Hi guys, I came to these forums because I believe my first book is nearing completion. Honestly, I'm a bit anxious about publishing it. It's really important to me, so it's a bit daunting to put it out there for the world to see. I don't want to tell any friends about it in detail because I'm publishing with a pseudonym. It's a book of poems with some pretty intense subjects. I would like prospective readers to come to their own conclusions about it, and not presume meanings or things about me because of who I am/what I look like, etc. My partner doesn't like to read and is plainly uninterested in it. I just need a bit of a push to make the leap. I would really appreciate some supportive words. Please forgive me in advance if this is the wrong place to post. I will be self-publishing it, so I felt this may be the correct sub-forum.
Let me ask you this - what's the reason behind you publishing what are clearly some very personal writings?
You've got this. There's a reason you wrote it, and otherwise... It's better to regret the things you did than the things you refused to do.
Look around. Lots of pseudonyms layered with WF id's. Many here can relate to self-protection. I'm not at a point of publishing so can't say if it's possible to maintain a separation between pseudonym and own identity. Maybe people will work it out and maybe you'll have to deal with that. I'd ask you though, what's to be gained by not publishing? Regret would seem a certainty and, in my book, if you'll pardon the expression, that certainty outweighs the possibility of having sensitive conversations with people who are close to you. Write poems about the experience for your second volume.
If you’re firewalled behind a pseudonym, the only thing at risk is your expectations for success. Set those realistically, and you should be set. I just pulled the trigger on publishing my own first novel less than a week ago. I published under my own name, and don’t choose to obscure my identity here. I know this gives opportunities for potential readers to come find my early drafts and laugh at them, but frankly I don’t care. I wrote the novel for people who want to read it, not for those that want to bring me down. We’re here for you if you need support. At some point, however, you need to choose to either go forward or stay back. No one can make that choice for you. Just know that there are dozens of people around here on both sides of that line, some closer to it than others. The choice is yours. My recommendation is to choose to be bold. All the best, whichever way you choose. What’s your intended publication platform? Cheers. JD
If this is something that is genuinely meaningful to you, a message that you want to get out, you should do this. Self-publishing is hard, but it's possible. If you start the publishing process and it turns out to do more harm than good, you can always stop and set it aside. But if this is something that means something to you and you have the ability to pursue it, do it. People on these forums will be here for moral support and anything else you need. Do what works best for you, don't push yourself if it's too emotionally taxing, and remember that it's always possible to stop and come back. We're here for you!
