Lamentations Post-Publication

Ever since hitting the publish button on Amazon, I felt joy. My baby girl is going to school, hooray! But there wasn't just joy. Being a writer is all but a simple occupation, in my case, still a preoccupation. Nope, I get the whole cocktail of emotions running high.

I get to feel elation when the number of downloads soared during the free book promotion. Then I get to feel regret, when I realised there are still errors in the book. Then I began to fear for my future. And get depressed over it. The stark realisation that I am helpless despite my best efforts dawned on me pretty quickly.

The very timeframe and deadline that I released my book on ensured that it will be released imperfect, as it meant my book will only be edited half-way by my proofreader. Then, of course, it's never enough, especially not when I'm working on a shoestring budget.

That said, I can only depend on myself, and my peers. If there's nothing else, it's the people who'd been exemplary. The guy behind limelight book covers, my proofreader, Abigail Sim, the folks at kboards who advised me... Hell, one guy wrote a message to me, single-handedly moved me into fixing a glaring issue with my book, a mere 45 minutes from when a major ad with Freebooksy kicked in!

I'm not going anywhere with this post, really. There's no outline, no objective for it. I guess I just want you guys to know how it's like. Writers, or aspiring writers, it's going to be tough all the way, just like raising a kid. For readers... I'm trying my best. I'm truly sorry if I disappointed. But know that I'll keep at it no matter what.