A very honest post about my debut experience and, sadly, my last for EMU’s Debuts. Please follow my fellow debut friends on their incredible journeys!
Let’s jump right into it, shall we?
Things I Learned During my Debut Process:
- Landing an agent and selling your debut book isn’t THE hurdle. It’s THE FIRST hurdle.
- Not being in Barnes & Noble does make a difference in your book’s success, no matter how many well-meaning people try to assure you otherwise.
- Being in Barnes & Noble does not guarantee your book’s success.
- You will read reviews of your book that will leave you scratching your head, wondering if it’s really YOUR book the reviewer read.
- Just because you have thousands of social media followers doesn’t mean they’ll actually buy your book.
- Just because you publish a book with Simon & Schuster doesn’t mean people who schedule author appearances will want you. You’re still just small potatoes. Think fingerling instead of Idaho.
- You’ll check your Amazon ranking more often than you care to admit and you’ll cringe every…
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Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 
16 comments
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September 18, 2013 at 9:26 am
marciecolleen
Beautifully written, my fabulous and published friend. Congrats on no longer being a debut! You’re in it, baby! See ya this Saturday!
September 18, 2013 at 9:35 am
Tara Lazar
Yay! Can’t wait to see you!
September 18, 2013 at 9:28 am
laurimeyers
Let’s just not use “Tara Lazar Says Farewell” as any other blog post titles, okay? Gave me a heart attack.
Otherwise, thanks for sharing your highs and lows. I’ll make sure my kindergartener brings The Monstore in for show and tell next week!
September 18, 2013 at 9:35 am
Tara Lazar
LOL, Lauri! And thanks.
September 18, 2013 at 9:47 am
Susan Halko
I agree with Lauri! I always say “Oh, goodie!” whenever a blog post Writing for Kids pops into my mailbox. Had me worried for a second. But thanks for sharing your thoughts! Congrats on that first dream come true . . . now it’s on to the bigger and brighter!
September 18, 2013 at 9:49 am
Tara Lazar
I didn’t realize that the reblog title would appear the same–I thought it might have said “reblog” first! LOL! Yeah, not closing down my blog. Not even close.
September 18, 2013 at 10:01 am
Joanna
My heart also skipped a beat! Phew! Great read, Tara! More! See you in Princeton!
September 18, 2013 at 3:39 pm
Tara Lazar
Yay, Joanna, can’t wait to finally meet you IN THE FLESH! (I promise I won’t be wearing a Miley Cyrus flesh-toned outfit.)
September 18, 2013 at 11:16 am
Kerry Aradhya
You scared me with the title of your post. I thought for a minute you were stopping your blog!! Heading over to EMU’s Debuts now to read your words of wisdom…
September 18, 2013 at 3:40 pm
Tara Lazar
Yikes! That would mean an end to PiBoIdMo, and THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN!
September 18, 2013 at 12:19 pm
elainekielykearns
Tara-
Is this okay for the bio? Too much info?
E. Kiely Kearns is an elementary school teacher and a member of the SCBWI. She earned her Masters in Education from Fordham University. She dreams up wild and wonderful stories in New York State where she lives with her husband, two children, and menagerie of animals. She lives on coffee, chocolate and humor. Mostly humor.
Thanks again for the opportunity!
Elaine
September 18, 2013 at 1:00 pm
Lori Alexander
You scared me, too! Glad you aren’t leaving us 🙂 Thanks again for sharing your experiences. My PB comes out next fall and I can’t even begin to guess how it will all go down. Like you said, I’m trying to enjoy each little step along the way…the sketches, the draft of the cover, writing a bio for the jacket flap, etc.
Can’t wait to hear more about BEAR BOOK. What’s the status of that guy?
September 18, 2013 at 3:41 pm
Tara Lazar
Yes, try to enjoy the little moments as much as possible because there are some trying moments as well. It’s all about balance. Good luck, Lori!
September 18, 2013 at 3:05 pm
slpstanley
Oh Tara what a great post! I’ve had similar experiences as my first book is due in October…small pub, but similar thoughts! Thanks for putting it all into words and sharing it with your “fans!” Best wishes for much much success!
September 18, 2013 at 3:41 pm
Tara Lazar
Thank YOU and best wishes with your launch!
September 23, 2013 at 9:13 am
Heritage Hill Farm
I, too thought, “Oh no!” when I saw the title of your post on Emu Debut. I am glad your leaving isn’t real, just relative. Your all-caps do make me smile. There are many in the kidlit world – just oozing talent- who have savy, appropriate projects that have taken much, much, much more than a year to sell. We all share your frustration with the unexpected pacing of reality. We applaud your ‘knight on a white horse’ way of taking it all on. You do sparkle in the social media world. I’ve really enjoyed following your journey. It’s a benefit that may not immediately turn up in sales, but will bear perennial fruit!