Your Debut Doesn't Need To Be The Best

Fears, we all are filled with them, aren't we? It's good if you're fearless but it's better when you fear the right things, that's why we have legal rules and regulations so that the fear of breaking them keeps us from becoming a criminal. Anyway, I will write some other day how fearing the right things made me a better person.

Today, we talk about the fear of making our debut as an author. I had had uncountable fears and doubts before getting Poetic Letters To God published. If my friends hadn't read the manuscript and killed my self-doubts, I wouldn't have published my book. They are the reason it is in my and your hands today.

So, did my debut rock? I would say, 'no'. It did make it to the list of best-sellers in poetry on Amazon; even in top 10 ranks but it never made it to the top. The thing is, I do not believe in making your book free on Kindle, making it reach the top and calling it a best-seller (believe me, even people who would never read your book will download it for free) or by asking bulk reviewers to get it from Amazon and then calling it a best-seller.

I would not call it a bad debut either. It was far better than I had ever expected because I had never thought of reaching any category of best-sellers, not even top 100 let alone top 10. It got a response far, far better than what I had imagined and expected. Sure some reviewers did not find it poetically appealing because I'm no Shakespeare and the book was written to God by the inner child that resides in me (we all have one) and for the people who read, but more importantly for those who do not read on a regular basis. Nobody likes running for a dictionary all the time. I write in simple diction because I love it when a non-reader becomes a reader for my words. Today, it melts my heart when some of you tell me how much the book helped you. It wasn't the purpose of writing this book; I never knew it could be of any help to anyone. You guys gave it a whole new and most important purpose.

If you're someone who is filled with the fear of making a bad debut, just put the fears aside. Not all great debuts lead to a great career, and not all bad debuts destroy people's careers unless you quit. Harry Potter was rejected by 12 publishers before it got its destined publisher and became world's most-selling series. There are so many actors who made their debut with movies that went into oblivion soon after their release but the actor/actress did not quit and went on to become a superstar. Amish Tripathi's Shiva Trilogy is so so beautiful and I recently got to know that he, too, had self-published Immortals of Meluha.

See, you just got to show up and do your work; when your intentions are pure, the universe uses all its might to make your dreams into reality. You just need to stay dedicated and loyal to your passion. Get the book published not because you want people to love it; get it published because you owe your manuscript a destination. Stay loyal to it, give it what it deserves. For loyalty, my friend, is rare and gets rewarded in one way or the other.

Above all, you have to be patient with your progress. Overnight success is often short-lived; hustle and step on small milestones to reach your dreams. Bring that book out to reach your dreams. Even if one person reads it, your book will be honoured. To land on the moon, you've got to enjoy your journey through the stars.