Home › publishing › What I Wish I’d Known Before Publishing My First Book

What I Wish I’d Known Before Publishing My First Book

By georgelthomas on 19 Aug 2025 • ( 2 )

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today, I’m going to talk about publishing my first book.

What I Wish I’d Known Before I Published My First Book

Publishing my first book was one of my life’s most exciting—and terrifying—moments. I’d spent months (okay, years) dreaming of seeing my name on a cover. But when the day finally came, it wasn’t quite the fairy tale experience I imagined it would be.

There’s so much I wish someone had clued me up on before I hit “publish.” So, below, you’ll find some things I learnt the hard way—so you won’t need to.

1. The Work Doesn’t End After “The End”
I thought finishing my manuscript would be the most taxing part of the entire writing and publishing process. My short story and poetry collections were both years in the writing, and procrastination and self-doubt were a large part of that time. Forcing yourself to write when that negative voice in your head tells you that you have no business writing anything is hard. Keep going. Finish. Spoiler alert: finishing your manuscript is merely the start. It gets harder.

Editing, formatting, marketing, cover design—publishing is a second mountain to climb after writing the book.

Lesson learned:
Plan for the post-writing phase. Give yourself months, not days, to polish and prepare for your release day.

2. Your First Draft Is Not Your Final Draft (Not Even Close)
When I finished my first draft, I thought it was pretty good. Perhaps just a few minor tweaks to improve it? Nope. It needed to be entirely rewritten. Then again. And again. Real writing is rewriting.

Lesson learned:
Fall out of love with your words enough to make them better. Don’t forget—editing is where the real sorcery happens.

3. Covers Matter
Did you ever hear the saying, “You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover?” It turns out readers absolutely do—I know I do, particularly online. A mediocre cover can obliterate your book’s chances, while a stunning cover can help it shine.

Lesson learned:
Invest in professional cover design, or, if that’s not a feasible option, learn how to do it yourself—don’t just throw some images and text together and hope for the best.

Research other covers in your genre and note what they have in common. Your cover is vital—it is a reader’s first impression, and you never get to redo that.

4. You Must Be Your Own Champion
I thought that once my book was out in the big wide world, it would somehow find its readers… all by itself. The truth? Books don’t do anything by themselves; you have to hustle. Nobody will invest in or care about your work as much as you—and that’s okay.

Lesson learned:
Learn basic marketing skills. Build an email list, start a blog or newsletter. Reach out to reviewers. Get comfy talking to people about your book and your career as a writer without apologizing for it. I know it’s hard, believe me, but it’s a necessity.

5. You’ll Never Feel 100% Ready—Publish Anyway
I kept tweaking my manuscript, tweaking my website, tweaking my cover… until I realized I could keep tweaking forever and never actually publish. Fear disguises itself as “perfectionism.”

Lesson learned:
At some point, you have to let go. Hit publish. Trust that you’ll learn a lot from the experience and grow.

Final Thoughts
Publishing your first book is a courageous and vulnerable step. It’s messy, exhilarating and exhausting. But it’s worth it!

Yes, you’ll make mistakes. Everyone does. But each mistake is a lesson that will ensure your next book will be even better.

If you’re standing at the edge of publishing your first book right now… take a deep breath. You’re ready. (And if you’re not quite ready, you’re closer than you think).

Thank you, as ever, for reading today’s post!

Until next time,

George