So You Published. Now What?

My book, Council of Peacocks, is finished. I'm about to upload it to Amazon. Everyone tells me I should feel proud, that I've accomplished something amazing. But I don't feel it.

Surprisingly, I'm a little bit numb to it all. I keep wondering why I'm not jumping up and down and celebrating. Maybe it's because, for me, the publishing part isn't the accomplishment. And it's not about the money either. My expectations are very realistic. The average indie author only sells a few hundred copies. That's about all I'm expecting.

For me, the most important thing is to have people read the book and enjoy it. Maybe I'll jump up and down at my first positive review. Before indie publishing became a reality, I always expected to get my first rejection slip. That was how I would know I was a real author. So maybe it will be my first bad review. Maybe it will be my book showing up on LousyBookCovers.com.

Here's what I do know: now that I'm published I will not be watching sales numbers on KDP. Would Stephen King lurk in Barnes & Noble waiting for someone to pick up his book? No. What he did is what I'm going to do: keep on writing.

Young Stephen King

Most experts will tell you the way to make money as a writer is to write a crap load of things. I'm not going to waste too much time promoting Council of Peacocks right now. It will sell the more people become aware of me. I'll feel more excited when I have 3 or 4 books published. Maybe.

Truth is, the only time I get really excited is when I'm writing. All the other stuff - the promotion, the editing, working with cover artists and beta readers - all of that is a necessary evil. My passion is doing the work.

So what should I do know that I'm published? I'm going to celebrate by doing what I do best.  I'm going to write.

BOOKS BY M JOSEPH MURPHY:

Amazon: M Joseph Murphy on Amazon: Paperback and ebook
Smashwords: M Joseph Murphy Author Page on Smashwords
Kobo: M Joseph Murphy Books on Kobo