Lit. Update: Future Steps

It feels good to finally have my poetry book released in some form. However, the work doesn’t stop there. Now I face the challenges of promoting it.

As I already knew, “self-publishing” requires you to fund most of the work yourself. It gets disheartening and a bit stressful, but it’s what I have to do for now. At least I’ve accomplished one of my major life goals and can continue to build on it. It’s wonderful to be able to look back on the progress I’ve made, not just in writing but in life.

Now comes the constant effort needed to balance these new parts of my daily life. Plus, I’m renewing my efforts to get a part-time job to support my financial needs. For those readers who are also hoping to publish their work in some form, I highly advise that you get and maintain a day job. Don’t make the mistake of believing that having your name in print automatically means you’ll be able to live off the royalties. Finding work is hard these days, but don’t give up.

Also, don’t stress yourself out over how many reviews you get or how quickly they come in. It’s so easy to read all the “advise” out there that it can become overwhelming. A writer can take one look at the number, type, or lack of interest in their work and proceed to run themselves ragged trying to compete with apparently more successful writers. Don’t begin comparing your journey to theirs. Life is more than your career.

I will be posting a few more excerpts from Ocean in the coming weeks. There will also be a new #weeklysmile post up at Superlative Deviation soon. I’m looking forward to all the great new content I’ll be releasing this year.

My your week be blessed.