Feeling down.

Ally_K

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This might seem weird...

My first book is in moderation on a self-publishing site right now. It'll take just 1-2 days to get it out on Amazon. I've spent 20$ to get the process sped up and get one exemplar of my book in paperback. You might say "Oh, 20$ isn't that much.", but I'm a student, I work for my father as a technical translator and the payment is very low. It was such a gamble to get those 20$ into my book, considering the fact, that I'll get only a quarter of the eBook's cost, the book will need to be sold 26 times to get me back to 0.

But that's not the main thing I'm sad about. It's not the fact that I won't get money from my book, I didn't write it for that. I'm sad that my book won't find its readers. Yeah, initially I started to write for myself to make my childhood dream come true. But what does it mean to me, if there's no one to read and appreciate it? At least a bit?

Now here's the question for all of you who's been reading this post. Did you ever feel that way? When you were standing right in front of the finish line, about to make your dream come true, did you get this wave of disappointment, sadness and lost all will and hope? Did it go away? Tell me what it was like for you. Is it really true that every book has its reader? Or is all that just made up crap to make every author feel safe until realization hits?
 

Carrie in PA

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I'm sad that my book won't find its readers. Yeah, initially I started to write for myself to make my childhood dream come true. But what does it mean to me, if there's no one to read and appreciate it? At least a bit?

That's why we need to do marketing. Find your target readers and promote to them - ideally you've been seeking them out and interacting before now. There are a bazillion threads on marketing and self-promotion, so I won't go into it deeper. Bottom line is you have to make it happen.

Congrats on publishing!
 

Ally_K

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That's why we need to do marketing. Find your target readers and promote to them - ideally you've been seeking them out and interacting before now. There are a bazillion threads on marketing and self-promotion, so I won't go into it deeper. Bottom line is you have to make it happen.

Congrats on publishing!

Thank you! My book is already available on the self-publishing site, it took less time than they said it would, and in a few days it will be also available on amazon. I guess I'll take your advice and look into those threads on how to self-promote.
Thanks again.
 

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Ally_K

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First, congratulations on finishing a book—most people who start don't finish.

Second, more congratulations on publishing.

Third, this is pretty common after writers finish a book; it's kind of a let down, and it's normal.

You should definitely check out the Book Promotion Ideas and Advice subforum; lots of ways to help you find your readers.

And see this thread too: How do I promote on Absolute Write with aplomb, and What's this deal about "engaging the community"?

Thanks a lot for the links, I'll be reading through this all night, I want this to work. Thank you!!!:partyguy:
 

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Thanks a lot for the links, I'll be reading through this all night, I want this to work. Thank you!!!:partyguy:

Ally_K I'm going to go ahead and move this thread to Book Promotion Ideas and Advice, because I think you'll have a lot of help from other members there.
 

Ally_K

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Ally_K I'm going to go ahead and move this thread to Book Promotion Ideas and Advice, because I think you'll have a lot of help from other members there.

Okay, sure, that'll be great. Sorry, if I made a mistake and posted the thread where I wasn't supposed to ^^
 

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Okay, sure, that'll be great. Sorry, if I made a mistake and posted the thread where I wasn't supposed to ^^

No worries; it's just I think you'll get more participation this way. And I think it's also important to let people know you're in Kazakhstan, where you might not have the same options.
 

Ally_K

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No worries; it's just I think you'll get more participation this way. And I think it's also important to let people know you're in Kazakhstan, where you might not have the same options.

Yeah, there are only a few people who know English well enough to read something simple, let alone freely read, write and speak. So getting paperbacks for local stores is not an option, neither is meeting people here and talking about my book. The only way I could promote my book is through the internet, which will be very hard, but I'll try.
 

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I've definitely felt down about my works sometimes - wishing they could reach a bigger audience. Then I realize I only have myself to blame since I've done almost no marketing or promotion. It feels so weird to put yourself out there - but I think this is the way the world works now whether you are self-pubbed or with a traditional publisher - there is a lot of expectation that you'll be out there hustling.

Have you thought of publishing your book both in English and in Russian? That way you could reach your local audience. I really enjoyed the Night Watch / Day Watch series - which I believe was originally published in Russian.

Also - I'm not sure if they let you in Kazakhstan, but publishing through CreateSpace is free. I know when I first got started I didn't feel like I could justify spending any $$ toward self-publishing - so the whole CreateSpace/Kindle thing was a great option.
 

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I think one book usually doesn't do it. But getting one book finished and out there is great progress. Congrats! Now you need to work on building that backlist. Just keep going! :)
 
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Old Hack

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If you focus on sales (or the lack of them), or on your failure to find a trade deal, or your book's lack of reviews, of course you're going to feel glum and unsuccessful. If you try to focus instead on the process of writing--on writing as well as you can, on writing the best book you can, on being adventurous and creative and ground-breaking and honest--then you might find it more rewarding, even if you don't get published or sell heaps of copies.

Just a suggestion.
 

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Yeah, it's pretty normal to feel the way you do. You're not alone. But Old Hack and everyone is spot on: try and forget about the money side: focus more on writing and some promotion. As you write more, your focus on previous work is balanced a little and the panic fades, to the point you don't worry as much. It's the hardest part of being an author: not letting the pressure of publication eat at you. It does ease, though. The worry does find a normal place in the publishing wheel.
 

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Congratulations on finishing. That's huge.
I'll put in my 2 cents, even though my experience may not be the same as yours:

I go through a mild to deep depression every time I finish a large project (if it's my own project, not if it's someone else's project). As far as I've been able to work it out, it's for a combination of three reasons:
1) Basically what you're expressing... it's hard to get an audience.
2) Because the final product is always very different from how I imagined it when I started. No matter how great the final product ends up being, nothing can compete with the impossible fantasy I started out with. It takes me time to adjust to this and accept it.
3) I've spent so long focusing so much energy on the project that when it's done, I suddenly feel like the ground has slipped away under my feet. No longer having to devote myself to it makes me feel a little lost and panicky because I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing with myself. For so long (and with a book, the process is sooooooo long), I've been driven by the excitement of finishing and once it's finished, the excitement vanishes with it.

There have already been lots of great solutions about solving problem #1. And there are so many posts on here that are well-structured, well-written, and helpful on this site, I don't need to add my voice.

For #2, I have no answers except to accept yourself and the imperfect world. (<--- HA! So easy, right?)
For #3, I kill this one (pretty reliably) with two approaches. The first is to go out and interact with humanity/nature/be active for a while. I realize this may not be a part of everyone's realm of possibility, but it helps me. The second is to start brainstorming another project right away. I almost never actually do anything with any of these rebound projects, but they function as a bridge to take me across the worst of my lows.

Best of luck.