Getting to this point feels like a miracle. You work so hard for so long and you actually get a book published, which means someone believed enough in your vision to take a risk on you. The day your books is released feels like the greatest thing ever - outside of important life milestones like weddings and birth of a child - and all you want to do is celebrate and you expect the entire world wants to celebrate with you.

That's not reality, but for a few hours, you've earned the fantasy.

One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given by a fellow writer was, "curb your expectations". This was after the first reading I had ever done, years before I was a published author. He was referring to the day your book is available to the world. He didn't mention this because publishing a book isn't exciting. Rather, he said this because you think someone is going to throw you a parade and that's not quite true.

Because once the book is out, you have a whole lot of work to do. You have to promote it like your life depended on it. If it doesn't sell, nobody is going to care about your next book. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't begin working on your next book. You have to keep the creative juices flowing.

So yes, the day your book is released is equal parts exuberance and stress. In other words, it's fantastic.