It’s 2022. Omg!!
When I signed with Spark Press back in October of 2020, I had so little sense of the progression of a story from manuscript into published novel. I did not know at the time that the easiest part of this journey ended when I wrote the words “The End”, despite the fact that I had spoken with numerous authors about their experiences, and every single one told me how much work goes into marketing a book. It’s often the case that one doesn’t fully understand a process until fully immersed in it.
Though my publisher provided a timeline, little of it made sense to me until I got closer to each task. There would be deadlines for copy edits, cover designs, page layout/fonts, and summaries for the sales team. I needed to create a social media presence as an author. I interviewed publicists. I hired a website designer. I reached out to other authors to request that they read and, hopefully, endorse my book. There have been periods of downtime, when I’ve felt as if there was something I should be doing and wasn’t, followed by swaths of imminent deadlines when my head was reeling.
All the while, I’ve leaned on the extensive community of not only debut authors but also supportive seasoned authors, all of whom have imparted their experiences, wisdom, advice and encouragement without hesitation. Within Facebook groups, we discuss the challenges and necessary tasks, some less familiar to newbies, of marketing a book in the months leading up to launch. We commiserate, sharing all the frustrations and even negative emotions (such as envy) which can be part and parcel of getting one’s book under the eyes of readers, when every other author is attempting to do the same thing.
And, therein lies the ultimate goal. I wrote A Letter in the Wall because I was inspired to tell a story and I enjoy writing. But, naturally, I want people to read the book, since it is the readership which buoys the story, keeps it alive. And, while I hope all my friends, family, and anyone who knows me will read the book and recommend it to others, I must also penetrate the social media universe of engaged and savvy readers – the influencers. Their inexhaustible hunger for books is not only mind-blowing (to me), but also formidable, for they are the devotees who discuss, review, support, popularize, and create buzz around books they enjoy. Favorable reviews on Goodreads, BookBub or Amazon can go a long way, but a few posts by well-known “bookstagrammers” or Facebook reading groups might propel book sales precipitously.
Where am I now in the process? Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) of A Letter in the Wall were delivered to my publicist and me last month, and those books go to targeted readers (e.g., the folks who may create some early buzz). With four months to go before my baby makes her debut, I am visiting independent bookshops to introduce myself, offer an ARC, and, potentially, spark interest for these stores to hold reading/signing events this summer or fall. My wonderful publicist will seek out and arrange some media events and opportunities for me, yet it is still incumbent on me to do the same, especially locally. So, the “hustle” (yes, sometimes it feels like that) continues. I’m told this is not the time to be modest. “This is what I wrote and this is why people are gonna love it!” I need to practice that more.
