In Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird (an
alternate sort of Bible for writers) there is a poignant chapter on the bloated
expectations authors have for “Publication Day.” [See page 208, “Publication”]
Publication day is a date set by traditional
publishers, after which the book will be available in stores or for order
online. It’s the TAH-DAH!!! Day and your book’s birthday and let’s have
a party day, drum-roll, ready-set-go-- horns blowing and pop out of a cake:
your book is out in the world. 🎆
As Ms. Lamott tells it, it is nothing
of the above. 99.9% of published writers
know she’s spot on.
On any given year, all the parades
and woopteedoo are for ten or twenty titles in the whole country. These are
from the uber commercially successful authors or debuts that somehow hit the
nerve-de-jour, usually for political reasons. Fine fiction writers should know
that publication day is meaningful to one person only, themselves.
You can give your book a launching
party, and it will be attended mostly by supportive friends. You can do a blog
tour exchanging favors with other author friends, and their readers will note
your book was born. It’s fine, because it means something to you.
But no parade. Nope, not even a small
one. The hard work of letting people you never met become aware your story is
available has just. barely. begun.
A good glimpse into the realistic
experience of almost all authors and what we can, in fact, do on publication
day— is in this
post.
I’d add that doing a private dance in
front of the mirror is highly recommended, also.
🎈🎈🎈
