friends and family, eat cake, and pat myself on the back.
So that’s what I did. I invited everyone I love to my local bookshop and we had a party to mark my first novel winging its way out into the world. It was epically tiring (around 60 people all wanting to talk to me and have me sign things for two hours was FULL ON) but it was also wonderful.
It was the perfect way to celebrate Shot in the Dark being published. I think back on that evening with such fondness. There have been highs and lows since, but that time with my book and the people I love was so special. I felt very celebrated and thankful.
I know launch parties aren’t for everyone, but I would encourage doing something to mark your book being published. It’s a monumental moment, and it (and you!) deserves to be celebrated in some special way.
I’VE NOT TOUCHED REVIEWS
In the three months since publication, I have avoided looking at my book’s reviews on Amazon, NetGalley, Waterstones, and Goodreads like the plague. My husband occasionally sends me screen shots of nice ones but, other than that, they’re left well alone.
Reviews on sites like this aren’t for the author, they’re for other readers and potential readers. People who want me to know they enjoyed my book react out via social media or email. I love it when people tell me they read and enjoyed Shot in the Dark (never feel weird about contacting an author to tell them this – we love it!)
I don’t need to open myself up to the heartbreak of negative reviews. I know myself, and those words would stick with me. I leave them well alone, and carry on with the business of writing stories for the people that love them, rather than agonising over the people who don’t.
I do want to admit that I have occasionally been tempted to look. I can see, when I check my ranking on Amazon, that generally the star rating is good. Wouldn’t it feel nice to scroll through loads of lovely reviews of my book? But I just know I’d see there are some one or two star ones. Maybe I’d accidentally (ish) click on one of them. And then my day would be ruined and those words would be lasered onto my brain.
No, thank you. I stick with blissful ignorance if that’s alright.
I’VE MET SO MANY LOVELY PEOPLE
I am not published by a huge publisher. Canelo is wonderful and absolutely the right fit for the Martin and Stern series, but they are a small team working their hecking hardest to get good books out into the world. They don’t have loads of people power or seemingly unlimited funds to launch books into the world with.
I’ve been super happy with everything they’ve done, but I recognise that Shot in the Dark isn’t automatically guaranteed a place in bookshops or readers’ hands because of the sheer heft of a huge publisher behind it.
That’s why I’ve been so amazed by the amount of people who have SHOUTED about Shot in the Dark for me. Lovely bloggers and individual readers, other writers and my friends, booksellers and book shops.
The response has been wonderful. So wonderful that I struggle to get my head around it. I can’t believe the amount of people who have championed my story in one way or another, who have encouraged me and cheered me on and immediately demanded book two.
I feel so pleased that the reception for Shot in the Dark has been so much more than I imagined it would be, and I have so many people to thank for making my first steps into the world of being an author as pain-free and awkwardness-free as possible.
A massive thank you to you if you’re one of those people. You’re literally making my dream come true.
If you have a book coming out (or have published one recently), I hope this was helpful. Your experience might not be quite the same as mine, but there are always highs and lows. Be more sensible than me (not difficult) and prepare for the good times and the not so good.
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Anna Britton 