“Your first book will be crap so don’t try too hard.” This notion came from an inspirational book I recently read, and as much as I didn’t want to believe it to be true (my first book, The Troubles, is supposed to change the world) I felt compelled to embrace it as reality. After all this was coming from one seriously successful author. As devastatingly true as this reality seemed to be, I’m a stubborn son of a bitch who decided the rules suck.

Tip: Assume the “rule” to be true. Does that mean you should surrender your pride and joy to the vultures in the business? No. If your first book is presumed to be crap, write a different first book. It still has to be a decent book because it’s advertising you, but just don’t get emotionally attached to it. If it’s a grand success then bravo. If not then you’ve lost little.

DON'T PANIC!