What Comes After Writing a Book

Well over a year ago, I was able to say something I had been working towards for what seems like forever and something I had been dreaming of saying:  I wrote a book!  

What comes after that is far more mysterious to people outside the world of writing.

Dare I say the writing was the easiest part? I do dare because it was.

When you cruise through Barnes and Noble or look at your Amazon book list or stroll through your local book store, books have been curated to meet your eyes. Some marketing gurus have been paid to place books within your eyesight and some cover designers have been paid to create images that will pull you in. Generally, the writer does not do that part. 

So how does all that get gone? 

Many writers submit their finished manuscripts to agents. They hope to find an agent who will sell their manuscript for them. If and when that happens, that publisher will take on the design of the layout and the cover and make recommendations on the title. Depending on the actual deal you make with an agent and publisher, you may or may not have a lot of say in these things. In case this part is not clear, all of this takes time and money. If you are lucky, a publisher will pay YOU to publish your book.

I felt pretty clear about my goals. I did not want to self-publish. I wanted a finished book to hand to my mother with a publisher's name on the book. I had missed the deadline of getting it done before Dad passed. I did not want to risk not being able to share this with Mom. I had two choices. I could find an agent to help me, but they had to take my manuscript first and this would require more time. So, I became my own agent and decided to start with small regional presses whose vetting process usually involves one or two readers. I suffered a dozen rejections which isn't all that many, but it costs money to submit your manuscript. I was being realistic and careful. Then I learned of a hybrid presses, presses that will publish your manuscript but give you a large amount of control. Of course these come with a fee, and it still had to be accepted. So I went searching for hybrid presses in the region and a dear friend connected me with one. Six months after declaring my book was done, I found a publisher!

The downside to this route is that aside from the layout, cover design, editing, and Michael from Orange Hat Publishing serving as an on-call sounding board, much of it is on me. Plus, I did not get paid to publish this book. A small press doesn't get big money to advertise and my book will not magically appear in a big box store of even your local store unless you request it. And in case you aren't good at reading between the lines, much of this is not within my skillset. 

Let me add, money has not been the goal here. It would be nice to break even when considering the money spent on classes, hiring editors and other assistance for parts of the this process. However, I have not put pressure on myself to do so. This is a real place of privilege.

The adult part of me says, "You made these decisions. It is all ok." The kid in me is, "What? I can't be done?"

Ha. I can be done. It's in my control! But why write a book and publish it if I don't want to market it? 

There are 2 things that are keeping going when I feel daunted about getting the word out:  

1. I believe in the power of my story and sharing it. 

2. I am not alone. I have been gob smacked by the kindness, enthusiasm, and evidence of close reading done by people who are sharing their thoughts and insights and questions with me. So many of my readers are getting the themes and ideas I had hoped they would. I cannot control what anyone will take from my book, but I do believe if a person writes honestly the throughlines are clear. 

In a world where we often just see a shiny finished product, I think it's good to share what we don't see.  Hmmm....this theme sounds familiar. ;)

Thank you, readers and friends. The community I have built through writing workshops and online classes and within the place I live is giving my book life. When I get overwhelmed by what I could be doing, should be doing to market this thing, I just remember--I did it! My book is in the world and I am  grateful to share it.