What happens after you publish your first book? Not much, unless you're willing to do a lot of work.
While pondering the pros and cons of self-publishing, GalleyCat reminded me of an important point that can get lost in the writing and editing shuffle. Check it out:
"technology has made it possible for just about anybody to become a published author—but that's only the first step in becoming a successful author, and only the people who have the courage and tenacity to see the project through, with or without a big company's help, will reap the full rewards."
Novelist Tony D'Souza told us something similar when he stopped by for an interview. He single-handedly arranged a book tour, dinners with magazine editors, and interviews with bloggers. Nobody magically publicized his book and the majority of the work fell on his shoulders.
What does that mean for us? Write a book you are committed to; a book that you are ready to defend and lug around the country. Getting published is only half the battle. Selling copies is something else.
"It’s not Nicholas Sparks, Dan Brown business I’m talking here because that’s not art. I’m talking the great writers, the great editors. For all the rhetoric of the Beats, Kerouac didn’t give his On The Road money back. And nobody called Gatsby a ‘sell-out’ book because it sold out."