Book Blog Extravaganza: Celebration!
Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays...weddings, babies, promotions...there’s always a reason to celebrate something, isn’t there? While some people I know would rather skip events like their birthdays, I’m all for it. Not for the gifts involved, although that can certainly be nice sometimes, or for the kudos, although that can be great too.
I happen to believe it’s important to acknowledge all the milestones in your life. Sometimes we forget how far we’ve come. We gloss over the amount of work we’ve produced. We neglect the hard work and sacrifice involved because the payoff may be incremental.
This is especially true in the world of books. A writer may spend a year or more crafting a novel. Time to celebrate!
But the writer shakes her head. “It’s done but I don’t have an agent.”
Another half year or more and finally, the writer gets an agent. Time to celebrate!
But the writer shakes her head again. “I have an agent but it’s not sold yet.”
More time passes as the book is submitted and rewritten and submitted again and each time, the writer gets closer, meets more editors, hears more suggestions for revisions and maybe, finally, the book is sold. Definitely time to celebrate now!
Okay, the writer admits, but let’s have dinner at Taco Bell. “I sold it but for not much money.”
So when do you celebrate then? Only when your book goes to auction? Only when it’s a three-book deal? Only when you are paid a lot of money? Only when you make the New York Times Bestseller list?
No! You celebrate all the steps. You celebrate the completion of the book, the first agent who asks for pages, the signing with your agent, the first time the book gets an editor to provide real feedback, the first review you get...and so on and so on. You have to celebrate each milestone because there may not be a next one! I know that sounds grim but it’s so true.
At each point in your journey to publish a novel, it may end and you may not get any farther along. You hope not – and I hope not – but publishing a book is hard. You have to enjoy every single step of it and appreciate that you’ve taken that step.
Personally I like to make all milestones into a special occasion. My preferred method of celebrating? If it’s a step like selling a book or signing a contract, then I want a nice sushi dinner with my husband. If it’s bigger, like a multi-book deal or a movie option (neither of which has happened yet but I’m already planning, just in case!), then I’m inviting my manager and his girlfriend. If it’s smaller, like I’ve finished a manuscript and am sending it to my agent to read, then maybe a vanilla latte at Starbucks will suffice. But there’s always a way – and a reason – to celebrate.
And today is a great day and March is a great month to celebrate Everything To Do With Book’s blogoversary! Many congrats to Scarlett and Rebecca and best wishes for another year in the blogosphere! Thanks so much for letting me guest blog!
Cheers~
Leigh
Thanks for the great guest post Leigh, now for today's giveaway we have a bunch of bookish goodies (swag) to send out to someone. All you have to do is fill in the form below with your details and tell us what your favourite celebration is. Mine is Christmas because it's a time when all my family get together.
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