By Lisa T. Bergren
Being an author is cool. I mean, really cool. I love it. But it also leads to some unique stress. Tonight at midnight, Torrent, book 3 in my River of Time Series, releases. I’m rather manic and stressed, answering emails, fielding queries about Kindle and Nook versions, tweeting, Facebooking from my characters’ POV…And my head is swirling with thoughts. Here are some of them:
- What will readers think of this finale to the series? Will they like it or hate it?
- What if I write more in the series? Will people get irritated when I say, Just kidding, there’s more! ??
- I wanted PW to review it. But did that mixed review hurt or help?
- Did I cross a line with that character? Will I draw hate mail?
- Have I allowed too many spoilers to leak out?
- Is this too edgy for the Christian market?
- Is this too tame for the general market?
- Are people weary of hearing me promote this series? Do I need to tweet about recipes and my dog instead?
- What if this isn’t the end? Do I really have 3-4 books left in this series? Or would it fizzle if I wrote more?
- Amazon shipped preorders already! Yay!
- Amazon is out of stock and we haven’t even released! Boo!
- Barnes & Noble ordered 200 copies? For 1200 stores?? Why bother? Seriously.
- Barnes & Noble stocked CASCADE (#2), but not WATERFALL (#1) and TORRENT (#3)? Were we enemies in high school or what? Do they want my series to fail?
- Borders is out of business. There goes another 2000 potential copies, sold.
- Thank God for CBD, Lifeway, Mardel, and Family bookstores. They still carry my books.
- Maybe I should go e-only. Become an e-entrepreneur, bail on bookstores in total.
- E-only? What about the 80% of readers still looking for a book in the store?
- Ooo, I killed a beloved character. Will people want to kill ME over that?
- There’s a confusing character in this one–is he good? is he bad?–will readers trust me to see it through?
- People are tweeting about the blog tour! There are team buttons out for my characters! It’s almost like I’m Stephanie Meyer!
- Who am I kidding? Stephanie Meyer? She sold as many Twilight this morning as I have in my six-month run of Waterfall.
- Maybe I could get Stephanie Meyer to endorse Waterfall.
- How would I even get to Stephanie Meyer to ask?
- Mmm, maybe I should’ve pushed for a different cover model. Taking some heat on that wig.
- Mr. Popper’s Penguins producer might be looking at Waterfall for film potential at this very moment. He’s a friend of a friend.
- Waterfall? As a movie? Am I DELUSIONAL? Waaaayyyy too expensive to film. Historical. Italian setting. Costumes. It’d have to sell 100K first.
- 100K is a long way off.
- Girl stopped Daughter in high school hallway to rave about books. Rabid fan. And I didn’t even give her a book.
- That’s one stranger. I need 100,000 strangers. My second-cousin doesn’t count.
- HarlequinTeen tweeted that they read my books and loved them. My career isn’t over. Even if my pub kicks me to the door.
- I love book bloggers and they seem to love me. I’m so grateful for all their reviews.
- Does anyone read book blogger posts other than other book bloggers?
- This series is going to have to depend on a grassroots campaign…people rising up and asking for it.
- Do I have more than a few blades of grass out there? Does that take 100? 1000? I have no idea.
- I hope God blesses this series. That He smiles on it and breathes life into it so it connects with the right readers. Please, God.
- I hope my book is in the stores tomorrow. I hope readers pick it up. I hope, I hope, I hope…
So, all that to say…I’m NOT complaining. Truly. I love my life as an author. But I thought you’d like to know that some days, you’re better off not being one…