For some reason, whenever we hear stories of people's lives drastically changing once their first book, film, or record is released, we think everybody's life drastically changes when that happens. Well, for most of us, there are plenty of moments of pure joy mixed in with the day-to-day activities of life that were there before the release date. And that's perfectly fine by me.
Maybe it's reading a book like Rebel Without a Crew (especially the part where Robert is in the middle of a bidding war between large studios) or hearing how Kevin Smith's life changed after Clerks, there's this sense that the proverbial snowball effect either happens completely or not at all. Well, the maybe not-as-entertaining story involves a lot of downtime with some great highs and great lows. I know this all too well.
In my case with Post, the phone hasn't been constantly ringing. Editors at large publishing houses haven't been chasing me or my agent down with offers for a re-release. I still have a regular day job that I enjoy. I'm not living the high life, partying every night with all sorts of new "friends." Basically, it's like how my life has been for the past year. I still have plenty of free time and spend most of it online, reading books, hanging out with friends, working out, and watching DVDs. That said, I am very happy with how the book has come out, how people have responded to it, and how new people hear about it every week. So coupled with all those things that I was already doing, there's a sense of relief that the book's out there.
Make no mistake, on the day my copies of Post arrived, I got to live my own George McFly moment at the end of Back to the Future when his first novel came in the mail. It felt great and euphoric, to say the least. Since then, I've received some nice feedback from people who have read the book or who are just excited about the concept of the book. Recognition here and there is a very motivating factor to keep promoting.
Maybe the way I tell my story doesn't make for a compelling underdog, David-and-Goliath kind of story. That's OK by me. I find happiness in just doing something creative with my free time instead of squandering it and wondering where all the time went.
Maybe it's reading a book like Rebel Without a Crew (especially the part where Robert is in the middle of a bidding war between large studios) or hearing how Kevin Smith's life changed after Clerks, there's this sense that the proverbial snowball effect either happens completely or not at all. Well, the maybe not-as-entertaining story involves a lot of downtime with some great highs and great lows. I know this all too well.
In my case with Post, the phone hasn't been constantly ringing. Editors at large publishing houses haven't been chasing me or my agent down with offers for a re-release. I still have a regular day job that I enjoy. I'm not living the high life, partying every night with all sorts of new "friends." Basically, it's like how my life has been for the past year. I still have plenty of free time and spend most of it online, reading books, hanging out with friends, working out, and watching DVDs. That said, I am very happy with how the book has come out, how people have responded to it, and how new people hear about it every week. So coupled with all those things that I was already doing, there's a sense of relief that the book's out there.
Make no mistake, on the day my copies of Post arrived, I got to live my own George McFly moment at the end of Back to the Future when his first novel came in the mail. It felt great and euphoric, to say the least. Since then, I've received some nice feedback from people who have read the book or who are just excited about the concept of the book. Recognition here and there is a very motivating factor to keep promoting.
Maybe the way I tell my story doesn't make for a compelling underdog, David-and-Goliath kind of story. That's OK by me. I find happiness in just doing something creative with my free time instead of squandering it and wondering where all the time went.
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