You’ve written a novel. Well, congratulations. Now what?!?
“Now what?” That’s
one of the most terrifying questions one can ask of himself or herself. I distinctly remember four instances in my
life when those two little words scared the living crap out of me.
The first time it happened was the day after I graduated from
college. I had a teaching degree, so
that meant I had no job to go to the next day, because the hiring process for
the following school year wouldn’t start until mid-summer. I remember wondering what in the world I
should do with myself until I was able to apply for a job. Should I go out and get a short-term job at
McDonald’s in the meantime? Maybe
something at the mall? Because let’s
face it—a teaching degree is worth absolutely nothing in the search for a summer
job.
The next time it hit me was after my husband and I got home
from our honeymoon. Real, adult life
started sinking in, and I realized that “now what” meant laundry, cleaning,
cooking, and paying bills—things that my parents had previously taken care of
for me. This particular “now what” was a
major buzzkill.
The third “now what” came when we got home from the hospital
with my first child. What in the heck
were you supposed to do with a baby?
Hold him all day while he slept?
That sounded kind of boring.
Here’s the thing about babies—after they’re a couple of days old, they
kind of “wake up” and are never still again.
Or quiet. That “now what” worked
itself out. I didn’t have the same “now
what” feeling after I had my second child.
I was already a mom with a busy schedule, and the new baby just had to
fit into it—no time for sitting around and watching her sleep.
My most recent “now what” was after I finished my first
novel, IT’S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH. I had
said everything I wanted to say, the way I wanted to say it, and I was
satisfied with it. Sooooo…now what? What do you do with a novel? Will anyone want to read it? Do I want
anyone to read it? What if it’s horrible
and someone points that out? But…what if
it’s not horrible, and I should do something with it and try to get it
published? And how in the world do you
go about getting a book published? I
asked myself all of those questions, had a mild panic attack, and put my book
aside for a few months.
Finally deciding to man up, I gave it to a couple of people
to read and a couple of other people to edit.
I got a lot of constructive criticism and a lot of urging to take the
next step. I queried a few agents, not
really getting anywhere, and got discouraged and quit, putting my book aside
yet again. Several months later, my husband
read an article about self-publishing through Amazon, and I decided to give it
a look. I liked what I saw (especially
the part where there’s no upfront fees, Amazon just takes a percentage of each
book sold), and, after much whining about having to make a lot of manual
formatting changes to make it Kindle-worthy (something I could have done with
one or two clicks if I’d known before starting the writing process, a mistake I
won’t make again), I sent my little labor of love out into cyberspace to
compete with a zillion other books for readers’ attention. With that one last little click, I felt like
I had finally become a “real” writer.
Now, I’m not expecting to become the next JK Rowling,
here—I’m a realist. I know that only a
handful of those zillion books become New
York Times Bestsellers. For me, it’s
more about the sense of accomplishment that I wrote a novel, published it all
by myself, and actually had some people whom I’ve never met read it. When people ask me what I do, I can say
proudly, “I’m a writer”.
So you’ve written a novel, too. Well, congratulations. Now what?!?
Do you want to share it with the rest of the world? You should—you worked hard, and you should be
proud of your accomplishment. Now you
have to decide whether to query some agents and publishers and go the
traditional route or strike out on your own and go the indie route. Do some research and decide which is best for
you, and go for it. If one route doesn’t
work out—try the other! Don’t give
up. You can’t sell a novel that’s hidden
in your computer or in a drawer somewhere.
And who knows? Maybe you are the next JK Rowling, and you just
don’t know it yet!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CAROLINE
FARDIG was born and raised in a small town in Indiana. Her working career has
been rather eclectic thus far, with occupations including schoolteacher, church
organist, insurance agent, funeral parlor associate, and stay-at-home mom.
Finally realizing that she wants to be a writer when she grows up, Caroline has
completed her first novel, IT’S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH, and is currently hard at
work churning out a second novel in the series. She still lives in that same
small town with an understanding husband, two sweet kids, two energetic dogs,
and one malevolent cat.
MY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Visit my website and blog
at www.carolinefardig.com.
Tweet to me on Twitter (@carolinefardig) and Facebook me
here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Caroline-Fardig/496944767049778.
Book buy links:
IT’S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH is
on sale for $0.99 for a limited time.
Get your copy today!
