Does it feel any different to be a published author?

I've been writing for a long time now and I've written a couple of different novels, but recently I had one of my author dreams come true and I had one of my books published. THE NECROMANCER, my debut young adult fantasy novel and the first installment in The Mage Guild Archives is now available to purchase as an e-book and a physical copy. I can't begin to tell you how long I have dreamed of publishing one of my own books and how grateful I am to everyone in the Watchful Wizard Publishing team for their help in making this dream a reality.

The question I had for a long time that I feel I can finally answer: Does it feel any different to be published? I think the answer might surprise you because it did surprise me.

I think the answer to that question is a bit complicated. It does feel different in some aspects, but in a lot of others, I don't feel any different now than I ever have in my writing career. I still have to wake up every morning and take care of little kids. I still have to get dressed and go to my day job so I can pay the bills. When I do finally get home for the day, I still have to prioritize my family, wife, kids, house cleaning, projects around the house, and everything else that I had to do before. I still have to actively set aside time to write or it just doesn't get done.

Getting published didn't make me famous on social media or otherwise. It hasn't made me rich enough to quit my desk job so I can write to my heart's content. But it has done some things for me and that's what I want to focus on.

Publishing my novel has done something for me that I've never been able to do before. My writing, my words, are now out in the world and available for everyone to read. My friends and family have picked up my book and read what I've wrote and that is something that I haven't been able to bring myself to allow for my entire writing career. I've heard criticism and I've heard praise, but it has made me more confident. Not only confident in my writing, but in my ideas, morals, and themes. 

Writing is not any easier now that I am published, but I am more confident in what I want to say when I finally get the chance to sit down at my keyboard and put my jumbled thoughts to paper.

If I had one piece of advice for aspiring authors from this experience, it is to let others read your work. Even if it is just your friends or family. You don't even need to do it for critique. Just do it so that your words and ideas can be heard, because your ideas do deserve to be heard even if you aren't published quite yet. Your confidence will strengthen as you realize that the things you have to say actually do resonate with other people.

Anyway, thanks for reading and listening to my ramblings! I have more writing to do and more books to come! Thank you for supporting me on my writing journey!