Waiting to see if your new book is selling.

There’s a unique anxiety after the release of a novel.

It doesn’t happen straight away. We are on a buzz when our new book is in the public arena. We’re busy marketing while finding new promotional possibilities. We’re updating our website and searching for new reviews. Then searching for new reviews again. And again.

But after a month, we’re in limbo!

We have no idea what our sales are. Are readers buying the book or does it feel like we are doing well just from the amount of likes and retweets we get? It’s easy to feel down. Your marketing burst is over and no one is talking about your book any more.

I think us indie authors all know that comedown.

You question if it’s worth still writing. Or if you are writing the right books. At the time of typing this blog, my initial publicity burst of an audio book has ended. My next novel and a short story are both in edit stage so I’ll soon be gearing up for more marketing blasts.

And I’ve only just started a new manuscript.

The Covid lock-downs put me far behind in my writing output, and the initial notes of a space opera are sitting in my laptop. I haven’t done much as I’ve been nursing my right hand for nearly two months after spraining some ligaments.

I believe this forced rest period is making me question what I should do next. If the work in progress was much more advanced, I’d be digging in and forgetting about my audio book until I saw my next royalty statement.

I’m using a fresh, but longer, planning approach for this sci-fi tale where my overall plot takes longer to develop before I begin my first chapter. So, I feel like this work is still nowhere. Thus the disconnect and the doubts.

I know I’ll delve back into the project.

But I’m strangely enjoying this time of reflection. I have sketchy character profiles and a plot that needs work, and I’m considering if this story is worth pursuing or if a more commercial idea might be better. This limbo happens every time we wait to see if anyone is buying what we’ve recently put out.

It’s hard not to feel down in this period.