Hey, Reader, quick question:
Is the idea that your story HAS to be a perfect, NY Times Best Seller, that will go on to be featured on school reading lists for the next century, keeping you from actually reaching The End? 😬
Be honest now. It’s okay if it is. You’re not alone in that. Trust me.
Our culture constantly feeds us this notion that if we’re not THE BEST THAT EVER WAS, then we’re nothing.
It’s exhausting. 😮💨
And with the state of the world at the moment, 🔥🙀 we could all use a break from that kind of unnecessary pressure. I know I sure could.
So with that in mind…
Here’s 3 things you can do to squash that anxiety & turn those 99 into a 98 at the very least:
1) Don’t tell anyone
That’s right, Reader. Don’t tell anyone you’re releasing a book. You can use a pen name.
Or upload your book in the dead of night, quietly, and without fanfare. If your story does well, you can always reveal your marvelous surprise after the fact.
But if things don’t go spectacularly, then you won’t be taking a graceless fall in front of your closest friends and family.
Statistically, failing in front of random strangers doesn’t bother us quite as much as failing in front of our loved ones. So instead of a Hunger Games-style life-or-death match where all but the “winner” perishes, try treating things like a learning experience to level up from.
2) This week on…
Try releasing your story as a serialized webnovel. Numerous popular books and series began their lives as free serialized webnovels, from The Captive Prince Trilogy by Australian author C.S. Pacat to The Martian by Andy Weir. Their authors either posted chapters on their personal websites or on story creation sites around the world.
Eventually, these authors either compiled and published the stories on their own, or they were snatched up by publishers due to the story’s popularity.
Serialized webnovels are also hugely popular in Asian countries, where creators upload their serials to story creation sites under fun web handles. The goal being to accumulate a core group of online readers who will provide feedback and maybe identify errors in the story.
I myself have produced 2 different webnovel series over the last few years: They Come at Night and ExSpelled, which is currently available to all my Kat’s Quest subscribers and offers a new chapter each month.
3) Make it damn cheap
For an event 12 years ago, I wrote a 20K word novella for my Marked Ones Trilogy called Beautiful Stranger and gave it away for FREE.
After first releasing it on Tumblr, Nora Sakavic did the same thing for the first book in her All for the Game series. This hugely contributed to the series becoming a Best of BookTok sensation.
Why? Because when you’re a new storyteller that no one has ever heard of, you really can’t beat cheap and free when it comes to getting people to give you a chance.
Well, Reader, I hope these 3 solutions help combat your anxiety and imposter syndrome just a bit and bring your work-in-progress count a step closer to PUBLISHED. Until next time, this is your friendly neighborhood storytelling Kat wishing you a wonderfully creative weekend.
Your cohort in storytelling,
Kat Vancil
🐱
PS 👉 Now is the best time to sign up for my FREE reader newsletter, Kat’s Quest. There are over 20 chapters of my magical Dark Academia webnovel ExSpelled to read + bonus storyverse content. And you’ll also get updates on my upcoming books + monthly themed book recommendations.
PS 👉 I’ve been working on putting together a book featuring all my best advice from The Storyteller’s Saga over the last 3 years. I’m hoping to release it this fall, so stay tuned for more info coming soon!
Did your friend, co-worker, or some rando you met at a con forward this email to you? First off, they have good taste.
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Beth Thomas - Neuroinclusion specialist
Professional speaker & recovering perfectionist
From overwhelming thought spirals to empowering clarity- fresh into your inbox twice weekly with tips, relatable insights and resources to help transform those 3am revelations into real-life victories. Join nearly 10,000 fellow neurodivergents looking to understand their unique operating systems and thrive on their own terms. |
