Gratitude for Authors

Today I’m reflecting on gratitude. It’s almost twelve months since my book came out so I’ve been reflecting on what that year has been like*. Then this morning a friend shared a post on social media that rang about a million bells for me, and obviously for others who read it. It spoke about the experiences of author Tom McAllister, who received a lot of critical attention for his first three books, but still struggled with endless disappointments.

“Most of the writing life is disappointment. Publishing a book, which should be your most triumphant moment, is an anticlimax.”

There is so much in the article that reflects my psychological journey since being published. It’s a great read. But what really struck me was this paragraph:

“Many people close to you will disappoint you. But there are people who will come through, and they will keep coming through … I’ve learned to cherish those friends and family members who are always there, or even sometimes there. It takes real sacrifice on their part to support this weird thing I do. It takes money and time for them to seek the book out, to ask their local shops and libraries to carry it, to share it on social media.” 

I’ve had a note sitting in my journal for a while to write a blog post about gratitude. Reading this paragraph made me want to do it straight away. Because I am deeply, deeply grateful for the support I’ve had in the last year, sometimes from entirely unexpected quarters, and it’s about time I expressed that. An amazing number of people have ‘come through’ for me in the twelve months since publication. Not always who I expected to either. I’m not going to name names because I don’t want to miss anyone out. I want to express my deep, deep gratitude for:

• friends and family who have actually bought my book. And those who have bought my book for a family member or friend. 
• those who have taken the time to post reviews or have shared my book with others. With all my experiments in and reading about social media, it seems to me the only thing that really, really works is word of mouth. So every single person who has done this is worth their weight in titanium, gold and other shiny things. (And anyone who knows me knows how much I love shiny things!)
• those who have asked libraries or bookshops to get my book in, whether they were successful or not

  

• fellow authors or bloggers who have hosted me or let me write an article on their website
• those who are on a similar journey to me who have shared market stalls, war stories, hot tips, and coffee
• anyone who has retweeted a tweet, shared a blog post or in any way helped my voice go a little further than bouncing around inside my head
• conference or presentation organisers who’ve booked me to talk or be on panels. Your faith in me matters.
• every single person who has said to me “when’s the next book coming out?”. Because it makes me feel like I’m doing something right
• the wonderful people who have been there on the bad days to tell me, “you are a good writer, keep going”
• anyone who has sent me a photo of my book in an unusual place
• my family for dealing with my semi-regular writer crazies. And buying me chocolate and shiny things.
• my publisher for believing in me in the first place. It’s what every writer dreams of.
• the owner of that resort in Bali who offered me a week’s free accommodation with all meals so I can write in paradise with no distractions … oh wait, that was a dream.

Gratitude is a muscle worth stretching. It can help you shift to a more positive focus. It can make you feel better – and more connected. Being a writer is tough. Being a published author is also tough, in a whole different way. It’s easy to get caught up in the negatives. The lack of attention, the low sales. The feeling that you’re shouting in a very, very large room, while all around you everyone else is shouting too: “notice me”. But the truth is, some people have noticed. Some people have shown their support, in myriad ways. Some people are listening to my stories. And I am so, so grateful.

* You will NOT find me using the term ‘book birthday’. I hate it. Not sure why. Just do.