Wow, what a crazy last couple of weeks it has been. My first novel is finally finished, put out to the world, and seemingly, so far, well received by the people who have read it. That is truly the best part, and everything else is just icing on the cake after that.
In its first ten days, it has sold just over 40 copies, and that is exciting, because some of them are even to people I don't know. I do have friends waiting for the e-book version to be released, and my husband is juggling a crazy time at work (days way from his company's product launch) to finish making the e-book for the Amazon Kindle.
Where to, next? Well, I am getting pulled in many directions. The first is a promise made at the end of Book One to have Book Two published in April, and so editing and more editing is on the horizon. As well, we need to build our creative website (behindblueeyes.ca) to develop an online presence and engage in some publicity and marketing. The e-book needs to come out and I need to work on getting that recognized more widely as well. I've also got a Facebook page for the book, and have apparently joined the Twitter universe, although my husband has largely done that for me and I haven't had the time to actually investigate any of it. I will be known as badmansadman because the title of the book was already taken.
I have to say, in the middle of all this madness, it really is rather exciting to be building something from the ground up, and to have the support and encouragement of lots of wonderful friends, colleagues, and family around me. Many of you have been incredibly supportive and helpful and I do hope you know how much it is appreciated. I am quite excited at the idea of doing this all independently, on my own terms, with the input of people whose judgement and talent I value. I am enjoying the ride, and hope everyone who is coming along with us gets to feel great pleasure in reading the books. That's what it's all about, in the end.
