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The scary reality of being a published author

Last night, someone pointed out that my book is already listed on Amazon. I'm a little freaked out by this, in part because it's not even done yet. We've got one more round of editorial review.

I'm not sure exactly why I'm freaked out. I started my professional life working in radio as on-air talent. It's a very visible job where people think you're famous (because they don't know how little you actually make). That never bothered me, and I wasn't worried about being judged or whatever. This is so different from that, perhaps because programming books are not something read by stupid people, or top 40 listeners. ;)

I have a lot of anxiety because if the book sucks, the feedback indicating this is very visible in terms of bad reviews online and a lack of royalty checks down the road. Yes, despite the occassional pissing match I get into online, I'm ridiculously insecure. I think my strength is teaching, not necessarily all encompasing knowledge. The reviewers say I know my stuff, but for some reason that's not comforting.

On the upside, it's nice to know that I'm in the home stretch now. Writing a book is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I don't think I could have done it while working a regular day job. It's not that it's exactly time consuming, but it's very difficult to stay focused on it. Regardless, a month from now, it'll be out of my hands and all I can do is hope for the best when it hits the stores in the spring.

2 Comments

  • Just wait until you see it for the first time in your favorite bookstore. I actually saw someone buy one of mine in a Barnes & Noble once. It was a real kick.



    Don't worry about the reviews. Read what they say, take the good with the bad and try to learn what you can do to improve yourself for the next time. Nobody understands how hard this is to do and so it's very easy for them to say that this sucks or that sucks etc.



    Good luck

  • I just finished a book too, and to tell you the truth, my book was listed when I was on chapter #8 of 15. You could pre-order it back then.



    Just do your best job, remember one thing - writing a book is a shitload of work and takes a lot of discipline and knowledge. The fact that you did even write one is better than not writing one. Just give it your best shot.



    I just finished mine and I am anxious to start another one soon. It's been a rewarding experience.

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