Hello all. How all of you are doing today? This is Rachel Michelberg who always love to keep up with book writing. Besides, I love reading books based on several fictional genres. I’ve spent my childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve grown with my best buddies and books. Without a doubt, it was the best experience of my life. Presently, I’m going through post-book launch depression. First, I never believed in was a thing until I gave birth to a book two months ago. Besides, I’m shocked my baby gave me chills without even crying or giggling.

In addition, I was excited to get my book published. But don’t know what exactly happened to me once it was on the bookshelves. What I was thinking?! I never expect Oprah and Reese (or their fans) to come to me begging for featuring my book in their book clubs. I never knew that before Professional wikipedia writing services existed until I was told by a friend.

Would Terry Gross reach out to me or my promoter for a rejuvenating morning interview?

Did I expect the red carpet to roll out in front of my eyes as I walk towards the stage for the prestigious book prize? Though I know that special awards are for fictional works only, not for a memoir that I wrote. But a fantasy is a fantasy after all.

Oh my God! Was I expecting a Netflix miniseries inspired by my memoir? It looks like my hopes are more friendly yet unresponsive to me in the real world. I have realized what doubtful recognition looks like. Thomas Edison rightfully said: success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. I thought my excitement and expectations were justified until I read this quote.

Moreover, I was open-minded and clear with my works (which happened on occasion). I knew that my book publishing day would be boring. It was a Tuesday; a regular working day. I would’ve received it by an enthusiastic crowd if it was arranged on a weekend’s day. As a result, people would be cheering with me, fans presenting me fresh flower bouquets. In other words, it would’ve been a day of rejoice and celebration. Sadly, it was a completely different picture that day. This was the reason I took a day off from teaching my students. I felt like I was going through the emptiness in my mind, heart, and soul. It was that day I realized that post-book event depression is no joke; something tragic many writers go through.

My publisher wrote a congrats note for me on Facebook. There were some pleasant texts (“Happy Pub Day!” “How does it feel to become a published author?”) followed by a few phone calls for admiring my work. It was a weird day for me. After 11 years of relentless writing and painstaking editing process, I didn’t receive praise and clapping as any writer would do after working on a memoir for more than a decade.

Eventually, I went through a lot of stress. My nerves got the rest of me. It was a follow-up Thursday event of my book publication day. As a seasoned performer (writer), I was heartbroken to realize it was a one-woman show. I whispered inside my mind: “What the Hell?” I always preferred companionship over loneliness and the comfort of fellow group writers instead of going solo.

The book launch event was a huge success luckily at the end of the day. The bookstore that sponsored me was satisfied with the book sales. As a result, many awards were bestowed upon me. My publication press was also pleased. I got those flowers (Richard, my hubby is truly a gentleman). A celebratory dinner was organized with the whole family who was seen waving and toasting at me. It was thoroughly entertaining.

I and my husband took a few days off and traveled to Sonoma; a historic city of northern California known for its art galleries. We also had a great time walking around the colonial-era Sonoma Plaza. I was excited to read all the reviews and critiques I received for my book titled ‘Crash: How I became a reluctant caregiver.’ The Amazon and Goodreads tabs remained open 24/7 on my desktop PC. I ceaselessly refreshed my browser to check for any incoming notifications. The reviews got better and better during the course. The latest ones were better than the last that made me rejoice within my humble body.

There were days when nothing happened. It seemed that my life has frozen. Seeing no activity on Amazon and Goodreads was a nail-biting experience for me. I accept the fact I’m going through a roller coaster ride of good and bad reviews. It gives me goosebumps just like sitting on a tearjerker rollercoaster ride.

At the end of the day, all I want to say is fame and successive book sales don’t depend on you nor your publisher. We should let our babies grow steadily and see the magic happen!