I cannot believe that my book finally came out on July 6, 2021. It felt like I’d waited forever (2 years) from when I got my offer. The world has changed so much in these two years, but I am so grateful that THE TIGER MOM’S TALE is out in the world and I got to be a Deb for the class of 2021.
It was a rough year, between the pandemic, homeschooling an 8-year-old who, after two months, told me he RETIRES from Mommy School and everything going on in the world. But I have loved being a part of The Deb Ball with my fellow Deb sisters, Greta, Elizabeth, Denny, and Ehsaneh. We’ve ushered in each of our books as they debuted, supported each other, and used this platform to help spread the word for other Debs. When I first started writing, the Deb Ball blog posts helped me so much in learning how to query, find other writers and other useful information.
So what were the highlights of my debut year? Definitely forming friendships with other debut authors, some of them so strong I feel as if I’ve known them forever, even though I haven’t met them in real life. Writing a book is hard. Trying to get it published is even harder. Everything about the publishing world is agonizing, so to be able to do it with people who understand has been such a breath of fresh air.
Am I so happy my book finally launched into the world? Yes, I am. Have I been running around to all local bookstores to see my book in the wild? Yes, I have. Here are some pictures of me with my book baby!
I don’t think it will ever get old to walk into a bookstore and see my books. But deb year also had its ups and downs. There are so many unkowns and worries, like, is my book getting enough attention? What else should I be doing besides what my marketing and publicity teams are doing? What is considered good numbers once the book comes out? Why isn’t there more buzz about my book? And it’s so easy to compare yourself to everyone else who is debuting around you. It can get so stressful and chip away at your confidence, especially when you think you should be so grateful to have a book deal and a book coming out.
Being a part of The Deb Ball this year has really helped me keep things in perspective. A lot of the topics we blogged about were things that I wished I’d known when I was starting out. We also created new Instagram Live series, which gave insight into how debut authors get inspiration and introduced a lot of new authors to the world. I felt like I was doing something besides sitting at home worrying about everything that could go wrong or wasn’t happening for my book. And having the support of my four Deb sisters was amazing.
So who should apply to the class of 2022? If you have a book coming out between Sept 1, 2021 and Aug 31, 2022, from a traditional publisher, are female or non-binary, have ideas of how to grow The Deb Ball platform and are a go-getter with innovative ideas on how to keep The Deb Ball relevant to what is happening in the publishing world, then you should definitely apply! The application is live now until August 3, 2021!
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me, either in comments or at my email in the application. And now, a toast to my Deb sisters and our Debut Year – WE DID IT!!!!
