Lizella,

First off, I just wanted to say that the act of writing your book, self publishing it, and then promoting it is something you should be very proud of, even if it didn’t go the way you hoped it would.

I’ve written what amounts to nearly three books over the last year, and have considered self-publishing them only to decide against it because I don’t think anyone would buy them and it would end up being a lot of work (not to mention fairly heartbreaking) just to watch what I’ve written sit around and go largely untouched. And like you, even though I’ve never tried it and don’t know for sure, I don’t think I’m cut out for self-publishing.

Likewise, I am 100% there with you on self promotion. I often cringe when tweeting out my newest post or when I retweet others who are sharing my posts with their followers. I’m not exactly sure where this comes from, but I know exactly how you feel.

Even though it must have been really difficult, it seems like you’re taking the disappointment in stride. And I’m a big fan of letting your work rest and recuperate. I finished a first draft of my first book back in September, and after some feedback from a few trusted people in my life, I decided to let it sit for a while and come back to it later. I’m about to dive back into it, and it’s a little daunting since I’ve been away for so long, but I know I’ll be going back to it with a perspective I simply couldn’t have had a few months ago.

More generally, I’ve been fine tuning all three books and working up the nerve to start pitching traditional agents, though I‘m sure that will also be a difficult road.

I wish I had some great wisdom to impart to you on this subject, but all I can say is that I’m pretty much right there with you and I hope that you’ll keep writing and working towards what you want to achieve. Thank you for sharing, I always feel like it helps to hear how other writers are navigating these tricky waters.