Zen…

As a published author what can you expect from publishing your book. From a simple document saved on your laptop to the shelves of your local bookshops, what happens later on.

1. It’ll take a while to earn passive income: Best selling authors didn’t quit their day jobs right away. Tom Clancy sold insurance while he wrote his first military and espionage novels. John Grisham was an attorney when he published A Time to Kill. Truth is, you still need to keep that source of income until you become very famous.

2. Your finished project will not be the same as the original manuscript: you have to understand that if you’re going to publish your book, you need to be prepared to collaborate with your editor and accept occasional differences his or her impact will make on your manuscript.

3. After your manuscript is accepted, your work is not done: you will be involved in the process of editing and marketing especially in promoting your book. It’s always advisable to build a platform through your website or blog and gain from your loyal readers.

4. You don’t decide the book design: your book jacket design is handled by a separate department in the publishing company you’re working with.

5. Book tours and book parties are expensive: unless you’re that famous, touring authors around the country is quite costly. Not every publisher will do it for you. If you’re not a high profile author or your publisher is not sure how well your book will do in the market, there’s a slight chance he’ll throw you a book party.

Here’s the thing, write passionately and do your best to share your story. The world awaits it.