How to fail forward

Q. Dear Camille,

I’m almost done with my first book. This is just a “trial” project and I honestly don’t care if I make any money from it—I just want to get my feet wet in writing and want people to read the book. I plan on self-publishing on Amazon. I have read a lot about the process but I feel so overwhelmed and terrified. I don’t have the budget to hire professional help. Suggestions?

Thanks,

M. 

A. Dear M., 

Writing your first book is a major accomplishment—you should be really proud of yourself. 

If you truly didn’t care about money, though, you’d give your book away. (Don’t do that.) So you do care, at least a little—as well you should. If your goal is to be a professional writer (and based on what you’ve written, I assume that it is) then you want to show up as that person now. Yes, you’re going to get better with every book you write—that’s the beauty of the process. But you don’t need to reach a certain level of success before you begin acting like a true pro. And professionals value their work by welcoming the fact that they get paid for it. 

Moreover, money is a tool that can help you advance your writing career. Turning a profit on this book will give you the means to hire an editor and cover designer for the next one. It will make it possible for you to take courses and attend conferences and other events where you can hone your craft and expand your network. 

That said, there’s a lot that you can do now on a shoestring budget. If you haven’t already, find beta readers to offer you feedback on your story. Do a thorough self-edit, too.

I would encourage you to hire a copyeditor, even if it means waiting a few months to publish because you have to save up for it. Whether readers spend .99 or 9.99, they expect a certain level of polish from a published book, so it’s well worth the expense to rid your manuscript of typos and errors. 

You describe this book as your trial project. That leads me to suspect that you’re trying to spare yourself from pain by telling yourself this one doesn’t really count. But it does; otherwise you wouldn’t be going to the trouble of publishing it. Know that being terrified isn’t a sign that you’re doing the wrong thing—it just means you’re human. Practice telling yourself and others, “I’m a writer, and this is my first book.” It’ll get less scary every time you say it. 

You also mention that you’re overwhelmed. When we’re stuck in overwhelm, it’s usually because it’s easier for our brains to think, “I don’t know how,” or “There’s just too much to do,” than to think, “I’m going to try something that might not work but I’m going to do it anyway.” But the only way to succeed is to give yourself permission to fail—again and again and again.

There’s no rush. Come up with a concrete plan, then do one thing at a time until you finish. You’ll be amazed at how much you grow as you embrace your new identity as an author. 

Congrats and good luck!

Warmly,

Camille