Every writer wants to become that noteworthy debut author who’s the darling of the bestseller charts and book blogs. With that kind of pressure, it’s no wonder so many authors fall prey to perfectionism and procrastination. Editing and publishing feel like a mile-high wall that’s impossible to scale.

Maybe you’ve effectively taken yourself out of the running for a traditional publishing deal by insisting on pitching a book the market isn’t ready to embrace. Maybe you’ve been so busy chasing your own tail in a Möbius loop of self-publishing processes that your book is realistically headed nowhere but the next revision.

If you’re a debut author, at some point you inevitably must make your debut. You can’t keep running around and around the hamster wheel forever. This isn’t your only book; it’s your first. All that pressure? Come on—you’re a debut author. Everyone knows you’re new at this.

One step at a time. This is how you walk past perfectionism and procrastination.