You’ve published before. You know what this takes. That’s actually why you’re hesitating, not because you don’t know enough, but because you know too much.

Maybe the first book took more out of you than you expected. Maybe your publishing situation has changed and the path you took last time isn’t available (or doesn’t fit) anymore. Maybe your sales weren’t what you hoped and you’re wondering if it’s worth trying again. Maybe your life looks different than it did when you wrote the first one, and you don’t have the same time or energy you had before. Maybe it’s all of the above.

Whatever’s actually going on, the version of publishing that worked for you last time may not be the version that works for you now. That’s not a failure, it’s just information.

What I want you to know:

You don’t have to do this the same way you did it last time. You don’t have to do it on anyone else’s timeline. You don’t have to justify your hesitation to anyone, including yourself. And you don’t have to figure out everything at once.

What you probably do need is to talk this through with someone who gets it.

Without sounding too much like a sales pitch:

This is the type of situation where it’s just best to talk things through with someone who gets it, and who can help you figure out your next step. That person might be me, but it might also be a trusted critique partner, an author peer, or someone else in your corner.

If I can offer you one piece of advice at this stage: make sure that person is someone who understands what it means (and what it takes) to write and publish a book. This needs to be someone in your trust matrix who has a high understanding of you AND a high understanding of publishing. Both matter. One without the other will leave you with advice that either doesn’t fit your situation or doesn’t fit you.

If you want to talk it through with me:

Jumpstart Session: Twenty minutes on Voxer. You tell me what’s on your mind (the burnout, the pivot, the changed situation, whatever it is), and we talk through what might actually make sense for you now. $20.

1:1 Consult: A longer session if you want real space to think through your situation. Strategy, options, permission to consider doing it differently. Starts at $150.

The Acknowledgments: A small author community where I’m actively present. If part of what you’re missing is having other people who understand what this is actually like, this is where they are. $50/month.