laurenwaters

I am most definitely an introvert.

Long ago writing was the perfect career for an introvert, but now writers just don’t have that option. Well, I guess they do, but it most likely would end in very meager sales, especially if they’re self-publishing.

When an author is creating it’s all in their heads. The whole imagined world is swirling around solely in their consciousness until they give birth to it on page. It’s this writing that takes its first breath but it still can be kept private. It’s a big step when the writer decides to let someone close and trusted see what they’ve spit out and that is a nerve-wracking time since it’s the first judgment pronounced on this very personal universe.

It was extremely hard for me to take the next step:

Work-shopping.

There I walked into a room of strangers who sat down and in turn explained the praise and problems of my inner creation. There were times after some especially harsh criticism that I felt like quitting–not signing up for the next session–but I realized that this was just the beginning of what could happen with agents, publishers, and reviewers. I had to go back, steel myself up, and realize that I could turn their comments into gold.

Surprisingly, agent rejections after this didn’t feel so harsh. It was still difficult to press the send button since I kept questioning if everything was truly ready, but I pressed and released it to the world. (Or so it felt). I had the misfortune of one very sought after agent interested in my full only hours after I sent my first query and that set me up for a slightly over inflated next few weeks. Then things slowed down a bit and I got partial requests that came and went until truly my dream agent requested the full. The more I read about her the more I realized she was the agent for me. When she wrote back a beautiful, honest, helpful rejection I decided that she was right, that I couldn’t change a large aspect of the book that would hurt my chances of attracting a publisher. So I decided to self-publish this series and attempt to get this agent with another book in the future.

The next step was to create this website and start-up this blog. All an uncomfortable amount of exposure for me. To be out on the web and putting my daily thoughts out to everyone was very hard for me to overcome. But I know this is all necessary to get this world of mine out. This world that wants to be heard and experienced by so many.

Why did I create this story if it was only meant for me to read?

So how do I, the introvert, get this book out there to be seen? What is the next step? The closer I get to self-publishing the more I must put everything out there to be critiqued, judged–and hopefully in the end–praised.

Here is my plan:

1) I must create a cover, blurb, book trailer and put them up on forums to tell me what’s working and what’s not.

2) I must get my sample chapter and book trailer up on this blog for others to see.

3) I must keep blogging and attract some followers

4) I must get the actual physical, tangible, final book online and in reader’s hands–this scares me and thrills me equally–People will soon know what’s been in my head this whole time. Strangers will learn this world that was once only mine.

5) I must send out free copies to critical reviewers and hope to get a good buzz going

6) I must guest blog on sites that will have an interest in my book

7) I must get my next book out!

Will I still be an introvert after all this exposure? I most likely will still be, but I sure am working on it 🙂