When I put the final period on the first book, I thought that was it. I'd written a book. All that was left was somehow letting the world know it needed to be read.
The book was finished. I didn't exhale. Because the next stage began — and it turned out to be just as intense, only completely different.
After finishing the first book, I had no time at all to start writing the next one. Mostly because I had to find someone to edit my book (I didn't yet realize I could do that myself), then a proofreader (also something I can do myself now), a typesetter. I had to look into publishers who might be interested in my genre, put together the package needed to submit the manuscript, check the terms, and send it off.
At the same time, I was itching to put the book up on online platforms, and before that, to figure out which ones exactly. In parallel, I was working with an illustrator on the artwork (though first I spent a while just looking for her).
Then I wanted to translate the book into English, so I went looking for a translator. Once the translation was ready, I put the book up on Amazon. Around that stage, the audiobook got underway too. And that's when I started writing the second book. Everything repeated itself almost exactly — except, this time, for finding an editor and a proofreader. I do that myself now, using a program for writers that my husband built over the course of my writing life, to make part of the work easier for me — and for other writers too.
Right now I'm writing the third book and running my social media, where I talk (as best I can) about my project. All of this is a continuation of the same path. It didn't end with the first publication. It just picked up speed.
If you're just starting out now — know this: the book you write will open doors you don't know about yet. Not just the door that says 'I became an author.' But also the door into conversations, connections, future books, and unexpected roles you haven't even imagined for yourself yet.