Pros and Cons
There are a lot of emotions you feel when you become a published author. I'm finding one of these chief feelings to be anxiety.
I worry. I worry about sales. I worry about ever earning out my advance and earning royalties. I worry about reviews. I worry about interviews and the possibility of being misquoted. I worry about readings where no one shows up. I worry about being smart/funny/entertaining/enlightening enough at readings. I worry about my second book and whether my agent will like it. I worry that I'll never be able to earn my living as a writer (without needing a second job).
But you know what?
There are some nice surprises. Fan mail. Damn. That's an amazing thing that makes me go all tingly.
And the other day, when I was on the floor, doing contorted push ups, I looked ahead. Before my face was the box of my books my publisher sent just before My Summer of Southern Discomfort hit stores. Sweating, shaking on trembling arms, I felt the biggest grin pulling my face into two. Because that was my name on that box. That was my book title. And inside: my novel. I laughed, genuinely happy to be in that moment. It's still a joy to me. I have a book published under my name.
So when I start worrying that people won't buy a book with "summer" in the title in non-summer months I try to remember the happy moments and trust that my work will lead to another box of books in the not-too-distant future.