Do Indie Authors Rush To Publish Their Novels?

I read an article this morning, listed in WordPress of all suggested articles to read and being so vulnerable lately, about my first novel, I immediately felt a little insecure by the advise. It’s natural. When you are putting yourself out there, already a little nervous, and then you read an article or hear a comment, tapping into your worst fears, you feel a little discouraged for sure. Now I know how celebrities feel about their films, attacks on their acting, personal life, choice of gowns for the Oscars… and on and on.

I read the article again and again to understand the following observation:

Digital and self-publishing have made it so easy to publish that I think a lot of good writing never happens: new writers are impatient to see something in print and what goes out isn’t really finished. I think writing for peers is the first step, and then letters to the editor, guest posts, and newsletters are a good way to move forward. It’s important to distinguish between being published and being read.

When I dug deeper, clicking the underlined section to see where this is going, I had to say, it made me think – feeling worried that perhaps my first attempt at writing wasn’t as good as I thought, when I finally clicked to publish it. What have I learned from my first novel – which I will make sure to follow with my second. How much more could I edit, re-write? Is the cover all that it could be? In the midst of my freak out, I tried my hardest to think of the positives. I do have a target audience. I did receive 5-star reviews from Reader’s Favorites and so far, those who have read my book, give me nothing but positive feedback.  So what now? Did I cover all my basis? Will I, sometime in the near future, be considered a solid author? A respected writer?  And most of all, do readers really care about punctuation when they are engrossed reading an interesting story?

Something to think about for sure.  I’d love to hear your thoughts – do share.