Welcome to today’s guest author, Renee Novelle! She’s here with a Top Ten list of the things she wishes she had known before she became an author.
10 Things I wish I’d know about being an author…
By Renee’ Novelle
When I was preparing to release my first novel, I practically absorbed every piece of information I could possibly find about the process. I read the good, the bad and the ugly of the publishing industry stories. I was inspired by tales of riches, but grounded by fables of failure. And by the time I got that very first email, the one that told me my book had gone live on Amazon, I thought I knew almost everything there was to know. I’d prepared myself as best as I possibly could.
Then reality hit. And I realized that everything I’d learned up until that point was actually just the beginning. The tip of the iceberg. Not that my decision to self-published would’ve been deterred in any way. But I feel like I didn’t get the whole story.
So, in an effort to save you from the same awkward fate, here are a few points I’ve recently learned that took me by surprise as a new author.
The world does not stop turning just because I finally finished my project. In fact, often times it seems like it’s sped up.
Writing a book is not an instant gratification process. It can take months – maybe years even! – to successfully complete a perfectly polished book. You agonize for countless hours over the simplest sentence structures. You second-guess every word choice you’ve made in every description. You compare yourself to every major bestseller out there, ask for opinions, take advice, then give the WIP one more polish.
And then finally, it’s done. And it’s live! Your precious darling is available for the general public to buy and fall in love with. You pop a bottle of champagne, celebrate with your friends, then sleep for 24 hours straight. And you expect everyone in the world to stop what they’re doing, take notice, and celebrate right along with you.
Only this doesn’t happen. Sure a few close friends and relatives might. But people will continue on with their daily lives, will have babies, get sick and even ignore you. And after those first thrilling 48 hours are over, during which you’ve been sailing on cloud 9, your life is thrown into a ridiculous cycle of promoting your book while working on the next one. All as you attempt to hold down a day job, a social life and your sanity.
The word “busy” takes on an entirely different meaning.
You think you know what busy felt like before? So did I. But trust me when I tell you that you have no idea what busy means until after your book has gone live and the promotion process begins. There’s no way to describe it, just… brace yourself.
Clones would be useful.
Because of this never-ending cycle of “busy”, I decided I would need the formula to clone myself – several times over. I would need one Renee to hold down the day job (I still have bills to pay, and success doesn’t come overnight – despite what you’ve heard). One to promote my current project (yes, book promotion is a full time job), one to write the next project (you can’t live off the success of one book your whole life, after all), one to cook, one to clean (because who has time for either of those chores), one to keep up with my social life and relationship (because no one has time for that anymore either), and one to enjoy all the freedom that being a writer is supposed to supply. That’s seven Renees! SEVEN!
Coffee is a necessity, not an option.
Because I’m still working on that clone making formula, I’m forced to try to tackle all the work of seven people on my own. That requires a lot less sleep and a lot more hours put into working. I’ve gone from drinking several cups of coffee a day to several pots, and now I’m trying to figure out how to get a truck to just deposit a never-ending supply every morning. Or how to get a doctor to supply it in IV form. When I get that figured out, I’ll send you the memo.
Excitement and support can be found everywhere.
All the hard work is beginning to pay off though. People I don’t even know, and certainly didn’t realize cared, have come from everywhere to offer their congratulations and support. I’m getting great reviews from people I’ve never met, and those I do know are spreading the word about my book on my behalf. It’s a really humbling, inspiring feeling to be amidst this much support.
Dismissive people can be found everywhere too.
Still, the world is full of “haters” who constantly berate, ignore, or try to dismiss what I’ve done. But I just ignore those people. They don’t matter anyway…
The sheer ecstasy of getting a (good) review.
Knowing that there are haters out there sweetens the pleasant remarks that much more. So when I get a five star review, I’m beyond ecstatic! It’s the best high there possibly could be, and there’s absolutely nothing in this world that compares.
Everyone is of the belief that I suddenly have more.
However, with this new role, and all these pleasant remarks, people around me automatically assume I have abundantly more in life. More free time to help them with their own projects, to have lunch, to make phone calls, to take care of tasks. More money to spend on fancy things, nice vacations or contribute to various charities. More freedom of schedule to socialize, to stop whatever I’m doing and attend to something else.
But the fact is, I’m now juggling the responsibilities of seven people (still no clones!), and that takes even more time than I had before. And no, not every author is rich beyond imagination at first. It’s all a process. When I get the riches, I’ll hire the clones. But until then, the only thing I have more of is work.
Publishing is addictive.
That rush, that high I spoke of before? It’s the best kind of addicting. I’m no longer satisfied with just having one book out. I want more. I want dozens. And I want them now. This, however, will take some time to accomplish. Doesn’t mean I haven’t put the pressure on myself to attain those goals. Is this good or bad? Time will tell I suppose.
At the end of the day, I’m satisfied in a way I had never imagined.
Had I known that, maybe I wouldn’t have put off releasing that first book for so long…
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An investigative journalist gets an unlikely tip from a mysterious informant. Dismissing it as impossible, she disregards the information and drops the story. Until the informant turns up dead, as predicted.
Plunged into the murky waters of a seedy underground prostitution ring, this psychological thriller provides twist upon dark twist in a story that would ultimately pin the church and several government officials in the largest murder cover-up the city has ever witnessed.
But is it true, or has the journalist merely been used as a pawn in a greater scheme? And how many people is she willing to sacrifice trying to figure it out?
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About the Author
Renee’ Novelle is preceded by a long line of published family members, including Pulitzer Prize nominated author and Poet Laureate of Kentucky Jesse Stuart.
As a child, Novelle was already gaining recognition for several of her works, and in her formative years, she continued this trend by earning local awards for her short stories and poems.
Inspired to cultivate her talent, Novelle pursued freelance journalism and has found placement of 75 of her pieces in both online and print publications since 2008. Additionally, she has written multiple screenplays, and contributed her savvy, effective writing style to many non-profit and for profit organizations. She launched several blogs over the years, which garnered international attention.
In 2013, Novelle returned to her first love – fiction. Writing under the names Renee Novelle and R.S. Novelle, she has a publication schedule that includes psychological thrillers, suspense, paranormal fiction, contemporary women’s fiction, chick lit, and new adult.
Though she received her Bachelor’s of Science in Communication, Summa Cum Laude, she considers herself a constant student of the written word. She’s an avid reader, an enthusiastic quote poster, and rarely takes “no” as a final answer. She has an unhealthy obsession for theater, dance, music and art, and strongly believes that wine is simultaneously the beginning of, and resolution to, all of life’s problems. She believes in following dreams, and that in the end, you always end up where you meant to be.
For more information, to view pictures, read blog posts and see the upcoming release schedule, please visit the website at http://www.RSNovelle.com
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