My book releases in seven days. I'm scared.
...but that might not be a bad thing.
As of today, Wednesday, October 25th my book, Eyes On The Road, releases in seven days!
Thank you to my friend
, the #1 NYT Bestselling Author of Lighter, for this kind review:'Eyes on the Road' is a must-read book that can help you heal deeply! Michell C. Clark has created a beautiful collection of short form prose that is not only empowering but it helps settle the mind during turbulent times. This book is bound to help countless people reach a new level of growth.
Pre-order your copy here.
Nuance rarely goes viral.
It’s no surprise–the average human attention span has decreased from 12 seconds to 8.3 seconds in the last two decades, ranking human beings just below the average attention span of a goldfish (9 seconds).
Social media isn’t helping. We have endless access to “content,” and as a result we’ve become wired to seek out the easily digestible rather than the profound or insightful.
A lot of artists who started their careers because of a deep passion for their craft are faced with the choice of catering to the algorithm as a means of survival, or refusing to conform and subsequently resigning themselves to feeling unseen or unheard.
I’m no exception to the rule–my longform writing receives a fraction of the attention that my social media posts receive. The game is the game. That being said, it’s been really interesting to read about peoples’ perception of who I am in comment sections, direct messages, and forum boards–presumably because they’re seeing me through the lens of my most shareable content.
The funniest incorrect assumption I’ve read is that I’m rich (have you seen how expensive it is to take care of a toddler in 2023?). The second funniest assumption I’ve read is that I constantly radiate positivity or think of myself as an all-knowing “guru”or “expert.” I actually despise the way that the western world appropriated the word “guru”, and while I have immense respect for experts in the world of wellness, I don’t consider myself to be one.
The bottom line is this: if I had everything figured out as it pertains to mental health, healing, and happiness, I wouldn’t be documenting my journey in the present tense. I wouldn’t be writing as if my life depends on it (it does).
I don’t consider myself an “expert.”
I’m a human being in search of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding who enjoys synthesizing and sharing what he learns along the way. I have been broken. I have been hurt. I’m still healing from deep wounds that I’m still figuring out how to talk about, much less recover from. I’m hoping that as I share my perspective, I help other people who are navigating similar circumstances to see their path to healing more clearly, and to understand themselves more deeply.
This is the thought process that pushed me to write Eyes On The Road, which releases worldwide in SEVEN DAYS–and in true non-expert fashion, I’m scared.
Top seven book release-related fears off the top of my head:
People will read the book, and feel nothing.
Somebody will find that one typo that an entire team of professional editors missed.
Literally nobody will buy a single copy of my book.
I’ll re-read my book in a year and wish that I had written something differently.
I’ll be on the wrong side of a corny Fabolous punchline.
My parents will text the group chat, “this book sucks!” and disown me in a public Facebook status.
I’ll walk into the venue at one of my book signings and somebody will start booing.
My intrusive thoughts are aggressive. To be clear, these aren’t all of the fears that have ran through my brain since I started piecing this book together in 2020–these are just some of the fears that are popping into my head right now.
Many days, my overactive imagination feels like my kryptonite–I’m still learning to turn it into a superpower.
Fear isn’t an entirely bad thing–at its core, fear is a natural, human emotion that is biologically designed to protect us from harm.
My core fears aren’t irrational.
I’m scared to release this book because I know the stakes are high. I’m scared to release this book because in 2023, a book is one of the few forms of creative expression that can’t easily be edited, archived, or erased after its release. I’m scared to release this book because I poured my heart into it and I care about the way that it’s received. I want this book to help people, and I want this book to be valued as an extension of my creative gifts.
I wrote this book with the hopes that it would speak to the moment, and stand the test of time.
I don’t get to decide if I met the criteria for either of these goals–you do. I can’t say that I wrote a “good” book anymore than I can proclaim myself a NYT #1 Bestseller. These aren’t my calls to make. Releasing this book requires that I quiet my ego and open myself up to receive other peoples’ feelings and opinions about a labor of love that I spent three years planning, writing, and editing (and re-editing).
My 25-year-old self told me to release this book, even though I’m scared–to push through fear because so much of what I want lies on the other side of the risks that I’m tempted to avoid.
My 33-year-old self told me to release this book because I’m scared–that becoming someone who readily faces my fears will transform me into the version of myself that can live into my God-given purpose.
I wonder what my 40-year-old self will tell me.
Fear is part of life, but it doesn’t have to be the focal point of the picture that I paint with my minds’ eye.
When I zoom out and look at how my life has unfolded, I can confidently say that I have a lengthy resume of running towards my fears–and I’m a better man as a result of that commitment. When I zoom back in to think about the release of Eyes On The Road, I get to decide that my book-related fears don’t get the “final say” as to how I feel in the days leading up to the launch.
I know that my book won’t be universally loved, but I also know that it will speak to people who can deeply identify with the complicated emotions that I’ve been sorting through.
I know that I’ll re-read this book in five years and wish that I had written at least one page differently, but I also know that I get to say that I won another round of my incessant battle against overthinking.
I get to be scared and be proud.
I get to say, “I did the thing.”
After You Fail releases worldwide on Wednesday, November 1st via Thought Catalog books. Pre-order your copy today–it would mean the world to me.
Your willingness to share these things is a huge comfort to others who struggle with fear and overthinking. xo Congratulations and may you find that fear, once again, was a liar.
Congrats brotha! ❤️