
Karlsruhe, Germany – Photo by Barbara Jester
Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of my book’s publication–the perfect time to share a few things that surprised me about publishing a book:
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- People genuinely admire you for having done it–for having completed something, for actually writing a book and getting it out there. Many people dream of this, few actually do it.
- Having authored a book, you become an authority. It doesn’t matter what your book is about; your authority flows from your book. After all, “authority” is an extension of “author,” isn’t it? Thanks to your book, you can now go out and speak about topics you’ve always known lots about, but the book has now established your “authority.” It’s amazing.
London, U.K. – Photo by Katie Glasner
- By publishing a book, you’re providing a service to others. At a minimum, you’ve given them something to read, i.e. entertainment. But more than that, a book is a connector. At one of my recent events I realized that all these people wouldn’t be there, and wouldn’t be talking about this topic (Jews in Germany in this case), if it weren’t for my book, if I hadn’t written it and weren’t standing in front of them, providing the context.
- You better have book No. 2 up your sleeve! Every interviewer asked me what I was working on, or what my next book was going to be. Many readers asked the same. This caught me unawares–I was so focused on getting book No. 1 out the door, I didn’t really work on a pipeline of books (I’m not a genre author). Furthermore, marketing book No. 1 I left me no brain space to work on book No. 2. Thankfully, however, I do have book No. 2 ready to go, but only because I drafted and reworked it a few years ago. It’s a children’s book based on my mother-in-law’s experiences as a hidden child in the French countryside during the Holocaust, a story I thought would fit in Jumping Over Shadows that in the end didn’t because it needed to be told from my child’s point-of-view. Now I “just” have to work on publishing that one!
Hong Kong – Photo by Sherilynne Poon
- The main thing people say about your book. In my case, that they couldn’t put it down. I certainly worked hard on creating a tight narrative, and I wanted my book to be engaging, but I never expected to hear it was “hard to put down.” (Jerusalem Post) More than once, readers told me they stayed up late to finish it. That is the best compliment ever! Now I wonder: How did I do that?
Jerusalem – Photo by Annette Gendler
- Your book will bring you new friends. I certainly expected to meet lots of new people, who cared about similar things I cared about, and I did have many interesting encounters. But it surprised me that, thanks to my book, I became friends with a woman in Jerusalem with whom I just clicked in that amazing way we sometimes click with another person, even though we come from vastly different backgrounds. She had reviewed my book, and we got together for coffee when I was visiting because she wanted to meet me in person. We ended up talking for three hours and could have gone on, had we not had other obligations. We’ve been corresponding ever since.
So, these are some of the happy surprises I experienced publishing my book; there were some unwelcome ones for sure, but those are not fitting for this one-year book publication anniversary post!

Tzfat, Israel – Photo courtesy of the Safed Edyth Geiger Memorial Library
Very nice essay, Annette, and I hope many of these perks come to pass for me too. I have heard some people say this, “readers told me they stayed up late to finish it,” and my reaction was the same as yours. Really?! Wow! I certainly have NO brain space to think about another book. I think I’ll write a collection of travel essays – because travel is what I plan to do next!
Thanks, Linda! Your book will have you traveling, so your plans for the future fit right in with that!
congratulations!
Thanks so much!
Is bookoversary a word?
Happy Bookoversary!
I wish it was! Thanks!
So glad you shared your retrospective thoughts. It was neat for me to see a bit into the future after my memoir is published on June 19! Loved this essay, Annette.
Thanks, Nancy, and congrats on your own book launch coming up!
Nice to read about what happens during and after while both are still lying in wait for me with a pub date of November 13, 2018! Congratulations. Yes! It is a marvelous thing to bring a book to life out into the world beyond our imaginations.
Indeed it is, Jane. Congrats on your own book launch coming up later this year!
Wonderful piece, Annette. I’ve had similar experiences at the si- month mark. Congratulations on your 1st AND 2nd book!
Thanks, Nancy!
Annette, I enjoyed this thoughtful piece.
Thanks, Cameron, I appreciate it 🙂
Hello Anette,
I haven’t read your book, I only ran across your blog last night. You know I live in Liberec and I walk on the street from this page’s footer every day on my way to work. I guess I need to get the book.
Hi Tomas, oh wow! That is amazing that you live in Liberec! I am so happy to meet you! How did you find my blog?
Hi, it was by pure coincidence. I was just googling something related to local history.
Wow! Well, you will find plenty of local Liberec history in my book, through a very personal lens, of course. I hope you enjoy it!