One of my favorite authors was once saying that all she remembers about the day her first book went on sale was that she did a couple loads of laundry. I spent my own "book birthday" emailing my publisher and agent, trying to figure out why Borders on the West Coast didn't seem to have any copies of my book (my friends and family were calling me saying they'd tried to buy it and hadn't been able to find it in store--yikes!).

For those of you've who've published electronically, traditionally, on a blog, or in another way--how did you spend the day? Doing something glamorous? Going to work? Did you celebrate?

Book Day is always a celebratory day with undertones of panic.  The celebration's usually small and often marred by unexpected things--on my very first one, the car chose that day to drop its muffler on the road (a hot muffler sending sparks flying out behind the car does NOT count as fireworks!)   But it always includes chocolate (so do many other days, but Book Day includes guilt-free chocolate--I refuse to let anything mar the experience) and occasionally (sometimes, if convenient) eating out, which we do very rarely.   A meal someone else cooked, and the pans and dishes of which will be washed by someone other than me.  (Though if laundry needs doing, it gets done on Book Day.  Yes.) 

The panic side of the day has been the same with every book.  I have high hopes.  I have deep fears.  It's "exposure", like walking to the pool in a new bathing suit you were sure was flattering when you bought it but now...everyone's going to see it in broad daylight by a bunch of total strangers.  Will it be whistles of admiration, sneers and jeers of contempt, or...nothing?   I found out today that John McPhee, one of my favorite writers, has fears with every project that it'll fail, and he considers that a typical writerly reaction.   Anyway, along with the "Whee!" is always the "But what if it tanks?"   (I have had a tanker.  It is not fun.  But in the long run, the book turned out to have an audience, just a different one than had been anticipated, so it's more like the introverted child who sits in the corner quietly...and is happy.

Oh, the other thing about Book Day?  I don't have to write on the next book...unless it's eating my brain and I have to.

This is so fun to hear these stories.

@Jessica--I know how hard you've been working on the finale of your latest trilogy--a spa day is DEFINITELY in order!

@Elizabeth--your story about the muffler is too funny. I feel like you deserve all the chocolate in the world on a day like that!

I love this idea of a celebratory treat--spa treatments, a dinner out, a day off . . .

Follow up question for those who haven't yet had a book birthday: what would you LOVE to do on that day to mark the occasion?

My first book, Watching Fireflies, I published on my birthday. I went to bed at 2:00am and woke up at 6:00am. My knee bounced underneath my table all day as I clicked and clicked on everything that needed to be clicked when publishing a book. I luckily took the day off from work. Lots of coffee was consumed. Whiskey happened somewhere around midday. A beer happened around dinner time. It was the most exciting yet exhausting day of my life.

Book two, Dragonfly Awakening, was a completely different story. I took a gamble and published it just six weeks after Watching Fireflies. But what I didn't note during my first book birthday explanation was the horrid stomach pains I had. I thought it was an ulcer. It was a gallbladder. Thankfully, Dragonfly Awakening was ready to fly because I spent thirty-three days in the hospital due to various complications after surgery. I was released on September 29th. Published my second book on September 30th. Delay a book release for health reasons? Not a chance.

My third release, Hornet's Nest, was spent at work since I had no more leave days (haha). I celebrated with a pre-release drink with some co-workers and kept Amazon's site minimized while I went upon my daily routine at work ... with the knee bouncing uncontrollably under my desk. Too much coffee, as always. 

I remember feeling nervous when I hit the publish button for my first 5 or 6 books. But I didn't really celebrate aside from telling a few friends and family that it was up on my storefront to look at the cover. The rest of the day I just did laundry and cleaned the house. 

It wasn't until I published my first ever fiction book that I decided to really celebrate. I started the celebration by telling everyone who listened that I was turning 40 and was determined to finish a book I started in my early 20's. I put the idea down for so long because everyone back then told me that it wouldn't sell, I wouldn't make it as a writer, and they also told me I was crazy. Sadly, I believed them for 20 some-odd years and shelved the book, along with my dreams, and took an adult "day job" that I secretly loathed. 

Time went on and I became sick. No one could tell me what it was for about 7 years. Finally, a rheumatologist told me I had fibromyalgia. I was relieved finally knowing what I had, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult to handle managing the disease with my work and home life once my grandfather and mother were diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

About six months after my diagnosis, I resigned from my 18 year stint as a retail manager and became a stay-at-home mom/ freelance writer. You'd think that at THAT point I would have dusted off that fiction book from its proverbial high shelf, but no. I was hit by a bunch of negative nellies again. The only difference was that this time they told me to go into article and nonfiction writing. I won't deny that that was fun, but I knew that wasn't exactly where my heart was leading me either, so right before my 40th birthday I decided that I'd do my own kind of celebration of getting "over the hill".

After many Facebook status updates about my hardships with some of the characters, the writer's block, and lack of finding the research I needed on Gypsies, I finished the first draft and posted that I did. Everyone I knew seemed to be cheering me on-- even people I hadn't seen since high school. And they ALL wanted to read it. I was pleasantly surprised that they did, but I never thought they'd actually buy the book! I would later find out that I was wrong.

Once the draft turned into a polished book, I started the hunt for a cover artist, and within days, I was able to hit the publish button and tell everyone that I did. People reacted so well and I've had A TON of friends (and nonfiction fans) read and enjoy the book. I also had a lot of fun and success with 2 online launch parties and book signings for that first book. 

The fun I had is what's driving me to finish book two in that series. With a little luck AND a lot of hard work, I should be able to finish a polished book by the end of this year! YAY!!!!