Will I Be Any Good?

Chasing Success, Shifting Meaures, and What Really Matters in the End

Happy Juneteenth, everyone!

When you’re a creative (in my case an author and book coach), this question comes up a lot: Will the book be any good? Will people read it?

But what you’re really asking is: Will I be any good? Will people accept or reject me?

Though I have written countless books, yesterday, I had a video call with my Thomas & Mercer editors to talk about my upcoming thriller, Dear Mother. In the end?

I have to completely rewrite it.

To say my stomach didn’t drop to my toes is an understatement. This is my ninth novel… and I have to rewrite it? I found myself getting emotional on our video call as my editors told me everything that didn’t work with the book.

While I am extremely used to constructive feedback and edits, this felt… different. Perhaps it was because I was still emotionally drained from burying our cat. Or tired from our Chicago trip. Or creatively tapped out from literally just finishing a draft of another book. I had prepped myself for editing mode, not “writing a brand new book” mode. Not to mention getting the other half of my advance.

Which immediately made me wonder: Do I suck? Have I always sucked?

Should I just give it all up and do something else?

If I’m being honest, I’ve asked myself this question more times than I can count.

Not out loud. Not in a dramatic, mirror-staring kind of way. But quietly—before every book deal, every release, every edit, or reinvention. The questions sneak in:

Will I be any good?
Will this book be The One?
Will it finally feel like enough?

In the beginning of my career, my definition of success was easy to measure. Tangible. Linear.

It was bestseller lists.
Movie deals.
Big press.
Seeing my books on the bestseller shelves at Target.
Landing on buzzworthy “Best of the Year” roundups.
Reaching more readers, selling more copies, getting more visibility.

And for a while, that worked. Until it didn’t.

Because the truth is, every milestone just moved the goalpost. I’d hit one “dream” and already be reaching for the next. The list never ended—and neither did the quiet ache underneath it.

Now? Now I’m not so sure what success means.

I still want my words to matter. I still want people to read them, feel them, pass them on to new, hungry readers. But I also don’t want to do a lot of the things that are “required” to put your work out into the world. I don’t want to post incessantly on social media. I don’t want to spend another dime on outside publicists. I don’t want to go on book tours that aren’t paid for by the publisher. I want peace. Integrity. Spaciousness. Creative control. Rest. I want to create from a place that doesn’t rely on outside metrics to validate my voice. I want to trust that my team will do their job, so I can do mine.

I want to feel good writing and launching.
I want to feel whole, not just productive.
I want the work to move people—not just move units.

So when people ask, “Do you think my book will be any good?”
I hear the deeper questions underneath it:

“Will this be worth it?”
“Will I be seen?”
“Will I matter if I never go viral, never get the movie deal, never hit the list?”

And I want to tell you—what I’ve had to learn, again and again:

You don’t have to be famous to be a force.
You don’t have to be everywhere to be unforgettable.
You don’t have to be “good” to matter.

Success will keep shifting. Let it.

But don’t forget to look around, right now, and ask:

What already feels like enough?
What do I want success to feel like—not just look like?
What would it mean to succeed on my own terms?

Because you get to decide what that means.

And maybe that’s where the real success begins.

In this vein, I am over the moon to announce a very simple marketing PDF that I have created for people who just want to do things their way. This is for people who don’t want to build platforms on social media (whether you are self-publishing or traditionally publishing). People who don’t want to hire an expensive publicist. People who want to put their work out into the world in a way that feels good.

Which is exactly what I designed… for you.

Check out my Booked Without the ‘Gram PDF and let me know what you think. It’s simple, short, uncomplicated, and full of bite-sized tactics that actually help you connect with readers, pitch yourself to spaces and places that feel good, and regain your time to create your next masterpiece.

Because you matter. Your work matters.

Here’s to feeling good while sharing your work in the world.

Rea