This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
This week is the one I’ve been waiting for since I first start tapping away at my keys and calling myself an aspiring author; my book – Don’t Tell the Groom – is hitting the shelves in paperback on Thursday. In fact, it’s already gracing the aisles of Asda. I’ve always day dreamed about going into a shop and stroking my own book on a shelf, and having a glitzy launch party. In fact, I have a sparkly dress that I always envisaged I’d wear to said party, which of course, in my fantasies, would be held in an upmarket London venue. So what’s happening on my publication day? Probably a special dinner cooked at home and a routine appointment at the doctors. That’s right folks, the life of an author is ever glamorous.
For those that don’t know, I recently gave birth to a wonderful baby boy in France. Which means that I’m very much stuck out here until the little bubba gets a passport. As much as I really wanted to be in the UK when my book launched – mainly so I could take cheesy pictures of myself next to it in supermarkets and play hunt the book in bookshops – it just wouldn’t have worked timewise with the UK passport office. Instead, I’m having to make do with people taking photos of it on the shelves and sharing it with me.
The great thing is my friends and family are as proud as punch and keep sending me photos of the copies they’ve bought. My mum bought four in a supermarket last week and very proudly told the checkout operator that her daughter wrote the book when he questioned the multiple copies. It’s lovely that I’m living vicariously through others and still feel like I’m caught up in the magic. And to be honest, with the post pregnancy hormones, if I saw my book on an actual shelf I’d probably burst into tears very embarrassingly in the middle of the shop. 
As part of the arduous task of being a book reviewer, I’ve attended swanky book launches at places like the Hospital Club, the Club at the Ivy, Claridges and the Mayfair Hotel over the last few years. Obviously it’s easy to think that that is just what happens for published authors. Whilst it does happen for authors, I don’t think it happens for lowly authors like me, unless I organised the event myself. If I had been in the UK, and not just become a mum, I probably would have thrown a big party to thank my nearest and dearest and all those that are very proud. I might not have worn the glittering dress, but I’m sure it would have marked the occasion. One day I hope I’ll be having one of those fancy book launches where the chef at Claridges makes me bespoke cakes to celebrate my novel and I get to wear a sparkly dress and heels. But until then, I’ll make do with hubby cooking me dinner.
If you are out and about on Thursday and you do happen to spy a copy of Don’t Tell the Groom on a shelf somewhere in a bookshop – and you’re able to tweet me a photo – then you’d make my day. I might not be able to go to the UK to see it, but maybe you’ll be able to help bring the UK to me!
If you’ve had a book published, what happened on your first launch day? What was it like seeing your book on the shelf?