It was a year of many wonderful firsts. My first ever edit with an actual editor! My first ever page proofs! My first ever party at my publishers! My first ever cover! My first ever book launch! And of course – my first ever BOOK! So, so exciting.
I won’t ever get to experience my debut year again, and by the end of this year I won’t even be a debut author anymore. That’s kind of scary, but also great because it means I’ve got another chance with readers with my second book. And it’s also a little sad. My debut year was so much fun, and I’m so excited for those of you who have yet to experience yours – you have got so many amazing things in store. It’ll be overwhelming and crazy and such a whirlwind, but I’m sure you’ll love every moment of it (except when you get your first bad review. That’s kind of a bummer, fyi).
A few things I learnt in 2013 …
– Hot Key are the bosses of covers
– Twitter is the best place to chat to other writers
– Book launches are a b*tch to plan. Start early and don’t try and make 100+ cupcakes the night before
– Some people will really hate the name Butterfly for a male character …
– … And some people will really love it
– Emails from your literary agent will always make you feel better
– Take your time with edits. By the time it gets to the proofing stage it’s too late to make bigger changes
– A character that looks like Andrew Garfield will make his way into every book I write
– Writing doesn’t really get easier after you’re published. Each new book is it’s own unique beast. But you do get more confident in yourself, and so it becomes a little easier to deal with the difficulties of writing (which are just as difficult)
– Bad reviews suck …
– … But getting good ones is the best feeling in the world
Thank you so much to everyone who supported me and The Elites last year! I can’t wait to see what 2014 will bring 🙂 x