The Pressure of Publishing (Successfully?)
It’s been ages since I’ve shared a blog post, so maybe no one is reading this. If that’s the case, I can write until my heart’s content. Bear all of the exhausting feelings I have around this.
Publishing is hard.
Publishing is exhausting.
Publishing is rewrites and art commissions and spending money you don’t have in order to make money.
I published a horror novel almost 2 years ago and it did okay. Horror can be a pretty niche genre. You have to find the right audience. I accepted I might not reach that audience because of my refusal to say on X/Twitter, because that was where my readership was. I published Heart of Skulls happy and learned a lot from the experience.
Much of that experience has become a burden now because not only am I struggling to make sure I’m doing everything right in those areas where I faltered last time, but my career as a book editor comes with a nagging voice every time I write. Nothing is good enough. First drafts cannot be the messy thing it needs to be. Not when I know the techniques and how story structure works. How can I write a messy first draft when I know all that? Yes, this voice is illogical. And a pain in my butt. However, it’s there and it leads to some very frustrating writing sessions.
On top of all that, there is so much pressure to promote and market a book on social media. My engagement has been all over the place. I’m not seeing the numbers I want to see. People want to see content and not an ad, so there is another layer to all of this, where I have to promote by book without promoting it.
Will this book be bad because I switched genres? Will it flop? Have I put too much work into it? Have I not put enough work into it?
Creatives have so much on their shoulders. As a book editor who works with authors, I had an idea. But now, as someone who wants to make writing real and who wants these next few books to be successful after spending so much time on it, I don’t know how authors do it. Authors are amazing, talented, and doing the dang thing.
Keep it up. It’s hard, but keep it up. I see you.
XO, Ashley
