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Most authors refer to their book as their "baby" without really knowing how accurate that comparison is. Writing a book is like a pregnancy, long, drawn out and private only you can do it. It has to grow from the seed of an idea to the actual entity we hold in our hand the first time we see it in print. That first meeting is an incredibly memorable experience!
Some people cry, some jump up and down. Most just stand in awe that the book is finally real and they can hold it in their hands.
Most, women at least, clutch it to their chest and are so proud, they can't hold back the tears.
It's a Book!
It's a Baby!
Now, this book, like a baby, needs to be taken to professionals to "check it out." It needs an editor, a baby book doctor, to clean it up, check it out, cure its woes and medicate its weak spots. The editor, like a pediatrician, is on your side and wants what you do - a healthy baby book! Editors can cost you money, but you'd pay a doctor right? You wouldn't trust your baby's health to an amateur (like your neighbor or your sister even though they got an "A" in Health), so why would you trust your baby book's well-being to one? If you're smart, you won't.
Next, you want to share your baby with others. You want the world to know how great your baby is. This is where most new book parents go wrong. They think the book can speak for itself. It can't! You're going to be working long hours and sacrificing a lot of sleep. Much like a newborn baby is a full time job, so is a newborn book. New parents don't get a lot of rest because the demands of a baby are so intense - it is that way here too. You've taken on another full time job introducing your baby to the world.
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