Every Halloween for 10 years, Bess Houdini held a séance to call Harry back from death. Finally, after all that time, she reportedly said, “Ten years is long enough to wait for any man!” The séances stopped.
Popular culture has many individuals still waiting for comedian Andy Kaufman to return from his travels to the other side. Jim Carrey was a devoted fan and channelled Andy when he starred in the movie “Man On The Moon” in 1999.
I have discovered that ghostwriting is also a channelling of sorts. While the words I write are mine, they belong to someone else. In much the same way as an actor imbues the spirit of the character they are tasked to portray, so too must the writer capture the spirit and essence of the original story-teller.
It is a humbling task, one that must be handled with great care and tact. Most people have great stories to tell, but not everyone has the skills with which to tell them. Such is the gift of the ghostwriter.
Much is written about the writer’s “voice” and, unlike Houdini’s magic, it is not smoke and mirrors and slight of hand. It is the fundamental truth from which we all speak. It is as unique as the singing voice of Neil Young or Taylor Swift. You’d recognize it in a heartbeat. It is this heartbeat the ghostwriter must understand and connect with.
STORY ARC
Stories that resonate are those steeped in real human emotion, regardless of the genre or nature of the tale. Even a technical paper will have a central emotional hook at its core. A journal, autobiography or biography is more than the sum of its parts, more than an endless string of events connected only by the fact they actually happened. Perhaps these events have been rewritten by time, or in the space between then and now, reinvented in the author’s mind: separating fact from fiction, perception from reality, revisionist retelling from a total fabrication of truth. Regardless of the motivation, it is the task of the ghostwriter to channel that space and time, and not get lost in it. The story must flow from one memory or sequence to the next, with logic, clarity and purpose. Well-crafted books are not mere collections of singular events, thinly held together by chapter titles. A book must have a story arc that, like Houdini, intrigues and captivates us as we move from one act of magic to another until it culminates in a magnificent and breath-taking grand finale. “How did he do that?” we ask in wonder.
THE WRITERS TOOLKIT
There are many tools available in the writer’s kit, and it is important for authors to review them with their ghostwriters at the start of your journey together. Poetic license and freedom, chapter content and design, timelines, the use of creative devices such as foreshadowing, quotations, background and context information, chronology, historical reference; these are all concepts the ghostwriter may need to explain, particularly if the author is new to writing or written communication of any kind.
DETACHMENT
The greatest challenge in the ghostwriting process is detachment. Companion to detachment is trust. Writing is intensely personal, even if the end result is a sales proposal! Preparation is an essential and key component of any author/ghostwriter relationship. The author must accept the fact that they have hired a ghostwriter for the express purpose of making the material they provide into an enjoyable and infinitely readable document.
In return, the ghostwriter has a responsibility to channel the author in as true and honest a manner as possible.
And so, as it is with many of the creative arts, I am me, and I am not me. Dim the lights. May the séance begin.
If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon.
If you believe there's nothing up my sleeve, then nothing is cool.
“Man On The Moon”
R.E.M.
Patricia M. Gallagher is currently ghostwriting two books with an option for a third. She is a published writer, poet and musician. She can be reached through her website by clicking on her name above.
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
What is an index, and why would you want one in your non-fiction book? A good index is a road map to information. It leads readers to all the information on a particular subject, and it also leads readers to related information that might interest them. A good index allows readers to find what they are looking for no matter where in the index they start.
You might wonder if a computer program could produce the index for your book. It can’t. It can produce a concordance, an alphabetical listing of most of the words in the text with their page numbers, but that is not an index.
The index in a non-fiction book has two audiences:
The whole point of an index is to guide people to the information in the book. If they can’t find that information, it might as well not be there. A good index will make most non-fiction books more usable to their readers and more likely to be purchased. A professionally written index is a worthwhile investment for any author who lacks the skills and training to write a good one.
Professional Indexer
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
Since developmental editors work so closely with authors to help them create great books, it’s not unusual that some authors wonder how a developmental editor is different from a ghostwriter. Both are heavily involved with a book’s content, and in terms of the teamwork, coaching, and feedback that goes on between ghostwriter and author, or equally between developmental editor and author, it requires some clarification to distinguish between these two major ways of working with writing and editing professionals.
Let’s tackle the ghostwriter first. Basically with ghostwriting, if you are a person with an idea for a book, and you possess the expertise in your field but are not particularly good at writing—or don’t have time for writing (for example, you might be a busy corporate executive, a coach with a full coaching practice, or a speaker with a full roster of speaking gigs)—you might consider hiring a writer to turn your ideas and knowledge into words. You would give the writer as much information as possible, and then the writer would get to work creating a draft manuscript for you. So, the process of creating a book with a ghostwriter is that you supply the information; the writer does the writing, attempting as much as possible to create the content with the flavor of your voice. Sometimes ghostwriters will do recorded interviews with the author in order to get a sense of the author’s voice and style.
In contrast, developmental editors do not write the book for the author. Instead, a developmental editor works with the author to develop the book’s concept, and often coaches the author through the writing process, always with an eye to the book’s purpose, its audience, and it content map (structure). Working with a developmental editor from the very beginning concept stage often makes it easier for the author to do the writing with confidence and the comfort of knowing that there is always someone there to give feedback and helpful suggestions.
To use an old analogy often applied to human endeavors—the ghostwriter catches the fish for you (writes your book); the developmental editor teaches you how to fish for yourself (helps you write your book).
Many times, however, the developmental editor gets involved after an author has created a first draft. In that situation, the developmental editor evaluates the manuscript and considers many of the same issues involved in early stage developmental editing—for example, what is the book’s purpose, who is the audience, how well does the narrative arc of the book move the content forward, etc. If the draft manuscript needs work in clarifying or emphasizing its purpose and its narrative power, the developmental editor helps the author make the structural and thematic changes to hone the book into a compelling written work.
What is best for you as an author desiring to have a book published—hiring a ghostwriter or hiring a developmental editor? If you want it done for you, then the ghostwriter would be your choice. If you want to have the experience of creating your own words, but need someone to guide you through the process, hold your hand, and keep you on track, then you would choose a developmental editor. If you want to do your own first draft writing, a good developmental editor can also help you speed up the process of writing your book, and give you good guidance not only about the content, but also about the publishing process itself.
Ghostwriters tend to be more expensive than developmental editors, because the process of writing a book from scratch is very labor-intensive. With developmental editing, since you as the author would be doing your own writing, your developmental editor will be checking in with you all along the way, and helping you with your content mapping. So it’s somewhat less labor intensive than ghostwriting, and therefore can be less expensive.
Either path is viable and valid. It all depends on your own inclinations (do you want to experience yourself as a writer or delegate the writing to someone else?), your budget, your timeline, and your goals for your book.
Working with a professional ghostwriter or with a professional developmental editor can be a very worthwhile and positive experience. Both paths involve collaboration and a sense of teamwork. The author-ghostwriter experience is a dynamic relationship, and so is the author-developmental editor relationship. The important thing is that you, as an author, are comfortable with your choice and feel good about the end result—your book.
Sharon Lindenburger
Professional Writer
Professional Developmental Editor
Consultant and Supplier of all forms of editing
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
Below is a group of visuals to show how the front matter might be arranged in a fictional novel. This is but one example of how it can be done:






Below are two visuals showing how the back matter of a novel could appear:


It is a good idea to use this article as a guideline when deciding how to lay out your book's interior. Better yet, why not pay your local bookstore a visit and take a look at how some of your favourite titles are formatted? The more information (visuals) you can provide to your graphic designer ahead of time, the better. This will help the process run much more smoothly for both of you.
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
No matter how engaging your story may be, the public is going to "judge your book by its cover" before they ever pick it up to read the contents. As such, the exterior should always receive the same professional care and consideration as the interior.
A complete paperback book cover is made up of the following components:

| What PPG Will Do For You |
What You Must Do For Yourself | |
| Supplies you will require |
In order to publish a book with PPG, you must have access to a computer, email, and the Internet. You must also have a working knowledge of and access to Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Reader (for viewing .PDF proofs of your books). | |
| Writing your book |
You can hire one of PPG's experienced ghostwriters to write your story in collaboration with you... |
... or you can write it yourself. Either way, whether you write your story or have someone write it for you, it must be completed in Microsoft Word. Click here for details on how to properly format all your book files. |
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Protecting your copyright |
It is up to you to protect your own copyright before you send your book to any publisher/printer. Please click here for straightforward instructions on how to do so. | |
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Choosing your book publishing package |
Review the list of PPG Self-Publishing Services and choose the publishing package and/or À la carte services that are best for you. From there, visit our Online Store to make your purchase and begin the publishing process. | |
| ISBN numbers/barcodes and legal deposits | You only need an ISBN number/barcode if you plan to sell copies of your book. PPG will apply for all ISBN numbers and obtain barcodes on your behalf. You will be indicated as both the author and the publisher on the ISBN application so the book is linked to the true copyright owner rather than PPG. |
As the publisher/copyright owner of the book, it is up to you to submit one or two hard copies of it to Legal Deposit at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) upon publication. |
| Filling out/managing Vendor Agreements, Publishing Agreements, and Production Questionnaires
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PPG will manage all Vendor Agreements with work-for-hire vendors (such as graphic designers, editors, ghostwriters, copywriters, indexers, etc.) on your behalf. Our agreements are designed to ensure: you receive the high quality service you are paying for in a timely fashion; and you maintain creative control and copyright ownership of the book/artwork that is being designed for you. |
It is up to you to read the PPG Publishing Agreement & Production Questionnaire in full so you understand the partnership you are entering into with PPG and our work-for-hire vendors. |
| Submitting Your Manuscript | Your manuscript must be written in Word.doc format and submitted to PPG via email. Please click here for more specific details. | |
| Editing | PPG will arrange for one of our qualified editors to copy edit your raw manuscript before it is sent to a designer for typesetting. You will have the opportunity to view the edited version and give final approval before it moves onto the design stage. |
If you prefer to hire your own editor, outside of your agreement with PPG, you may do so. |
| Fact checking and indexing | Non-fiction readers expect to find an index in the back of your book. They also expect your information to be completely accurate. You can hire fact checkers and indexers through PPG to help you with this. |
If you prefer to hire your own fact checkers/indexers, outside of your agreement with PPG, you may do so. |
| Interior design | PPG will arrange for a qualified graphic designer to typeset your book's interior based on the input we receive from you on the above-mentioned Production Questionnaire. (We begin by designing your book's interior because the spine size of your cover is determined by the final page count of your book.) |
In addition to answering all the questions on the above-mentioned Production Questionnaire, you are required to send your interior files to us in the manner indicated on our File Prep and File Transfer webpages. |
| Cover design | PPG will arrange for a qualified graphic designer to create your book cover based on the input we receive from you on the above-mentioned Production Questionnaire. |
In addition to answering all the questions on the above-mentioned Production Questionnaire, you are required to send us any related graphics/files in the manner indicated on our File Prep and File Transfer webpages. If you prefer to hire your own interior/cover graphic designer, outside of your agreement with PPG, you may do so; however, make sure you understand the agreement you're entering into (i.e. who will own the artwork at the end of the agreement and what that means to you). |
| Copyright page | PPG will insert a pre-designed copyright page into your manuscript before it is typeset. |
It is up to you to proofread this copyright page to ensure the ISBN number(s) and all other information is correct. |
| Proofreading | Once your book has been written, edited, and designed, a professional proofreader will review it one last time to ensure each of the book's components fit together properly. |
All editors, designers, and proofreaders will do their part to help you polish and perfect your book along the way, but you are ultimately responsible to ensure it is completely correct before signing off on the final proof. It is recommended (and wise) for you to read everything over one more time before signing your final proof approval—not only your recent corrections, but everything—even after the professional proofread has been completed. |
| Printing hard copies of your published book | PPG will only order hard copies of your book for you upon request. |
If you would like to receive hard copies of your published book, it is up to you to purchase them either through PPG (at your special author discount) or from the printer of your choice. We do not include hard copies in our publishing packages as that would drive the price up unnecessarily. It is best for you, in the long run, to obtain quotes from various printers and go with the best price you receive. (We can recommend a few great printers to help you out with this.) |
| Review copies | It is up to you to research the book reviewers in your area and send them each a complimentary copy of your book. (This is not mandatory. It's just a suggestion you may want to consider.) | |
| Library copies | As a self-publisher, it is up to you to produce and submit a flyer or small catalogue of your book(s) to all the libraries you wish to appear in. The only way libraries learn about new titles is through the flyers/catalogues they receive from publishers. | |
| Distribution |
Your book(s) will be available for sale through LSI's distribution channels and our very own online bookstore for as long as you are subscribed to receive our POD distribution service. As an added bonus, we'll also submit your book files to Google Books at no extra cost to you! |
You are responsible for the distribution of any additional copies of your book that you purchase on your own. |
| Royalties | You will be paid royalties on all of your PPG books that are sold through the PPG bookstore and/or through PPG's POD distribution channels (as detailed in the PPG Publishing Agreement). |
You won't receive royalties for any copies of your book that you purchase at an author discount through PPG for resale by yourself, nor will you receive royalties for any other copies of your book that you have printed elsewhere for resale by yourself. |
| Sales and Marketing | PPG will continually strive to drive more and more traffic to our website, online bookstore, forum, and blog; and we will also include a brief write-up about your book in the "Coming Soon to PPG!" category of this blog. |
It is up to you to manage all other sales and marketing of your book, but we'll do our best to provide all kinds of ideas to help point you in the right direction. |


Blogging is becoming increasingly important for self-published authors. Developing and maintaining an online presence is an integral part of self-marketing; it offers a way to get noticed by showcasing your writing, a chance to get feedback on your work before you invest in self-publishing, and an opportunity to make contacts that can help you publish and market your book.
Blogging for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one way to get noticed; this is the process of increasing traffic to your blog by having it appear earlier in search engine results listings. SEO is a slow process that requires consistent, regular effort, so don’t wait to start your blog until after you’ve published. To blog for SEO, you’ll need to produce a minimum of two articles with a minimum of 500 words each per week. Posting to your blog on a regular basis also helps maintain subscriber interest. Most writers have no trouble coming up with potential topics, but if you’re having trouble finding the time to write and publish blogs, hiring a professional blogger can help. This usually becomes a more attractive option as a blog increases in popularity, because maintaining the blog becomes proportionately more time-consuming and technical. A professional blogger can also assist with link building, a necessary part of SEO.
Receiving feedback on their work is a frightening prospect for many authors because they are emotionally invested in their writing, but the opportunity to learn from constructive criticism prior to publishing is invaluable. You can consider reader response to your grammar skills, concepts, and style when writing on any topic. Even if you hire a professional blogger at some point, you can “guest-write” on your blog to test new ideas, themes, and techniques. The expense of self-publishing makes blogging an excellent marketing value.
If well-managed, your blog will attract the attention not just of casual readers, but of other authors, editors, publishers, and reviewers. No matter how well-managed it is, it will also attract a fair number of spammers and online hawkers of get-rich-quick schemes. However, these tend to decrease proportionately over time; if you’re maintaining your own blog, you’ll also become adept at quickly recognizing and deleting them. The value of the networking opportunities gained by blogging far outweighs this annoyance. Online communities tend to be close-knit and people often form online friendships faster than they would face-to-face. If you intend to self-publish, those who have traveled this path before you can offer advice and support. You might also locate resources that are scarce or more expensive in your geographic area. To connect with these individuals, you’ll need to subscribe to and comment on other blogs, participate in discussion groups, and post links to your blog in online groups. Though this also requires an investment of time, it’s important for SEO as well as networking.
Starting a blog can be intimidating, but it’s a worthwhile effort for writers, especially those who intend to or have self-published. Don’t wait; start your blog today! (Click here to see how PPG can help you with that!)
Rachaelle Lynn
Organic SEO Campaign Manager, Content Writer, and Editor
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
Where and Why Self-Publishers Should Send Review Copies of Their Books
If you’ve decided to self-publish your book, you must accept that you’ve also taken on the task of self-marketing it. Sending free review copies of your book is part of the marketing process. Without publicity, your book is unlikely to be seen by a larger audience, which translates into fewer sales. Even if you don’t expect to make a fortune from your book, establishing your reputation as a professional author is critical to your long-term success.
Set aside time for making a list of who should receive review copies of your book. Consider the market for it carefully; depending on the genre and subject matter, you may want to submit it to reviewers in smaller, more specialized markets instead of to those at larger publications, where your book could get lost in the crowd. If you’ll be visiting particular areas for readings and book signings, locate reviewers in those markets so you’ll have advance publicity. If a newspaper or magazine refuses to review your book but you really need to market in that publication, ask if they will print a press release. Always keep the publisher’s deadline in mind; if you miss it, the timing of the review may not benefit you as much even if your book still gets reviewed.
It should go without saying that during this time, you will network with other self-published authors to find out where and when they sent review copies of their books. Which publications actually reviewed their book, and which ones just gave it to a secretary, who took the free copy home and gave it to a neighbour? Though the answer to this question shouldn’t be your sole determination of whether or not to send a book to that reviewer, it can help you narrow the choices.
You’ll also need to consider the cost of review copies of your book in your publishing budget. Finalize the list of recipients before you order any copies. If you make money, you can always order more. Knowing that you will be sending copies of the book to reviewers may also affect the manner in which you decide to publish the book; for example, you may decide to charge more for the book to cover the cost of sending the review copies. Since sending review copies is an additional investment in your work, you may also want to invest in professional design and proofreading. Include the cost of packaging and mailing the books. Unless you are lucky enough to have an unlimited budget, you’ll have to plan carefully so you can meet your expenses.
Keep track of potential recipients of review copies of your book on a calendar, Excel spreadsheet, or both; a calendar will help you track deadlines, while a spreadsheet will help you track expenses. For budgeting purposes, you may want to assign each reviewer a value: a one means you absolutely must send a review copy, a three means you’ll only send one if you have extra copies, and a two is somewhere in the middle. This will help you prioritize your list and concentrate on getting reviews from the publications that are the most important.
Rachaelle Lynn
Organic SEO Campaign Manager, Content Writer, and Editor
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
Coming soon to PPG...
THE 13th ROPE
By John Christensen
(As told to ghostwriter Patricia M Gallagher)
Book Summary
The autobiography of John Christensen is a story of adversity, pain and triumph. It is the tale of a man who grew up in
Born of a devoted Métis mother with direct lineage to the famous Métis hero, Louis Riel, and a Danish immigrant father who struggled with alcoholism, early in life John took on substantial responsibilities for his family. He loved to hunt and became a family provider. He loved to run and play with his friends, brother and sisters. Struck at 14 by the polio epidemic sweeping the prairies, he learned to hunt and fish with crutches. In spite of his disability, John went on to get married, have children and learn to fly an airplane, something he loved to do, but also an achievement that handed John a catastrophic contest, the classic battle between the will to live and the relief of death.
On November 9th, 1969, John’s plane crashed during a cattle round-up in the Royal Community Pasture west of
However, sometimes success brings its own demons and for John, such was the case. Addicted to hallucinogenic sleeping pills, John was charged with manslaughter and spent 5 years in prison for taking the life of another man. By now, John’s mobility was limited to wheelchair use and that fact started John on a new and significant mission.
Always interested in
THE 13th ROPE captures the essence of John’s life and encourages everyone to never give up, never lose hope, because for all of us, there is a unique plan designed by the hand of God.
Patricia M Gallagher
PMG Creative
Get it write!
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
What is copyright?
Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary (www.merriam-webster.com) describes copyright as:
Noun
The exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, sell, or distribute the matter and form of something (as a literary, musical, or artistic work)
How do I obtain copyright ownership of my work?
In
How do I protect my copyright?
This is, perhaps, the real question writers are asking when they refer to the copyright of their books, and the answer is: by proving you are the true copyright owner of the work.
Protecting your copyright can be done in a very straightforward and cost-effective way. It's as simple as sealing a copy of your completed work in an envelope and mailing it to yourself via registered mail. When the date-stamped package is returned to you, keep it sealed and stored in a fireproof container. In the unlikely event that someone else ever tries to claim copyright ownership of your work after the fact, you will have the date-stamped proof of your ownership to fall back on.
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
I once heard a greenhorn author say, "I don't need anyone else to edit my manuscript. It is self-edited. I've looked over it a thousand times." It made me cringe. The truth is, every manuscript can benefit from two or more sets of eyes. Even the best writers use professional editors to improve the quality of their books.
Why do some people resist having their work edited/proofread by a professional? I would venture to guess there are two primary, underlying reasons: one, the fear that their work may be stolen if they share it with a stranger prior to publication; and two, the fear that the context of their work may be changed during the editing process. Let's discuss these two concerns separately….
At PPG, authors always have the last say on the editing and design of their books. A good copy editor will work with a writer to enhance the story while keeping the original voice intact, and a smart writer will take that editor's advice.
As always, let me know your thoughts. I'd love to hear from you. (And if you see any typos in this blog, please bring them to my attention. After all, two sets of eyes are always better than one!)
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
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When I published my first book, everything was quite new to me, and I had an expectation (possibly an unfair one) that my friends and family members should support me 100% and compliment me on my book no matter what they thought of it. Luckily, that did happen with my first book. Everyone around me was very supportive.
Unfortunately, when my second book came out, it was a different story. I received an unexpected criticism from someone dear to me that left me shocked, hurt, and unsure how to react. I'll be honest, it took me a couple years to come to a place where I was willing to put myself out there again. During that time, I had to rethink my expectations of those closest to me and find a way to remain confident in myself and my craft regardless of others’ opinions.
In retrospect, I'm glad I experienced that criticism so early in my publishing career because it taught me a valuable lesson about how I should measure the true merit of my work. A few times, I’ve had to ask myself the question: what is the truth here? Is it the joy and enthusiasm I felt when I held a printed copy of the book in my hand for the very first time? Or is it the self-doubt I felt when someone criticized it later on? Which one of those two moments will I use to determine the value of my book?
A wise woman named Lisa Nichols once said, “Oftentimes, you give others the opportunity to create your happiness, and many times they fail to create it the way you want it. Why? Because only one person can be in charge of your joy … and that’s you. So even your parent, your child, your spouse—they do not have the control to create your happiness. They simply have the opportunity to share in your happiness. Your joy lies within you.” A beautiful sentiment, don't you think? I believe the same can be said for self-confidence and faith.
I went into my third book with a new set of expectations that took the pressure off both me and those around me. It’s always nice when people acknowledge a new book with a hearty “congratulations,” but I’ve decided that’s where their obligation ends. I no longer base a book’s worth on whether or not others read it, agree with it, enjoy it, or discuss it with me after the fact. The truth I try my best to hold onto is the joy I felt when I held that first printed copy in my hand. I hope you will do the same for you. I hope you will find a way to hold onto your enthusiasm even if you come up against any criticism along the way ... whether it's from friends, family members, reviewers, or anyone else.
Keep writing! Keep the faith!
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
Three books in, I'm beginning to recognize a familiar pattern concerning my emotional state during the book publishing process. I wonder if other authors experience something similar.
For me, there is a calm sense of accomplishment once I've completed that first draft and sent my book off to the editor. Believe it or not, that confidence and faith even survives the editing and graphic design processes despite those annoying little setbacks and frustrations that pop up from time to time. When I first hold the completed book in my hand, I can't help but feel excited and very proud of myself.
For whatever reason, a day or two later, my confidence in the project takes a nosedive. It suddenly hits me: "Oh, my God. Now I have to share this with people. They're going to read it." I feel vulnerable at the thought of it, as though I’ve just stripped down naked in front of 1,000 people and invited them all to take turns pointing out my flaws. A daunting prospect, to say the least!
That insecurity can last up to three or four weeks, until the next book starts to take shape inside my mind. Then the feeling subsides, and I’m fine again. This happens to me every time I publish a book—I’m not sure why—but I’ve come to accept it as a natural part of my creative process. (On the plus side, the confidence always returns, and another book idea always comes in.)
I would like to hear from other published authors about your experiences. Do you go through something similar? How long does it last? Is there anything you do to ease the emotions, or does the mood just pass with time?
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.