The Highs and Lows of Life After Publication
The Lodger: Biographical novel about Dorothy Richardson, peer of Virginia Woolf
It took years to get The Lodger published. I chose the traditional route and it was a long, bumpy journey, strewn with rejection letters from agents and publishers. Tears were shed and manuscripts ripped up. Publication was an unattainable goal, a holy grail, an end in itself. Several times, I was on the point of giving up, but there was always one more idea to try, one more story.
In the end, I kept going because I had to, because writing is part of who I am, necessary as breathing. Without it, I am not well or whole. And actually, I believe you are a writer if you feel like this about writing, regardless of being published or not.
When I eventually received an offer from St Martin’s Press, it was one of the most thrilling moments of my life. Holding my book in my hands for the first time, seeing what was once simply a dream turned an actual tangible object was indescribable. The sensation has been compared to holding your new-born baby, and this is certainly the best analogy I can come up with.
Before I was published, only those closest to me knew I was writing. I had a superstitious feeling it wouldn’t happen if I talked about it and so I held my silence. When the contract was signed, it was a relief to speak openly about it at last. And to be able to say to people, “No, I can’t meet you,” or “I can’t do such and such – because I am working.” Getting paid to write was transformative, turning it in my mind from a solitary indulgent pleasure into a valid pursuit.
Having said this, my family wouldn’t survive on what I earn, and so my husband’s work comes first. I am the one who holds everything together on the home front. I don’t always have as much time as I’d like for writing, and there is a certain amount of fitting my work in around the family’s schedule.
The months after publication have been an enormous learning curve, both positive and negative. Foremost was the discovery that far from being an end in itself, getting published is simply the start of a whole other journey. Being published does not guarantee that your book will succeed; the book won’t shoot into the stratosphere of bestsellers of its own accord.
A huge amount of work and promotion is required to gain sales that are merely respectable, let alone impressive. Also, there is not much money in publishing and it’s far more of a do-it-yourself industry than I expected. The onus is on the author to promote him/herself.
Louisa Outside Dorothy Richardson’s house in Bloomsbury
Writing is an intensely private and personal act. It was strange, to say the least, when my book and I were suddenly out in the world. I have always been a private person, so promoting The Lodger was accompanied by feelings of self-consciousness and even mortification, interspersed with moments of euphoria and gratitude when my book was well received.
I felt incredibly exposed, as though I’d taken my clothes off in front of the world. It is perhaps the central paradox of being an author that you must have a thin skin in order to write well, yet the hide of a rhinoceros to put yourself out there. I am still working on the rhinoceros part!
With exposure came reviews: both good and bad. I will never forget reading my first one star review (and yes, I still remember it word for word!) The reviewer said that if she’d known how appalled she was going to be by my book, she never would have started it. I was devastated.
Thankfully, I have had more favourable reviews than poor ones. But I am the sort of person who can get ten good reviews and one critical one, and I’ll believe the critical one. I reached out to two of my writer friends for advice on how to deal with this and they both said, “Don’t read your reviews. Ever.” I wish I had known this from the beginning.
I have discovered social media, which has been a mixture of good, bad and frankly odd. The best part was meeting a wonderfully supportive community online. I have been lucky enough to encounter individuals who are passionate about reading and writing. I have also found wonderful writing collectives, like Womens Writers, Womens Books and the Prime Writers. Through these groups, I have forged real warm connections, gained and hopefully given advice and support, been able to pool experience and share the highs and lows. Writing used to be a lonely, isolating experience, but not any longer.
I have learned a great deal in the months since getting published. It has been a rollercoaster ride of peaks and troughs, laughter and tears. But I am grateful for every moment and it has taught me so much about myself. Isn’t this what life is all about, anyhow?
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Born in London, Louisa Treger began her career as a classical violinist. She studied at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music, and worked as a freelance orchestral player and teacher.
Louisa subsequently turned to literature, gaining a First Class degree and a PhD in English at University College London, where she focused on early twentieth century women’s writing.
Married with three children, she lives in London.
Find out more about Louisa on her website: http://louisatreger.com/
Follow her on twitter: @louisatreger
Buy The Lodger HERE
Category: On Publishing, On Writing
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Thanks for sharing your traditional experience. I appreciate your honesty and I am relating to your highs and lows going through the process for the first time. I think the length of your blog is justified given your passion for writing the truth and understanding of the author’s role.
Thank you for your comments, Richard, and good luck with the whole process!
What a fantastic post! Thank you so much for sharing. “Writing is part of who I am..” Yes! For months, I was focused on the “holy grail” and just signed contracts for two books. Suddenly, I’m a bit terrified about what this means. The writing I was trying to sell to publishers is going through rigorous scrutiny through the lens of self-doubt now that it’s sold! It’s positively wonderful to read about those who’ve been there, done that. Love this group. Thank you again.
Thank you for this nice message! Congratulations on your book deals and good luck!
Thanks for this great post, Louisa. It’s 18 months since my 1st book was published, my 3rd will be out next year and Ithis is a startlingly accurate summary! like you, for a long time I’d focussed on that end goal, with no idea of what came after. When fellow writers still waiting for a deal say to me “it’s ok for you, you’ve got there…” I want to say, “yes, and it’s so, so wonderful. But it it’s also harder than I ever imagined.”
Thank you, Beth. It’s lovely for me to know that others feel the same way. Good luck with your third book – you are prolific!
“I felt incredibly exposed, as though I’d taken my clothes off in front of the world. It is perhaps the central paradox of being an author that you must have a thin skin in order to write well, yet the hide of a rhinoceros to put yourself out there. I am still working on the rhinoceros part!”
I feel this, Louisa. I’m still several months out from launch of my debut and the sense of vulnerability and rawness takes my breath away at times. I have a second novel on submission, a third in revision, and so I have moved on intellectually and emotionally, and yet I can’t–the final months of this year and well into 2016 will be full of flogging Novel 1. I can’t wait to connect with readers. I can’t wait until I can retreat to my corner, put my head down, and keep writing. Like you, I’ve connected with some wonderful groups of writers online and their advice keeps me afloat.
Thank you for your honesty–it is another life ring to hold onto. I wish you continued great success.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Julie. It’s lovely to know my words strike a chord with other writers! I wish you much success too x
That sounds like a Goodreads review, or its equivalent. I’ve banned myself from reading the damn things since, like you, I fix on the bad ones and forget the good ones. So many of the reviewers are completely self-focused: “I didn’t like it because the protagonist is too old/young/male/female/passive/active/married/single/divorced/cautious/ irresponsible.” “I might have liked it but I started it on a Monday, which is always a rotten day, so I’ll have to give it one star.” I exaggerate only slightly. I can live with (and even learn from) criticism from a serious reviewer, but people who just flip self-focused opinions off the tops of their heads? Not worth bothering with.
Yes, it was a Goodreads review! The reviewer also said she had to stop reading my description of a miscarriage, because it made her relive her own (I guess that’s a compliment in a way, albeit back-handed). So what you said about self-focused reviewers is 100% correct. In fact, everything you said is spot on – thank you. I am going to hold onto your words!
I am still chasing the Holy Grail, but I work in PR and media and understand the need for good promotion to get anything to sell, including books. If I manage to get an agent and publisher to take me on I hope I will be prepared. Good luck with your next one – I am sure it will be easier as you will know what to expect.
It sounds like your background in PR and media is ideal preparation for a career as a writer. I wish you the best of luck!
The best thing to do for your career is write the next book, whether it’s a series or not. I do read reviews, but my thought is “meh, it’s just their opinion” if it’s not a good review. There’s always good with the bad in every endeavor. Best wishes on your career, Louisa!
Good advice, Meg! I am going to try and copy you re your attitude to reviews. Best wishes!
It’s a completely different world post-publication compared to before, and you describe it very well. The highs are fantastic and the lows can make one give up and not write another book ever. After my sixth book, I still experience the mood swings but they are very small compared to what they were the first two books, and for this I am grateful. It’s easier for me now to let all the emotions fly by and just get busy writing the next book. Your book sounds really intriguing, wishing you all the best with it!
Thank you for this lovely comment, Karen. I am interested to hear that the peaks and troughs aren’t confined to one’s first book, but carry on with successive ones, albeit on a reduced scale! Sending you my best wishes.