7 things I've learned as a debut author
In a week from today, the paperback version of The Shoulders We Stand On will be published and I am reflecting on the wild journey I’ve had since I started writing in 2020, and even more so about everything that has happened since I officially became a published author last year.
As a debut author, like with many firsts, there is a steep learning curve and both good and bad unexpected experiences. I am writing these ‘7 things I’ve learned’ as a way of taking stock, and if you are a debut author or about to become one and looking for some solace in someone else’s experience, then maybe this can provide that too.
Join me for the wonderful and the challenging parts of being a debut author.
Number one: It NEVER gets old seeing your book in a bookstore.
The buzz I get from seeing my book in a bookstore is incomparable. Seeing it prominently face out, or next to authors that I admire, or even in pride of place on a table somewhere, is just one of the best feelings in the world. It’s out there! I did that! People might actually read it! Okay, that last part is equal parts terrifying and exciting, but the thrill of seeing my book in the wild is quite simply sublime.
My book in the BRITISH LIBRARY bookshop.
There are two instances where the buzz went to the next level. I was in Birmingham for some publicity and sheepishly wandered into the huge Waterstones on the high street. I wanted to see if they stocked the book, and, if they did, I was going to sheepishly ask for the first time if they wanted me to sign copies. I saw it on the shelf, facing out no less, hurrah! But that meant I had to steel myself to talk to the bookseller. I sidled up to the counter and stuttered “erm, hi, I am an author (barf) and I see my book on the shelf there. Would I be able to sign a few copies?” The bookseller was very friendly, asked which book it was, and when I told her said “oh my goodness you wrote that?! We are all so excited about your book! It is a book we really need!” I couldn’t stop beaming. I signed the copies after I stopped shaking and she made room for them on a table. I was well chuffed.
The second instance was when I was in the British Library for some research for book number two and wandered into the small bookstore and saw my book on the Black History Month display. In the BRITISH Library no less! The library of the country! I could hardly contain myself.
Bask in this buzz for as long as your book is on shelves.
Number two: Writing again is harder… self-expectations are HIGH.
You would think that once you are a published author and have that validation from the industry - the people in the know - that writing again would be easier. Your craft is better honed, you are more confident in your abilities etc etc. But it doesn’t work like that. Getting back in that writing saddle, especially if you are writing non-fiction and so have been writing close to publication time and had no time to work on another project while the first is going through publication, is tough.
There is even a phrase for this, the ‘second book blues’.
For me, this coincided with another major life change of becoming a mother. I wrote the majority of The Shoulders We Stand On before and during my pregnancy, I actually submitted the draft 5 days before my daughter was born and edited in the first hazy months of motherhood. When I actually thought about writing again, I was terrified. I was more sleep deprived than ever, and my brain had literally changed through having a baby, would I be able to write again? What if the book was just a fluke, a remnant of the old me and I could no longer write?
Researching for another book proposal
I wish I could say it has gotten easier but I am still plagued by this. I have since had an essay published in Tales from the Kitchen, and a few articles, and a proposal for another book, but it feels different.
Stick at it. Like with the first book, the only way to write again is to write again.
Number three: Reader feedback is the real mark of success.
Being a no-name debut author is tough. You don’t get the big, shiny marketing campaigns with newspapers scrambling to review your book and the Hay literary festival knocking at your inbox. If publishers put your book forward for prizes they often don’t tell you so you don’t get disappointed if nothing happens, and can just be pleasantly surprised if you do win something.
The week before publication I was speaking to an author friend whose book was published around the same time and we were talking about our own personal markers of success. I decided that I didn’t want to find out how many copies of the book I’ve sold. Without any context for the number I figured I would be disappointed no matter what and I decided to focus on reader feedback instead. This has been my saviour.
The wonderful, generous comments from strangers who take the time to email me, the people who ask me to be on their podcast because they enjoyed it so much, the kind reviews online. These are my markers of success. Not the sales figures. I knew it wouldn’t be a bestseller, and since I don’t live in the UK I am not eligible for a lot of the prizes, so I decided not to focus on those. I have since accidentally found out how many copies have sold and I am pleasantly surprised, but I still wish I hadn’t.
Reader feedback for a debut author is everything.
Number four: Publicity can be demanding. Find what works for you.
I doubt that any debut author while slogging away alone hunched over a desk or slouched on the couch or in bed is even remotely considering what happens after the writing process. The goal is to write the damn book. It seems naive now, but I was hideously unprepared to actually have to talk about the book. It turns out that people have to have heard of the book and know about it if they are going to buy or read it. Who knew?
Publicising a book is a whole new skillset. There’s a reason why there are publicity and marketing departments at a publishing house. Writing is my medium, hence writing a book, but actually having to talk about the book was a terrifying prospect. In a planning meeting with the publisher I foolishly said I was up for anything, I didn’t know any better. I did live radio, once three back-to-back slots jumping from one local radio station to another, and talking about the book to people who have not read it and having to summarise it in 30 seconds is somewhat challenging after writing 90,000 words… I did podcasts, a literary festival, and in-person events in libraries, community centres and bookstores. I realised the in-person events are my favourite and so I am focusing my efforts on them for the paperback (see the Events page for the autumn 2024 book tour).
At Primadonna Festival, an awesome day.
Meanwhile I built up my pitiful social media following to a respectable amount (from less than 300 to 1,000 in a few months) and even got valuable opportunities through there. I found the sweet spot between content that people find engaging and what I actually enjoy doing (the resource lists found on the blog and Twitter were part of that).
Do what you enjoy, and rest as well.
Number five: You STILL have to read your book.
It is no secret that authors hate re-reading their writing. It is cringeworthy during the editing process, and I thought that once that was over and the book published I wouldn’t have to go through the horror of reading my book again.
I was wrong.
Between my final edits and the book being published was about 6 months. I was busy looking after a baby, settling in to a new city and country, and setting up a website and telling social media that I exist. In other words, I wasn’t thinking about what was in the book. It turns out when you do publicity you actually have to know what’s in the book! This meant I had to re-read chunks of it, to extract facts and information to make sure I wouldn’t be flailing or worse, lying, on live radio. I had to read parts out loud for events.
Then, just when I thought that had passed, it was time for paperback edits. Oh yeah, I thought, I saw a typo I want to correct in chapter eight and that’s all. Then a week before the edit deadline it dawned on me: the paperback is the final final version of the book, I should probably read it again. This was even more challenging than the edits for the hardback, as I realised I couldn’t actually make any substantial changes, but it also isn’t the exact book I would write now three years later. That was pretty agonising, but at least I don’t have to read it again, right?
Brace yourself, you will have to read your book again.
Number six: Some things change, but mostly life stays the same.
I often compare publishing a book to having a baby, not least because for me the two were so intertwined. You feel protective over your book as you do your baby, you are worried what will happen when it goes out into the world, how you will be judged as an author/mother. One of the ways in which the similarity really struck me as a debut author was on publication day.
Thursday 14th September was a beautifully sunny day, late summer creeping into autumn. My daughter was at nursery and my husband took the day off work to celebrate. We went for breakfast, he’d blown up balloons in the purple and orange colours of my cover and there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers. We went to our favourite bakery. We drank bubbles and ate fondue for dinner. It was a really special day. For me, at least.
It was a good day.
For the rest of the world, it was business as usual. Some people wrote to congratulate me, I even got a surprise delivery from a friend abroad. But mostly, life just continued. I was finally a published author, a childhood dream had been fulfilled, why wasn’t everyone congratulating me?! My life had changed forever. There was now pre-book and post-book. Just like having a baby, your life changes, but it also stays the same.
This is especially true for a no-name debut author. You are not famous overnight, opportunities don’t come knocking at your door (I foolishly/hopefully once thought they would), and the world continues to rotate.
There will be a flurry of activity but it is mostly business as usual.
Number seven: You will meet some really awesome people.
The nature of this very honest post about life as a debut author means that the warts are pretty prominent, since these aren’t things often talked about in public. But I want to end on a high, as there are many wonderful things about being a debut author, and one of them is the people you meet along the way.
From enthusiastic booksellers, to social media stans, to podcast and radio hosts, to fellow historians and authors, to minor celebrities, I have crossed paths with an array of awesome people and I am so energised and grateful for that. From former Asian Youth Movement activist Mukhtar Dar who organised a launch event in Birmingham despite us never having met before, to podcast extraordinaire and historian Amar Singh from the epic Ramblings of a Sikh network, to historians and avid supporters of my work Kiran Sidhu and Priya Atwal, to activists of the era I write about like Winston Trew and Stella Dadzie who have been so generous with their time. (And though we technically haven’t met, a highlight has to be idol Meera Syal saying she likes my book on Twitter.)
THE Meera Syal has read and likes my book?! I can die happy.
I never could have imagined the incredible people I would be fortunate enough to meet, not to mention the people whose names I unfortunately don’t remember but who were kind enough to say hi after seeing me speak. How lucky am I?
You will cross paths with so many wonderful people on this wild ride.
*******************************************************************************So there you have it. Seven days before my paperback is published, seven things I’ve learned as a debut author. If this was in any way relatable or helpful and you can think of a debut author who may benefit, then do share it with them. You can also find the headlines on Instagram here.
And if you want to read more about my first book baby, then you can do so here.