Shawn Marie Graybeal-Sellers

Six Weeks In: What Launching a Debut Novel Actually Feels Like

Six weeks ago, Anywhere But Here went out into the world. I had spent years writing it, months preparing it, and approximately one million minutes second-guessing it. And then suddenly it was just… out there. Available. Real.

I want to be honest about what these first six weeks have actually looked like, because I think the romanticized version of launching a book doesn’t always tell the whole story.

There have been moments of pure exhilaration. Early on, a TikTok video took off and introduced the book to readers I never would have reached otherwise. Watching those numbers climb in real time was surreal in the best possible way. There have also been quieter days where I refreshed my KDP dashboard far more often than I should probably admit.

One of the biggest surprises has been the Goodreads giveaway. 366 people entered for a chance to win a copy of Anywhere But Here. Three hundred and sixty-six. I’m a debut indie author from Albuquerque, and 366 people were interested enough in this story to click that button. That number sat with me for a while.

As of today, 25 copies have found readers. Twenty have been print copies, including one hardback that went home with a fellow history lover who arrived in Albuquerque this school year and has already become one of the most appreciated connections I’ve made in a long time. There are currently 15 reviews with a 4.8-star average, and readers have completed more than 1,200 pages through Kindle Unlimited. For a first novel, those numbers feel like a gift.

What surprised me most, though, wasn’t the sales or even the reviews. It was the emotional weight of it all. This story lived inside me for a very long time. Watching readers connect with Michelle, Sylvia, the Calderons, and the North Valley has been quietly overwhelming in ways I don’t entirely know how to explain yet.

And there is still so much ahead. A possible signing at Page One Books that I’m hoping to confirm soon. A second novel, The Space Between Songs, currently targeting an August release. A Colorado book fair in September. More stories waiting behind those.

The journey is only beginning.

If you’ve read Anywhere But Here, thank you. If you’ve shared it, reviewed it, added it to a shelf, recommended it to someone else, or simply cheered from the sidelines, thank you. Truly.

You are the reason this dream feels real.