EEEEEEEEEEEE and Other Professional Statements

So, I just got a proof back of a story that’ll be published in the beginning of the next year. (I’ll be posting when and where to find it once it’s available for order.) The proof of the story was good; I found two typos and had them fixed. The proof included an image of the cover.

My name was on the cover.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

In case the fire alarm scream was unclear, I was quite pleased to see my name there. Now, my name was listed among a bunch of other authors, so it’s not like I was the sole focus. Frankly, if I wasn’t looking for my name, I may have missed it, just because there’s a lot of authors working on this project.

But my name was there. It’ll be in print. On the cover.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Yeah. I get it. It’s not a professional response. A professional response would say something along the lines of, “Yes, they got everything correct, and it’ll be nice to have another item to add to the ego shelf.” I think a professional response would be far more measured.

I don’t even care.

Why is it that being professional means containing emotions at all times? Yes, there are times and places. But seeing your name for the first time on a cover, I think, warrants some celebration.

My wife thought I was nuts, but that’s just because I’m not a good dancer. I may have been dancing a little when I saw the image. Then again, she already thinks I’m nuts, so that probably didn’t do anything to damage our relationship.

I suspect that, should my writing career continue on this trajectory, I won’t be dancing as much if I get my name on more covers. Familiarity breeds acceptance rather than celebration. I get the feeling, though, that I’ll always smile at least a little the first time I see my name on a cover.

When that first book is released with my name as the author, and the only author? There will be a lot of dancing, you bet.

When that first series is completed and there’s a box set available? My wife may think I’m nuts again. Actually, she’ll probably be dancing with me. We’re often insane in very similar ways, after all.

And do you notice I’m saying “when” and not “if”? There’s a reason for that.

No, I don’t have a multi-million-dollar publishing deal or any such thing. However, with the ability of authors to self-publish and a wealth of information on how to make the most of such opportunities, I’m planning on getting a novel out… well, hopefully within the next two years. I’m planning on writing and finalizing an entire series before releasing the first one, so they can come out rather quickly. (That’s one of those smarter publishing things – for independent authors, quick release is usually a good strategy.)

What that means is that it could be a bit before I’m set up. And who knows? Something could happen that would prevent me from finishing. A lot can happen in a few years, you know?

Maybe even me pitching the series and getting picked up by a publisher.

Seeing my name on a cover has really encouraged me, especially as I continue to get rejections on other stories. Some stories are accepted; others aren’t. And that’s ok. Not every story is a winner, and not every story will hit every editor well!

But in the meantime… I’m going to load up that image and do a little dancing again.