The biggest thing I’ve been struggling with – besides the whole ‘authoring’ part – is dealing with comparing myself to others. I’ve been overwhelmed since I was 12 thinking about all the books that exist in the world that I’ll never read. And breaking into the world of writing my own book, it’s easy to get overwhelmed again with how many books are already out there to demand readers’ attention.
Every day there are new releases, or at least new promotions from well-established authors. People with extensive backlists and devoted fanbases. How can anyone new expect to break in?
People do it all the time, of course. There are more ways than ever to get your hands on new books, and that means more readers than ever. The internet and self-pub world is a wonderful, wonderful thing.
It’s important to remember too that fellow authors are not competitors. We’re all out here together, doing our best to tell stories that move our hearts and make us feel good. That’s something to celebrate!
The anxiety will probably never go away, but I hope that once I start releasing and garnering my own fanbase it will abate a little. Right now I don’t know if people will enjoy my work. And that’s not the only reason I’m writing, but it would be nice, and there’s only one way to find out.
You should never leave faith in yourself. The anxiety is just a part of our job (I feel you, I am an upcoming writer) But once we prove us to ourselves, the anxiety will surely fade away in oblivion
Good luck!!
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