How to Spend Your Release Day
Yesterday, my second book, Death & Destiny in the Mountains, was published. I really can't put into words how amazing its been to witness the love and support it received already. "Blown away" doesn't even begin to cover it, so I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported my work so far.
This post isn't about my overwhelming gratitude though, it's about how I spent the release day, and what my advice would be to any other authors about what to do on "the big day".
First, take release day off from work if you can. I know this isn't feasible for everyone, but I have an office job, and had enough leave remaining that I was able to take the day off. I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn't be able to focus on work the day my book came out. Taking the day off gave me some time to relax, but also allowed me time to deal with any last minute issues that arose with release day.
Treat yourself. I've made it a tradition that I find a local coffee shop and reward myself with a latte and pastry after I conclude my "author business" on publication day. Author business consists mostly of taking packages to the post office and sending a few emails. I like to take that time to reflect on the journey I undertook writing and publishing the book, and to take a moment to breathe. This is your moment; let yourself enjoy it.
Keep yourself occupied. It can be tempting to sit in front of your computer, waiting for reviews, sales, and engagement to come in, especially on release day. The project you spent time and energy making as good as possible is now out in the world, and you want to see what everyone thinks of it. My biggest advice would be to find something else to do for most of the day. Visit a friend or head to your local library. If you want to stay home, have an impromptu movie marathon or finally get to some of those projects around the house. For me, I knew if I stayed home I'd inevitably spend the day refreshing social media, so I went for a long hike along one of the trails near me. My cats got a lot of extra playtime yesterday as well.
Check in on social media, but don't linger. I posted a "yay, my book's out!" post in the morning. I checked back on social media around lunch time, and again after dinner. This gave me the time and opportunity to engage with others talking about/celebrating the release with me, while not letting myself be overwhelmed.
You're probably reading this and thinking "you want me to celebrate my release by not thinking about my book too much?" and my answer to that is yes. Writing a book is hard. Marketing a book and generating pre-release excitement is hard. Release day marks when you finally get to say "My book is here!" but it's also your chance to exhale. The book is out, the work is done, give yourself the time, even if its just a single day, to step back and enjoy the sense of accomplishment.
The point of a release day for the author, at least in my opinion, is to celebrate the book being available to the wider world. So, celebrate and worry about marketing, metrics and all of the other headaches that come with being an indie author tomorrow.
Until next time!
Magic & Murder in the Holler and Death & Destiny in the Mountains are available at most online retailers. I sell signed copies directly on my Ko-Fi shop.
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