It’s hard to imagine a better feeling than the accomplishment of publishing a book. It’s an incredible process, time consuming, labor intensive. A process mired with self-doubt and full of struggle to reach the light at the end of the tunnel.

Who wouldn’t want to celebrate a little after all that?

Take the win.

Instead of clicking refresh on your sales figures every hour for the next few weeks, take the time to celebrate your victory over that 90,000 word manuscript that has haunted you every night for the past year.

1. Host a Launch Party – I have yet to do this but hope to with one of my upcoming releases. What better way to put your accomplishment to bed than a rip-roaring hootenanny of a shindig? Hand out copies, sign a few and celebrate the win.
2. Go on vacation – Can’t stop yourself from worrying about your precious baby out there in the world? Can’t help but check to make sure poor reviews don’t slip onto your sales page and destroy any chance of bringing in new readers? Go west, my friend. Hell, go ANYWHERE. Schedule a trip to keep your head away from the worries and allow yourself to savor the accomplishment in style.

Use the win

It is all well and good to celebrate your achievement but resting on your laurels is like taking all of that progress and slamming on the writing brakes. Using that book as a stepping stone or a launching point can help make the next challenge seem less insurmountable. (Still a bitch of a thing though. Always will be. Damn, I love writing.)

1. Motivation – Knowing you’ve already put a book together and the thrill of that feeling as you hold it in your hands is the greatest motivator in the world to DO IT AGAIN. If you ever feel any doubt about that, pick up your last masterpiece and thumb through every page.
2. Enthusiasm – Publishing brings with it a jolt of excitement and enthusiasm you can use to recharge your batteries and plot out that next project.

Keep Working

That’s what it all boils down to in the end. Taking that win, celebrating with friends and family at the end of a long journey is great. And a requirement before you completely burn out from the workload.

Sitting back down at the desk and putting words on a new page? That’s where the challenge comes in. And it is one that needs to be met each and every day. Take the win, use the win, but keep writing.

I’ll do the same.

Thanks for reading.