I Fell Down This Week

Photo by Bruce Christianson on Unsplash

I’ve had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week.

First, my preorder got canceled.

It was my fault. I forgot to upload the final EPUB file. First time in 12 years, y’all.

Then a reader from my last fiction Kickstarter reached out to let me know that the Acknowledgements page wasn’t included in the special edition print book, which was one of the campaign features.

After some investigating, I realized I’d sent the printer the wrong file. Not only was the acknowledgements page missing, but there were also a couple of incorrectly formatted pages in the book.

So now I have to reprint and resend those books.

Needless to say, I’ve spent most of this week in my pajamas and there are three pints of empty ice cream containers in the trash. I even made a whole tray of brownies to eat just one. Anybody want the rest?

But here’s the thing. Every time I got up and looked at my phone, all I saw were emails and social media posts filled with support.

Readers telling me how beautiful the book was.

People reminding me that I could just send an insert with the acknowledgements page.

Authors reaching out after the preorder debacle.

Readers grabbing the book at the new link.

People showing up for me. And slowly, very slowly, I crawled out from under the covers, wiped the brownie crumbs from my cheeks, and got to work.

For the Kickstarter books, I’m going to reprint and resend them. It’s going to take a good chunk out of my profits, but my reputation matters more than the money.

As for the preorder? So many authors and readers rallied around me that the launch is actually going really well.

That’s what I’ve been thinking about all week.

We all make mistakes.

We all fall down.

Every single one of us.

I think sometimes people assume that because I have a platform and teach writing and publishing that I have it all figured out.

I don’t. I make mistakes. Successful people make mistakes. The difference is that they keep going after they make them.

The truth is, the reason I’ve been able to grow my career isn’t because I’m perfect. I’m faaaaaaaaar from it. It’s because I’ve never been afraid of making a mistake. Deep down, I trust myself to fight until I get it right.

So that’s all I wanted to say today.

I fell down.

I made a mistake.

I’m going to tend to the bruises for a little while longer.

Then I’m going to put on real clothes, go touch some grass, wander through a bookstore, and remind myself that one bad week doesn’t define a career.

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Want to support me during these trying times 🤣 No, you do not have to buy my Mafia Werewolf Shifter Romance. Grab one of my craft books that can help you level up!