[George Berger]

Assuming KB is a typical model of the indie publishing world, a debut week for a romance author should look something like this:

Publish.
Make some sales.
Experience ecstasy.
Have a return.
Experience a moment of crippling self-doubt.
Get pirated.
Hate all of humanity with a burning misanthropic rage.
Sell more books.
Get a good review.
Forgive humanity.
Get a bad review on Goodreads.
Heavy drinking.
Late-night angst online.
Self-medication with chocolate and/or bacon and/or ice cream.
Commiseration with others who've been there, done that.
Get more good reviews.
Sell more books.
Experience yet another bout of crippling self-doubt, hurriedly revise your blurb, your cover, and possibly even the title of your book.
Consult the Internet for advice, be told to suck it up and write another book.
Self-medicate some more with chocolate and/or bacon and/or ice cream.
Start writing the next book...

 

[George Berger]

It's a little known fact, but most romance authors can't even read.

True story.

Hence the widespread popularity of Dragon Naturally Speaking around here.

 

[George Berger]

I need to start reading romances again. I think the last time I picked one up was probably fifteen years ago.

Oh, the tail end of The Fabio Era? That was the dark ages of romance, back before there were even subcategories. PNR had just been invented and almost everyone hated it... The times, they have changed.