So I Published A Book-Now What?

So I published a book.

I am so proud of myself for actually finishing my book and publishing it. It was a great experience and I learned so much about myself while writing it.

Now what?

Well, now I talk about it. I market it, I ask people who've read it to please review it, but most importantly, I write the next one.

Yes, time to write the next book.

The best way to get your name out there and to sell more books, is to write more books.

Hey, I never started writing Sweet Dreams to make money, although if it becomes a best seller and then gets made into a film, I am not going to complain.

No, I wrote Sweet Dreams because I wanted to tell a story. I wanted to tell a story that would make you smile, make you laugh and make you fall in love with the characters. And I wanted to see if I could actually do it.

So now I am writing the sequel.

I also started writing a short story. A short story that will hopefully be part of a book of shorts or a boxed set in collaboration with my fellow Writing Wenches.

Oh, did I mention that I have joined a writing group called Writing Wenches.

We have a blog, which goes live today and can be found at http://writingwenches.wordpress.com/ . I will be contributing to the blog every other week and yes, we are putting together a book of short stories. Pretty awesome.

I am also thinking of submitting a short story to another company accepting submissions.

It's overwhelming, but exciting. I feel like every day, through one of my fellow Wenches or writer friends, I discover another activity I want to be a part of.
Right now, I am a noob., when it comes to writing. I recognize it and I embrace it. I only hope to grow and improve with each work I complete, learning as much as I can along the way. But there is also so much to learn about marketing, about using social networks. There is software and applications and all sorts of new goodies to help me as a writer promote and grow and well just get my name out there.

I feel like there are so many things I want to do and so little time.

I love it and I am really excited to be a part of it.

I also still read on a daily basis. If you want to be a writer you have to read. A lot. Before I ever thought about writing, I was an avid reader. I was a one book every two days, sometimes less, Barnes and Noble junkie. Just because I am busy writing, doesn't mean I don't make time to read. I have to read, it is one of the things I most enjoy. Funny thing is, it's also paramount to becoming a good writer. Ask any successful author, or read their interviews, since most of us are not lucky enough to know them personally. You cannot be a good writer without being an avid reader. You have to experience different genres, different styles of writing in order to find your own.

So now I read, I write, I work, I network, I promote and I learn. I learn from my successes, from my mistakes and from my fellow writers.

What an amazing, never ending journey.

What is your journey?

Life is short. Go out and live it.

You can find me online at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com