Birthin' a Book

Prissy, of Gone with the Wind fame, famously said, “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ babies.” That might be the cry of the debut author who changes the last word from babies to books. Or maybe not change it. After so many months with a book, it IS your baby!

Book-making is a lot similar to pregnancy and birthin’. First, you have the idea. You “plant the seed”, so to speak, in fertile ground and hope it takes hold. Will this book develop or will it spontaneously abort? Losing this baby is hard and painful, but sometimes nature decides it’s for the best. But the joy you have watching the baby grow makes it worth the risk to try.

All through the pregnancy, you “eat right”. You feed the baby what it needs. You stuff in research, and plot twists, and character dilemmas. “Yummers,” the baby, er, book says.

But the real fun begins at delivery. Will it be short or protracted labor? You either decide to go with a natural delivery (indie publishing) or you use drug assistance, or maybe even a Caesarian (both traditional publishing). The last involves lots of publishing professionals and a good bit of waiting around for things to happen.

But in the end, no matter your path to get here, you have a spanking new baby to show off to the world.

Unlike many parents, you put your kid out there on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and all the rest as much as you can. No worries about catching germs from exposure to others. You carry that baby everywhere. And you even give it away sometimes. Good for you! Do it again and again and again! Babies thrive in a wide-range of homes.

Now, go get pregnant again and again and again.

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Facebook: Authors, have you ever considered how much writing and publishing are like having a baby? Sharon Arthur Moore offers a light piece for your enjoyment. http://bit.ly/2wjFmmY

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