My paperback has been out for a week, but the hardback edition of The Maid’s Room was published five months ago. Here’s what being published has taught me so far. . .

1. The first bad review hurts – but your back gets broader.
2. A five-star review is fabulous, a one-star review can be amusing, but oh god, a three-star review. . . I prefer extreme reactions.
3. Being published is not going to imbue you with the confidence you imagine when you’re still struggling to get representation – there’s a new list of things to worry about.
4. You know all that gushing gratitude towards literary agents in authors’ acknowledgements, well, I concur. Your agent is your guardian angel, the font of truth, the person who puts their arm around you when you’re wobbling.
5. Before your first book is published, it’s a good idea to have written the first draft of your second book. I’m not sure I would have had the head space to write book 2 with all the debut fanfare.
6. There are some blooming lovely writers out there.
7. Don’t compare yourself to other writers. Not everyone gets a London Underground poster.
8. The editor is right 99.9 per cent of the time.
9. Your mood is inextricably linked with your Amazon ranking, even though you’ll be unable to make any sense of the algorithms at all.
10. The first draft never gets any easier – no matter how many times you’ve faced the blank page.
11. A complete stranger saying they’ve connected with your book? Nothing beats it; it’s the most exquisite gift of all.
12. Spotting your book in a bookshop is exciting, but instantly you’ll be overcome with a desperate yearning for someone to buy it.
13. Seeing your book in a library will make you want to dance in the aisle.
14. You’ll think little old you can’t possibly stand up in front of a room full of people and make a speech or give a talk, but you’ll surprise yourself.
15. Publishers sometimes send you books to read – it’s like opening a birthday present.
16. Want to feel good? Get off social media and write.