With so much buildup to release day, if a book doesn’t take off right away it can feel like a failure. Do you see your releases as a marathon or a sprint for readership?
Ah, release day. I remember it like it was yesterday, but it’s been two years. Two years! Where has the time gone? And yet, my debut novel is still chugging along doing its best to be great. Who would’ve thought? To be honest, I never really thought about longevity when I was dreaming this dream. In my fantasy my book would be published, then discovered by the masses immediately. Then, Hollywood would come calling. In that order. Spoiler alert, I was a little off in my thinking. Two years later, I’m still not sure if this book was a success or a snooze fest.
As a fairly new author to the world of traditional publishing, I asked myself countless times, on my release day and many times since: What does the publishing world consider a success?
Every time I see the cover of my book, I still remember every second of the day it was released into the world. My best friend and I went out to celebrate. We sat in a bar, just her and me, toasting over and over. There were hugs, and tears, and a lot of wine, as we watched it climb the charts until it earned that coveted orange banner. With every screen refresh the excitement grew as I realized people I didn’t know were buying and reading my book signifying, I was a number one best seller, at least for a few minutes. Yes, instant success.
But nothing breeds insecurity faster than putting something out into the world that you have poured your whole soul into for the judgement of the masses. It wasn’t long before the doubts started to set in. That first couple of months after my release, I asked a lot of my author friends with a lot more experience than me, how do you know if your book was a success or a dud, and learned there wasn’t a clearcut answer. I was looking for something like a concrete checklist I could follow. Was there a certain number of reviews, a dollar amount sold, or awards, that would equal undeniable success?
Maybe you weren’t successful unless you got on the New Your Times Best Seller List, got called by Oprah, or sold your movie rights. I was looking for the magic formula needed for the publisher to say, good job, let’s do it again. Surprisingly, or maybe not, publishing can be a very weird and uncertain place, I’m learning; no one seemed to be able to give me a concrete answer.
I had a healthy number of reviews, more than I ever dreamed of as an indie writer, mostly good. I earned out my advance within a few months of my release. My agent still answers my emails. And every month I still get a little spare change from the publisher. But I never received a nomination for any award. Oprah still hasn’t called me or added me to her best book list. And Hurt Mountain has still not been sold to Hollywood. Does that mean none of these things will ever happen? Who knows.
What I do know is, yes, it’s been two years since my book had its moment in the sun. The last review I received was on August 06, 2026, a five-star from Pat D, verified purchase, thank you very much. Feels like a marathon to me.
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