--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Publishing a book is like giving birth…" description: "\"“Publishing a book is like giving birth. You labor over it and then produce what you think is the most beautiful thing in the world. Then some asshat c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/jordan-silver-52139_book_publishing-a-book-is-like-giving-birth-y_978175.jpg" --- # Publishing a book is like giving birth. You labor over it… ![“Publishing a book is like giving birth. You labor over it and then produce what you think is the most beautiful thing in the world. Then some asshat comes along and says 'what an ugly baby'. And you want to throat punch the Fuq into Outer Mongolia. Quote by Jordan Silver 12/22/13” quote by Jordan Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/jordan-silver-52139_book_publishing-a-book-is-like-giving-birth-y_978175.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/jordan-silver-52139_book_publishing-a-book-is-like-giving-birth-y_978175.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/531/jordan-silver-52139_book_publishing-a-book-is-like-giving-birth-y_978175.jpg) > ““Publishing a book is like giving birth. You labor over it and then produce what you think is the most beautiful thing in the world. Then some asshat comes along and says 'what an ugly baby'. And you want to throat punch the Fuq into Outer Mongolia. Quote by Jordan Silver 12/22/13”” [Jordan Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-silver/) ## 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 book involves intense effort and personal pride, but public criticism can feel deeply hurtful and provoke anger. **In simple terms:** Making a book is hard work; criticism can sting. Key Takeaway Accept effort, anticipate criticism, stay resilient. Themes creativity pride criticism resilience Mood frustrated determined reflective Type advice motivational When to use this quote - book launch - writing workshops - social media feedback - literary criticism Key Concepts authorial identity public reception emotional regulation Questions to Reflect On - How do you separate personal value from external judgment? - What strategies help you stay calm under harsh feedback? A Different Perspective Criticism can be constructive, not just destructive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Giving birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-birth/) [Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Publishing my book is like giving it away. At first you start talking about it, but you are basically letting go. I won't say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-zambra/publishing-my-book-is-like-giving-it-away-at-first-you-start-talking/) [Alejandro Zambra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-zambra/) > [If writing and publishing a book is like giving birth to a child, then book marketing is like rearing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-hart/if-writing-and-publishing-a-book-is-like-giving-birth-to-a-child-then/) [Heather Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-hart/) > [“Publishing a book is like planting a vegetable seed. The first day your book is out there is the same as seeing the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ortegel/publishing-a-book-is-like-planting-a-vegetable-seed-the-first-day/) Kevin Ortegel > [God forbid that I should ever suffer the shame of publishing a book for money, or of having one of my family so demean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-pears/god-forbid-that-i-should-ever-suffer-the-shame-of-publishing-a-book/) [Iain Pears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-pears/) > [I wish that the act of publishing a book was less of a nerve-wracking experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-huston/i-wish-that-the-act-of-publishing-a-book-was-less-of-a-nerve-wracking/) [Charlie Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-huston/) > [Publishing a book is a great thing, and I'm grateful, but it's also a horrible, exposing thing. Once you've published a book, you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-laird/publishing-a-book-is-a-great-thing-and-i-m-grateful-but-it-s-also-a/) [Nick Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-laird/) > [“It's a funny thing, really, me publishing a book… I've had so many people tell me it was stupid or impossible or that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-lynn-robinson/it-s-a-funny-thing-really-me-publishing-a-book-i-ve-had-so-many/) Molly Lynn Robinson > [“Publishing a book does not make you an authority or an expert. Authorship doesn’t not equal authority.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-weisman/publishing-a-book-does-not-make-you-an-authority-or-an-expert/) [Loren Weisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-weisman/) > [That is the person you want publishing your book. To be in it, you really have to believe in books and love whatever it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clancy-martin/that-is-the-person-you-want-publishing-your-book-to-be-in-it-you/) [Clancy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clancy-martin/) > [“I often think publishing a book is like doing a poo. Once it's ready for the world, you have to relinquish that control and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-o-charles/i-often-think-publishing-a-book-is-like-doing-a-poo-once-it-s-ready/) [H.O. Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-o-charles/) > [Publishing a book is like stuffing a note into a bottle and hurling it into the sea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/publishing-a-book-is-like-stuffing-a-note-into-a-bottle-and-hurling-2/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I've thought of publishing a book of my hate mail, but I don't own the rights to the letters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-ve-thought-of-publishing-a-book-of-my-hate-mail-but-i-don-t-own-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [“it takes a village to build success in publishing a book - it takes friends that are willing to help - it takes hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-okun/it-takes-a-village-to-build-success-in-publishing-a-book-it-takes/) Rich Okun > [Publishing a book is like stuffing a note into a bottle and hurling it into the sea. Some bottles drown, some come safe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/publishing-a-book-is-like-stuffing-a-note-into-a-bottle-and-hurling/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [The publishing of a book is a worldwide event. The attempt to suppress a book is a worldwide event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-publishing-of-a-book-is-a-worldwide-event-the-attempt-to-suppress/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More by Jordan Silver > [“My boy doesn’t want to come out of there baby, he missed his mama.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-silver/my-boy-doesn-t-want-to-come-out-of-there-baby-he-missed-his-mama/) [Jordan Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-silver/) > [“First of all he might be a she we'll be finding that out tomorrow." "Hold it, fuck no you didn't tell me about that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-silver/first-of-all-he-might-be-a-she-we-ll-be-finding-that-out-tomorrow/) [Jordan Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-silver/) > [“Hearing her voice was like seeing the sun after weeks of darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-silver/hearing-her-voice-was-like-seeing-the-sun-after-weeks-of-darkness/) [Jordan Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-silver/) > [“Life comes at you ass fast”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-silver/life-comes-at-you-ass-fast/) [Jordan Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-silver/) > [“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. Plagiarized from King David of Ysrael written sometime between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-silver/fret-not-thyself-because-of-evildoers-neither-be-thou-envious-against/) [Jordan Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-silver/) [Explore all 6 Jordan Silver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-silver/) ## 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! 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