Do you know the toughest thing about publishing a book?
It’s not the research and writing
Four years work, a few sacrificed meals and meet-ups was balanced out by some amazing interviews with NASA, British Army, Esports champions
It’s not the marketing and promotion
Asking for reviews and shouting about your own work and achievements has always felt a bit icky to me – even when that work is winning awards
It’s not the huge costs you didn’t expect
Publishing Constellation has cost about £10k.
From an editor, illustrator, and audiobook sound engineer, to printing, postage, marketing, Amazon Ads, submissions to The British Library, ISBN registrations, the list goes on.
Every copy given away costs about £10 in print, stationery and postal costs.
But the toughest part…?
The feedback
Hearing great feedback is lovely – but always twinged with a belief that it might be softened or overly positive to be nice
There’s always a risk of people not liking your work.
No one wants to be told their baby is ugly. And a book – for an author – is their pride and joy.
And then there’s the silence.
Reviews stop rolling in.
Podcast requests start to reduce.
The pile of gifted copies you’ve sent that don’t warrant a thank you for the delivery – let alone any commentary on the content.
All of this plays on an author’s mind, if they let it.
Your book is an extension of you.
It’s part of your identity.
If people don’t like or ignore it, then they don’t like or are ignoring you, is the feeling.
That’s why it’s important to find your support.
Find your author colleagues.
Attempt rationality.
Ghosting or a lesser review is not a reflection on you.
People are busy.
People enjoy different subjects and ideas.
People haven’t invested the same emotion into receiving or reading a book as you did into writing and sending a copy.
If you’re writing (or are thinking of writing) a book, find your support tribe.
Constellation: Leadership reimagined for a connected age is available from all bookshops, and Amazon.
It is also available in audiobook format from Audible, Apple Music, Kobo and Spotify.
