---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you do your first book, you're just…"
description: "\"When you do your first book, you're just like, \"This is my work.\" And it's just this whole other world that you throw yourself into.\" — Bryan Lee O'Malley"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/bryan-lee-o-malley-6525_book_when-you-do-your-first-book-you-re-just_3207791.jpg"
---

#  When you do your first book, you're just like, "This is my…

![“When you do your first book, you're just like, &quot;This is my work.&quot; And it's just this whole other world that you throw yourself into.” quote by Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/bryan-lee-o-malley-6525_book_when-you-do-your-first-book-you-re-just_3207791.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/bryan-lee-o-malley-6525_book_when-you-do-your-first-book-you-re-just_3207791.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/bryan-lee-o-malley-6525_book_when-you-do-your-first-book-you-re-just_3207791.jpg)

> “When you do your first book, you're just like, "This is my work." And it's just this whole other world that you throw yourself into.”

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Creating a first work immerses you in a new reality, blurring personal identity with the story.

**In simple terms:** First book creates a new world.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the immersion of creation.

Themes

creativity identity artistic process

Mood

inspirational introspective

Type

creative literary

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- artist residencies
- self‑reflection
- storytelling

Key Concepts

narrative immersion authorial voice

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your work change your self‑view?
- What boundaries help maintain balance?

A Different Perspective

Immersion can blur reality and fiction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Other worlds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other-worlds/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“a book is just like life and anything can change”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-book-is-just-like-life-and-anything-can-change/)

[Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/)

> [There's not anyone in particular I'd like to work with. I just want to continue doing work that I have a passion for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tye-sheridan/there-s-not-anyone-in-particular-i-d-like-to-work-with-i-just-want-to/)

[Tye Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tye-sheridan/)

> [When I was 4, I had a schedule. I was playing softball. My brother was playing football. My parents were teachers, and they'd owned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/when-i-was-4-i-had-a-schedule-i-was-playing-softball-my-brother-was/)

[Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/)

> [My husband is my part of my greatest joys, so it doesn't feel like work or like I'm balancing anything. My husband and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-denise-brown/my-husband-is-my-part-of-my-greatest-joys-so-it-doesn-t-feel-like/)

[Monica Denise Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-denise-brown/)

> [“At the sight of a good book, you just can't walk away but to claim and read it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/at-the-sight-of-a-good-book-you-just-can-t-walk-away-but-to-claim-and/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“There is no such thing as a bad book, I just like some books more than others…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-geiger/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-book-i-just-like-some-books-more-than/)

[Chris Geiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-geiger/)

> [There's so much more to a book than just the reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/there-s-so-much-more-to-a-book-than-just-the-reading/)

[Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/)

> [“There's so much more to book than just reading”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/there-s-so-much-more-to-book-than-just-reading/)

[Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/)

> [I read everything! I would have read the phone book if you put it in front of me. I just read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-vreeland/i-read-everything-i-would-have-read-the-phone-book-if-you-put-it-in/)

[Diana Vreeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-vreeland/)

> [“There's nothing quite like reading a good book that just might become your favorite.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joscelyn-gleave/there-s-nothing-quite-like-reading-a-good-book-that-just-might-become/)

[Joscelyn Gleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joscelyn-gleave/)

> [Move On. It's Just A Chapter In the past. But Don't Close the book, JUST THE PAGE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-dale-fuentebella/move-on-it-s-just-a-chapter-in-the-past-but-don-t-close-the-book-just/)

Ronald Dale Fuentebella

> [When I get lost in a book, it's just, like, magical!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marley-dias/when-i-get-lost-in-a-book-it-s-just-like-magical/)

[Marley Dias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marley-dias/)

> [“But it would be far more effective—and considerably more inventive—to enact that same process with a text that has no preexisting meaning. A book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/but-it-would-be-far-more-effective-and-considerably-more-inventive-to/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [When you meet someone for the first time, that's not the whole book. That's just the first page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-meet-someone-for-the-first-time-that-s-not-the-whole-book/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Evil or manipulative people don't need a book, they just do it anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/evil-or-manipulative-people-don-t-need-a-book-they-just-do-it-anyway/)

[Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/)

## More by Bryan Lee O'Malley

> [I feel like im in this river just getting swept along... And if I hold on to anyone, if I'm holding on for dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/i-feel-like-im-in-this-river-just-getting-swept-along-and-if-i-hold/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [Maybe it's important to open up I people- people who are right there with you, not some thousand miles away in another universe. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/maybe-it-s-important-to-open-up-i-people-people-who-are-right-there/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [“Let's be friends based on mutual hate." - Wallace Wells "Listen to this, okay? Just listen. You hear that? That's' market bacon hitting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/let-s-be-friends-based-on-mutual-hate-wallace-wells-listen-to-this/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [“I am leaning back and running with it and staring at the stars and I’m eleven, I’m sixteen, I’m eighteen, I’m a newborn I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/i-am-leaning-back-and-running-with-it-and-staring-at-the-stars-and-i/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [Oh, hey, maybe I should have mentioned that my friends are retarded douchebags.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/oh-hey-maybe-i-should-have-mentioned-that-my-friends-are-retarded/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [When I was a kid, I desperately wanted more background information on especially cartoonists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/when-i-was-a-kid-i-desperately-wanted-more-background-information-on/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [I'm too young to have experienced firsthand the '70s rock, but when I was in high school, me and my friends were super into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/i-m-too-young-to-have-experienced-firsthand-the-70s-rock-but-when-i/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [“Do you want to have sex? I think we should have sex. CASUAL sex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/do-you-want-to-have-sex-i-think-we-should-have-sex-casual-sex/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [I just have this thing in my head that I want to do serious stories that are still just way too cute and drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/i-just-have-this-thing-in-my-head-that-i-want-to-do-serious-stories/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [Scott: I don't think I'm ready to be a grown-up. Kim: I don't think you are either, buddy. But hey, you'll get it. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/scott-i-don-t-think-i-m-ready-to-be-a-grown-up-kim-i-don-t-think-you/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [In my teens and university and stuff, video games became more realistic, or they started to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/in-my-teens-and-university-and-stuff-video-games-became-more/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [“(door slams open at 2:30am) "Guess who's DRUAAAHUUUNK!" said Wilson. "I guess Wilson, now get out," moaned Scott”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/door-slams-open-at-2-30am-guess-who-s-druaaahuuunk-said-wilson-i/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [“Adult life is terrible, Hazel. Never grow up. Everything's complicated, and there are too many rules ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/adult-life-is-terrible-hazel-never-grow-up-everything-s-complicated/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [I'm sometimes sort of in touch with the readership, and they seem to have perceptive questions, for the most part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/i-m-sometimes-sort-of-in-touch-with-the-readership-and-they-seem-to/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

> [“She's his kid sister, but... I guess it's like she got sucked into this alternate dimension when she was little? And this demon guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/she-s-his-kid-sister-but-i-guess-it-s-like-she-got-sucked-into-this/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

[Explore all 99 Bryan Lee O'Malley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When you do your first book, you're just like, \"This is my work.\" And it's just this whole other world that you throw yourself into.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bryan Lee O'Malley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/when-you-do-your-first-book-you-re-just-like-this-is-my-work-and-it-s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/when-you-do-your-first-book-you-re-just-like-this-is-my-work-and-it-s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/bryan-lee-o-malley-6525_book_when-you-do-your-first-book-you-re-just_3207791.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/bryan-lee-o-malley-6525_book_when-you-do-your-first-book-you-re-just_3207791.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/bryan-lee-o-malley-6525_book_when-you-do-your-first-book-you-re-just_3207791.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When you do your first book, you're just like, \"This is my work.\" And it's just this whole other world that…” — Bryan Lee O'Malley",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bryan Lee O'Malley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When you do your first book,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/when-you-do-your-first-book-you-re-just-like-this-is-my-work-and-it-s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/when-you-do-your-first-book-you-re-just-like-this-is-my-work-and-it-s/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
