Writing. Creating. Expression of the intellectual process. Those are some of the main aspects that distinguish a human being as a unique individual. When you create a book, you achieve the ultimate point of self-expression.
You waited for this moment for a long time, and now you’re finally there. The book is about to become available for the readers to experience it.
How does that make you feel?
It’s not a trick question. It’s a genuine question that you’ll definitely face at one point or another.
When your first book hits the shelves, you’ll experience an emotional turmoil and you should be ready for it. You’ll go through emotions you never thought you were capable of feeling. Of course you felt them before, but now you’ll see them in an enhanced form.
Do you want to prepare for these moments? These are the 7 strongest emotions you’ll feel when you publish your first book:
1. Equanimity
Equanimity – the state of psychological stability. You know; the emotion whose visual presentation is someone meditating.
No; you won’t spend your days meditating once you publish the book. You will, however experience huge relief that leads you to this state of being, although it will be for a short period of time.
Before the moment of publication, you were extremely stressed out. You were worried about the cover, the finances, the way your audience would perceive you, the marketing process, the editor taking too much freedom to affect your voice… too many things were in question. Some of these issues persist, but at least now you have your book published.
For a moment, you can relax.
2. Anxiety
Oh well; so much of the equanimity. That won’t last for long. When you really become aware of the fact that you just published a book, anxiety will strike.
Will people buy it?
Will they read it?
Will they like it?
Will the critics trash me?
Why aren’t people reading my book?!?!?!
You’ll question yourself. You’ll imagine the worst possible outcome. You’ll regret the color you used on the cover, you’ll regret you didn’t start a personal website sooner, and you might even regret you published the book in the first place.
Ian Scott, an editor from Best Essays, has worked with many published authors. “What I’m always surprised to see is a writer’s lack of confidence after the publication,” – he says. “They achieved the best version of the book and they were ready to publish it, but once the book becomes available, they lose every ounce of self-confidence they used to have. It’s a normal process, and the good news is that most writers manage to bounce back.”
Calm down! You just published a book and that’s huge. But does that mean you need to go crazy? Absolutely not; so calm down!
3. Focus
This is the next stage of the process. No matter how stressed you are, you’ll have to put yourself back together and focus. On what? On marketing, of course!
When you realize that you have to focus on promotion after publishing the book, you’ll become determined to succeed. You’ll need to make a step-by-step plan that guides you through signings, social media posts, and all other kinds of interactions you’ll have with your audience.
4. Annoyance
Writers are known as people who are comfortable being alone. In fact, they are never alone. They are with their work. Their worlds and characters – that’s the daily routine they face. Once you publish the book, that routine will be gone.
You’ll have to mingle, meet new people, and establish business contacts. The hectic schedule will start annoying you. You’ll wish to get back to your comfort zone. That’s good; you can start thinking about the next book you’re going to write. But still, you’ll have to go through these annoying post-publication procedures.
5. Enthusiasm
Now, you’re finally a writer in the real meaning of the word. You’re a published author. People are reading your book and you get to see what their impressions are. If that doesn’t make you enthusiastic, I don’t know what will.
This is a great feeling. You should enjoy it and make it last. It’s enthusiasm that keeps you moving forward and helps you overcome all negative emotions you’ll encounter in the mix.
6. Pure Joy
When compared to enthusiasm, this is a calmer, more blissful feeling. It usually comes after that initial hit of excitement. You realize that you’ve come to the point you’ve been striving for. All those efforts you made when writing the book didn’t go in vain. It’s here.
All events, all days, all sentences, all words led to this moment. It’s where you should be and you’ll feel comfortable in that time of your life.
7. Suspense
When suspense hits you, you won’t know whether it’s a positive or a negative emotion. You finally achieved this goal and now you have a single question: Now what?
What comes next? Are you going to write a new book? Do you have a good idea? Does the book you published deserve a sequel? Will it be a hit? Oh my God; how will the audience perceive it?
This feeling is really annoying, but it’s usually a good one. It convinces you to explore new ideas and move forward.
Enjoy!
It won’t be easy for you to control your emotions once you publish that book. This book is everything you hoped for and everything you cared for. You’ve spend a lot of time working on it and now it’s finally there. All emotions are expected. Enjoy them, but don’t let them overwhelm you.
Short bio:
Warren’s lifestyle is full of hiking adventures. When he’s not busy with his guitar or enjoying the sunny day outside,he excels at blogging skills and scrolls through social media. You can meet him on Twitter and Facebook.
