Kayla Hicks - Author Kayla Hicks - Author

What Your First Published Book Teaches You As An Author

3 min read

Sometimes the hardest lessons to learn are from the ones that don't produce many results

The first time every author publishes a book, we hold our hopes high and dream big.

The masterpiece that we have been working on for so long will finally be out in the world. The characters we've been molding and taking on a journey will be meeting a reader's eyes for the first time. And the story that we have edited and re-edited is ready to launch people into your universe.

And as exciting as all of that is, sometimes you find that your hopes and dreams stall after publishing that first book.

Because new authors are often overlooked or undermarketed to get in front of enough readers who are willing to spread the word about your book.

More often than not, a first-time published author will feel as if they went wrong, and no one in the world will ever read their book.

But I'm here to tell you that it's all part of the process.

Why? Because, like with so many other things, it takes time to build a reputable reputation that draws in readers. But unfortunately, only publishing one book isn't going to skyrocket you to fame.

Every writer (except for a minor percentage) has been right where you are.

They also released a book and felt the dread as sales fail to rise.

They, too, have obsessively checked for new reviews posted for their book.

And they, too, have felt as if they shouldn't write another book.

This is because building the audience you want to draw in takes time. And it takes dedication and perseverance in order to get to where you want to be as a writer. As we all know, it can be tough the longer you wait for something to happen.

So, if you are stuck wondering how to build buzz about your book, remember that it's never too early to start talking about it—marketing it.

Here are some things to do:

  • Share character, location, cover, and description reveals to your newsletter and social media

  • Talk about your writing process on social media

  • Network and converse with others on social media

  • Create trailers, video talk-throughs, and polls for people to see and interact with

  • Share your failures and triumphs with people

Notice how many of these are done over social media? It's because this is how you find readers and writers — on platforms where people already are.

This is because social media is a free tool that can be utilized in numerous ways. And if you plan accordingly, you can adapt one piece of content to fit all your social media platforms.


What publishing your first book teaches you about authorship is adapting and learning.

We follow through with one plan and learn how to be better from it.

Not every plan we put into action is going to work for us. And once you do this publishing thing a few times and you meet the right people, you can go far.

So please don't give up just yet.