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5 Things Writers Need to Know Before Publishing Their First Book
Posted by Cynthia on March 13, 2017
Many writers dream of becoming published authors: to have their words read by millions of readers; to hold their manuscript in a book form; to see that book in bookstores and libraries; to get glowing reviews on Goodreads or in the New York Times. 
They think that once they hit "publish" on a self-publishing platform or hand their final, edited manuscript over to a publisher, their work is done.
In reality, many writers quickly realize how much more they are expected to pitch in on the marketing front. They realize that books don’t just magically appear in bookstores, and that readers won’t drop everything and read the book the second they first hear about it.
To help you avoid surprises, here are five things writers need to know before publishing their first book:
When you see a book shoot magically up the best-seller list in the first week it is published, understand that it took many people many months of work to put it there. It takes traditional publishers so long to get from acquisition to publication because they are setting the stage for the release: writing the marketing & publicity material for the sales reps to use with the buyers, mailing out media review copies, securing interviews and reviews, putting together the advertising creative, and more.
As an author, you’ll need to have the patience and foresight to plan out a complete marketing campaign. This can start as soon as you finish the manuscript: establish your online presence, start building a mailing list, and introduce yourself to the local publishing community.
Book promotion means you will need to balance talking about yourself and your book and talking about other things people care about (for example). You will need to engage with your readers. You will need to sign books. You will need to charm booksellers. And you will need to tell your story over and over again, answering the same questions, remaining positive and friendly throughout.
Remember that you wouldn’t be a published author without readers, so work hard to make every interaction a great one. Also know yourself well enough to recharge your batteries between events, and let your publicist know to be selective with the types of interviews you do.
Quick tip: Ask the Author is a great way to engage with readers, as it allows you to select which questions to answer, and when to answer them. [Read tips about using Ask the Author here.]
You might think your book will only find it’s way into the hands of readers who will think it’s life-changing, but sooner or later someone will not like your book. No book is for everyone, and the most important thing to realize about a negative review is that it’s just one person’s opinion. Don’t take it personally. Instead, leave it alone and then get the beverage of your choice, and look up your favorite book on Goodreads. Chances are there are many negative reviews of it!
Respect personal preferences, and never try to change someone’s opinion about your book. If you’re worried you’ll get affected by reading reviews of your own book, don’t read them (yes, it really is that simple!). If you suspect it violates our review guidelines, flag it so our team can take a look at it.
One way to avoid reading your own reviews is to stay occupied by reading other people’s books! This is the best activity to engage with readers on Goodreads and build a following [read more about building a following here].
Share your passion for reading and show off your talent for writing by reviewing books on Goodreads. Start by reviewing books you loved in childhood, move on to books that inspired you to become a writer, and then tackle the current best-seller list for more recent titles. Remember: Goodreads is a community for readers—these are your people! Connect with them, and trust they will discover your own work that way.
If all goes well, readers will devour your work and immediately want more. You need to have something ready to share with them, whether that’s a short story or a preview of the second book in the series. Keep the same writing schedule as you had before your work was published. You might transition from being a writer to being an author by publishing your first book; publish more than that and you have a career.
What do you wish you had known before publishing your first book? Share it in the comments below!
Next: Movie Studios Find Love and Results on Goodreads
You might also like: For the Love of Books - Quotes About Reading and Writing
Goodreads Authors can subscribe to the Monthly Author Newsletter by editing their account settings.
They think that once they hit "publish" on a self-publishing platform or hand their final, edited manuscript over to a publisher, their work is done.
In reality, many writers quickly realize how much more they are expected to pitch in on the marketing front. They realize that books don’t just magically appear in bookstores, and that readers won’t drop everything and read the book the second they first hear about it.
To help you avoid surprises, here are five things writers need to know before publishing their first book:
1. Bestsellers are not created overnight.
When you see a book shoot magically up the best-seller list in the first week it is published, understand that it took many people many months of work to put it there. It takes traditional publishers so long to get from acquisition to publication because they are setting the stage for the release: writing the marketing & publicity material for the sales reps to use with the buyers, mailing out media review copies, securing interviews and reviews, putting together the advertising creative, and more.
As an author, you’ll need to have the patience and foresight to plan out a complete marketing campaign. This can start as soon as you finish the manuscript: establish your online presence, start building a mailing list, and introduce yourself to the local publishing community.
2. You will need to be an extrovert.
Book promotion means you will need to balance talking about yourself and your book and talking about other things people care about (for example). You will need to engage with your readers. You will need to sign books. You will need to charm booksellers. And you will need to tell your story over and over again, answering the same questions, remaining positive and friendly throughout.
Remember that you wouldn’t be a published author without readers, so work hard to make every interaction a great one. Also know yourself well enough to recharge your batteries between events, and let your publicist know to be selective with the types of interviews you do.
Quick tip: Ask the Author is a great way to engage with readers, as it allows you to select which questions to answer, and when to answer them. [Read tips about using Ask the Author here.]
3. Not everyone will like your book... and that is ok!
You might think your book will only find it’s way into the hands of readers who will think it’s life-changing, but sooner or later someone will not like your book. No book is for everyone, and the most important thing to realize about a negative review is that it’s just one person’s opinion. Don’t take it personally. Instead, leave it alone and then get the beverage of your choice, and look up your favorite book on Goodreads. Chances are there are many negative reviews of it!
Respect personal preferences, and never try to change someone’s opinion about your book. If you’re worried you’ll get affected by reading reviews of your own book, don’t read them (yes, it really is that simple!). If you suspect it violates our review guidelines, flag it so our team can take a look at it.
4. Read books, not your own reviews.
One way to avoid reading your own reviews is to stay occupied by reading other people’s books! This is the best activity to engage with readers on Goodreads and build a following [read more about building a following here].
Share your passion for reading and show off your talent for writing by reviewing books on Goodreads. Start by reviewing books you loved in childhood, move on to books that inspired you to become a writer, and then tackle the current best-seller list for more recent titles. Remember: Goodreads is a community for readers—these are your people! Connect with them, and trust they will discover your own work that way.
5. Keep writing.
If all goes well, readers will devour your work and immediately want more. You need to have something ready to share with them, whether that’s a short story or a preview of the second book in the series. Keep the same writing schedule as you had before your work was published. You might transition from being a writer to being an author by publishing your first book; publish more than that and you have a career.
What do you wish you had known before publishing your first book? Share it in the comments below!
Next: Movie Studios Find Love and Results on Goodreads
You might also like: For the Love of Books - Quotes About Reading and Writing
Goodreads Authors can subscribe to the Monthly Author Newsletter by editing their account settings.
Comments Showing 51-100 of 160 (160 new)
message 51:
by
Ashleigh
(new)
Mar 20, 2017 10:23AM
I wish I'd have known to promote Mask of the Dragon a LOT before publishing it. I could have actually held back on publishing to promote it instead, but it seemed I needed a book to promote the book. Still seems that way with the sequel, but I'm actually promoting it somewhat this time.
flag
Writing is a tough profession. Writers work very hard and diligently, hoping to reap some kind of reward for all their efforts. Often, the results are disappointing. I just published my first book, TRUE MERCY, and I want to call attention to two issues plaguing modern society--families with loved ones with autism and the international human trafficking crisis. Even if I don't end up with much of a monetary reward, I want to make a positive difference by highlighting these issues.
As we (I co-authored a memoir with my sister) were working with our publisher, both he and the person helped us with photos and the cover both said, "your work is just beginning." It was excellent advice. We had a marketing plan which we added to and adapted continually. Our book is for a specific niche and we tried to think of all the places and relevant people we could approach. The part about being an extrovert is true; I'm not so I have to get into my "book mode" as I do signings or presentations/readings. It is hard to sell oneself but that's necessary.
I read somewhere recently that if a writer choosers the self- publishing route, he will live to learn that he will be spending 10% of his time writing and 90% marketing.
What do I wish I had known before publishing? Actually, when I think of it, I'm glad that I didn't know the amount of work, and the coming disappointment, involved in the whole self-publishing game at the beginning or (I suspect) I probably would have kept my thoughts to myself.I've read every comment here and note that lots of authors, myself included, are introverted. As Molly stated above, "nearly all writers are introverts". So why do we write? My guess, it's because we are social animals. We do have something to contribute and want to be understood, yet we are stymied by our introversion. Perhaps introverts, by spending so much time alone, are deeper thinkers than most, so we have time create stories in our heads. Writing and publishing them then is a satisfying release of all that energy. I feel fulfilled in that, through my work, I was able to let the world known who I really am.
What did I do wrong? Well my book, due to my use of quotations before and after the story, required me to obtain multiple permissions first. That was great, as these quotes contributed to the book. But one permission, in the way it was worded, made it sound like the permission was only good if I published soon. My mistake, then, was to rush the first publishing. Subsequently, I was compelled by my own editing and perfectionism to make a bunch of followup revisions. Upon later contact with the writer of that particular permission it turned out that it had been penned hastily and I'd misunderstood it. Oh well, the book is now much better for it.
Another thing I didn't know is that agents and publishers are supposedly only interested in novels from debut authors of no more than 100,000 words. Mine is 166,000 +. Still, I would not chop into it simply for the sake of brevity. The story is so real to me that it would be like cutting chapters out of a history book.
I read of authors being told to "write for the market", "write what sells". I think that's a huge mistake, and why we are stuck with titles within genres that are so similar to each other that they're utterly boring. I won't mention any, but some (types of) stories have been so, sooo overdone (imho)! Rather, write what you know, write what you love, and you'll write a better book. But be aware that, even with that, rejection is much more likely thank success.
I don't have any qualifications for all this advice since my book hasn't really gone anywhere. But now that I am done and can look back at that roller coaster, I'm so glad I saw it through.
Write for the love of it.
Just want to wish Ian good luck with his work 'The Money Tree'. Yes, it is a shameful plug, but if it gets your work noticed and sold then I shan't breathe a word to a soul. Wish I had thought of something like this to get my self-publisher to motivate himself as well as my work!
Before being published, I wish I knew that publishers only rarely set up events/dates/contacts for the promotion of one's book; it's mostly up to the author. I am an author/illustrator of picture books and I have less time for creative work now because of the necessity of advertising, promotion and outreach to schools. Also, if a book does not get reviewed by an important journal or site within a very small window of time, it simply falls off the map, because there's a new batch coming out all the time.
I wish I knew before I completed my book 'Across Time and Space' that a website is imperative for establishing connections with a niche audience. It's not just a website that is essential, Facebook , twitter, and google+ are essential platforms to be 'present' on. As a reader I enjoyed Goodreads but have since, as an new author, realized how beneficial the Goodreads author site is to further this process through author- reader-reading sharing of ideas after the book is written. Marketing is a new challenge as is trying to make myself 'visible' to the public. Writers, for the most part are reclusive, a significant shift is necessary to connect with your readers. It's a mammoth journey where you evolve with each new step taken.
I've been a published writer for a long time, but I had no idea what was involved in publishing my first novel. I don't mind the writing, but the marketing and promoting leaves so much to be desired. All it does is take valuable time away from writing, which is what I'd rather be doing. I'm a writer not a marketer or promoter.
I just published my memoir about the hidden side of cancer, Surviving the Cure: Cancer was Easy,* Living is Hard, and I wish I'd spent a hell of a lot more time in the four years of on-off writing actually thinking about how to marketing the thing. I actually was working with a friend, and part of our goal was to work on marketing and publicity (his forte, not even remotely mine), but we had stopped actually, you know, writing, so I forced us off that topic. The book got done (eventually), but now that it's out and I'm scrambling for publicity and interviews and all the fun stuff I get to do all by myself, I'm looking back and realizing what a missed opportunity I had to do more build-up. It's at this time I'm realizing the importance of good connections! I've been hitting up just about every contact I can and crossing my fingers. I also wish I knew I should be a better extrovert. Talking to people, who knew?
Good article. My struggle as a self-published author is getting/finding my readers. I published my novel Journey of Hope in 2012. Since I went through Create Space, a lot of the "work" was done for me. I just had to pay for it! So doing aggressive marketing myself would feel daunting, and really not what I want to spend time on. I would rather be writing! Somewhere along the line I decided (don't ask why) that I needed 500 reviews on Amazon before I would be happy with the success of my book, which is odd since I never thought about $$ when writing. It was always about the story. I am up to 490+ reviews now and ready to get the sequel out there. It's done! And I'm ready to send some query letters out. I'm going to try to find a publisher who, hopefully, will do all the marketing. I am so passionate about my stories and I want to find a publisher who will share in the enthusiastic promoting of my novel.
There are a couple of things I've learned from self-publishing my first book:
1. Definitely pay for at least copy editing. No matter how many times you edit your own manuscript, a professional's eyes will find soooo many errors. (Trust me on this--I'm an ex-English teacher!) Nothing will make me put a book down faster than having to suffer through pages of poorly edited writing.
2. Contrary to popular belief, people DO judge a book by its cover. Again, worth hiring a professional to create a cover. Or if you can find the right image and do all the design work yourself, ask for feedback before you commit to your book cover. (I admit it-- an intriguing cover will get me to take the book from the shelf and at least read the blurb on the back.) Speaking of that blurb--it better be good! Again, feedback from professionals or even friends who have read your manuscript will be helpful.
3. If you're not writing to make money and you've self-published, why not offer your e-book for $2.99 or less. Think about it. I myself will take a chance on a book if I don't have to spend much on it. I can't tell you how many books I have lined up on my personal Kindle because I bought them thinking 'even if I don't like it, I haven't spent much on it'.
4. It's all in the details. There are so many things to think about so yes, don't rush the publishing. Think about how much time and attention someone will give your book before they purchase it or put it down. The image on the front cover will be the first thing someone sees. Then they'll notice the way the title appears. Not just the words, but the choice of font. Then all other writing on the front and back covers. A few people will read the first few pages.
5. Never respond to a review. It's so true in point #3--no book is for everyone. And not everyone gives honest reviews. I'm amazed at how many people feel the need to write a review on a book they didn't finish. One of my reviewers gave my novel 3 stars and then said they would have given it 4 stars if it was for young adults. I wanted to write back, "IT IS FOR YOUNG ADULTS!!!" and I may have been justified doing that, but I didn't break my rule about responding to reviews. Never. Never. (Even when they drive you crazy!)
I'm sure there are so many other things.
The amount of drafts and rewrites you have to do. People even suggested I self-published, but no one tells you how hard it really is to promote your book, hoping someone will buy it
I do sympathize Jessica, but if I may I would refer you to my previous comment on this point. Self-publishing is, I agree, a most attractive alternative, but only on the surface. I have had three books self-published, and I have to say that the cost, the leg work you have to do yourself to get your work noticed once it has been self-published, is, to put no finer point on it, expensive. I agree that rewrites etc. can be most frustrating and time consuming, even downright disheartening, but what is even more disheartening is to find that once an outlet has sold all their copies of your book they will only receive further copies if you hand over more money to the self-publisher. I enjoy writing very much indeed, it is a very important part of my life, but I am afraid writing the book seems easy in comparison to getting it out there in the shops and on the websites.
Good luck to you.
Can I please translate this in French for my blog (by citing this article of course) ? Thx :)
Sande wrote: "What I wish I knew is that I would be spending as much time promoting my book for over two years after publication and thus writing less. There are two distinct mindsets, the creative writer, and t..."Was the 2 years of playing salesperson worth it, or would you have rather played writer.
Scott wrote: "Marketing. I never thought about marketing when I started writing. Reviews are ridiculously hard to get, good or bad."You can buy them for five bucks a pop on Fiver. So what's hard about that. When a self publisher has more reviews than Steinbeck, how do you think he got them?
Patricia wrote: "My self-publishing company, who shall remain nameless, has gone to the wall. Even before the company dissolved I received no sales or downloading royalties whatsoever even though I know my books we..."It sounds as if you're talking about vanity presses, which have been known to be a waste of time and money for a long time. Self publishing thru a print on demand distributor like Createspace doesn't cost anything, so at least it's not a waste of money.
I wrote my first book Billionire's Love and finding it so hard to get reviews. I have full time job ns I find marketing is hard. Social media I comfortable with my niece is helping me with that. I'm just trying to finish book two. Great advise though
Rushing to publish biggest mistake new authors make.So you’ve finally finished your novel.
Congratulations.
What you’ve accomplished is significant and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. How many people do you know who have spent countless hours by themselves sitting in front of a keyboard creating an imaginary world?
It’s only a matter of time before your creation changes your life, and that can’t happen too soon. What are you waiting for? Its time to start submitting it to all those fortunate agents and publishers you’ve selected, right?
Wrong.
I was once like you, full of enthusiasm and hubris upon completing my first novel. To get my masterpiece published I pulled in all my favours, two actually. I had an acquaintance who knew Jeffery Archer personally (yes, that Jeffery Archer), and I had a business associate who was an editor in a well-respected publishing firm.
The first response came from Archer’s agent. She suggested I take some writing courses. A little while later the editor returned my manuscript. She’d taken the time to line edit the first chapter complete with margin notes. Suffice to say the editing notes all but obscured the original text.
At the time I didn’t realize it, but I had just blown two really good opportunities in my rush to get published. That manuscript is still buried somewhere in my filing cabinet. I’m too embarrassed to look at it.
Most recently I’ve taken on writing and doing video book reviews of the work of new, self-published authors.
I’ve written a lot of book reviews, but in this category – new, self-published authors the average star rating is 2.8, a bit better than I didn’t like it, but not quite as good as I liked it.
A few of these authors are brilliant, but most, though they have potential, are hampered by lack of craft. If they continue writing and reading I know they’ll improve. Writing is like most things – the more you do it the better you get.
I have to add a caveat to that statement. Your writing will improve if you continue to do it while seeking out constructive criticism and taking it to heart.
Most of the novels I’m giving two stars to have been rushed into publication. I know you’re excited, but remember – it’s never as good as you think it is, and it can always be better. Yes, always.
Here are some suggestions you might want to consider when you’ve completed your novel. It’s what I do and though it hasn’t garnered me success, it’s at least saved me further embarrassment.
- I revise the manuscript a minimum three times or until I feel it’s finished.
- I read it out loud (it drives my cat crazy).
- Then I put it away for at least three months or however long it takes to get it out of my system.
- While I’m waiting to be purged, I work on something completely different.
- Once I’ve put some distance between my ego and the book, I’m ready. I take out the manuscript and send it to as many beta readers for comment as I can. If you don’t have a stable of readers who are free from conflict of interest – that means no family and no friends, join a writing group, online or otherwise, and workshop the novel.
Once I’ve decided it’s time for the final rewrite I gather all the comments and criticisms together and begin.
When I’m finished I have another decision to make. Do I begin the traditional submission process or save myself a lot of time and frustration and go directly to self-publishing?
If you follow this method I guarantee your final version will be different and better than it was when you deemed it complete. And if by some small miracle The New York Times decides to review it, it will be perfect – or as perfect as you could make it.
Keep writing and remember what Nietzsche said:
The doer alone learneth.
One thing I wish I had done before releasing my ebook - I Hear You Calling - was to get my social media skills improved. I am still struggling to get to grips with building myself a blog! So my advice is make sure you have the techno knowledge, not just marketing ideas.
Helen wrote: "One thing I wish I had done before releasing my ebook - I Hear You Calling - was to get my social media skills improved. I am still struggling to get to grips with building myself a blog! So my adv..."yeah same here.. thanks to my hubby who does all the tech for my blog.
I published my first history novel The Royal Secret nine months ago and have given away 30 books free for review on Goodreads. Most of the 40 + reader reviews were good but criticised the editing which I then had done professionally and this year I offered the new version on Onlinebookclub free as an ebook for one day only as book of the day for little more cost to me than $320 including a professional review. The response has been tremendous with over 1,000 views in two weeks and well over 100 posts from readers, nearly all of which have been as good as I could possibly wish for. Their response which means to me they have understood my thought provoking writing and different style has been more rewarding than money could ever be. Agents and publishers limited by time versus money tend to judge a book very quickly only on ingrained preferences for style and so turn it down after reading a few pages, so very often never getting to read the substance which is the real meat of a book. New authors with new or serious concepts other than erotica which sells in millions to women, are best advised to find a good editor and self-publish while marketing their books on targeted online book clubs with special low price or free temporary offers to get promotion and most important of all to get reviews without which you will get nowhere. If your book is seen to do well online then it is the best route for publishers to contact you and ride on your success by offering bricks and mortar retailing and a pony and dog road show. The Royal Secret is on Amazon but only as a printed version as Amazon Kindle takes too big a cut, so my ebook is on Smashwords which offers a better deal to authors. Blurb is also a useful source to print hardback and paperback.Best advice of all is never give up if you truly believe your book has value.
Gloria wrote: "Number 2, sigh! My real struggle as a full-time employee and a writer during spare time is getting my books to reach the readers. I dislike marketing related activities which I feel they rob me of ..."As a new writer of The Royal Secret I assumed that it was publishers who did the commercial nitty-gritty of marketing while leaving writers to create. But it seems than unless you are an established writer you need do it all yourself. I was recently invited to the annual Gibraltar Book Fair with a number of well-known writers (which I am not) and realised that established writers are on a merry go round of events promoting their books all year round to their fan clubs. If you are new writer best be a celebrity in the news for whatever reason that can attract attention. The world is driven by brand names. If the public don't know you then you need make them by your creative concepts and sometimes the more scandalous the better.
The 5 points are spot on! I published With Strings Attached after approximately 15 rejection letters; some encouraging, others not so much. I have been fortunate to obtain positive reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. However, sales slipped significantly after I took my foot off of the marketing promotion gas pedal! I'm considering taking a more conventional path to publication on my next project!
It has been most interesting to read the views and thoughts of other authors and the struggles they have encountered, but, like Frank, I have now taken another path to having my work published. After being let down by self-publishing, and approaching publishing companies direct appears to be a non-starter, I have sent my book 'Impeccable Credentials' to a firm of literary agents. I admit that so far I have received any number of "Thanks, but no thanks, and good luck in the future," replies, but I am crossing my fingers that the literary agents who are now reading my work will be favourable. I feel that for most of us who are not in the spotlight it is a case of onward and upward. Good Luck Frank.
It looks like folks here have been brainwashed by society into thinking of only one kind of success - money. If that's your goal, quit writing and open a hedge fund.
I like all your comments. I have had my first book, Embodiment of Love published this past January as a stand-alone with one small publisher. I have since had published book 1 of my trilogy; Passages Book One - Touch me from Afar. Book two is set to be released on March 31st and book 3 is at the publisher's for proofing. I was blessed to sign on with a medium-sized publisher for this one. But still, I need to get out there and spread 'my word.'That's not easy as I prepare to start a new series, but it has to be done. So, I am reaching out to local book venues asking if they would be interested in housing my book. I was surprised when one local asked me to put them in there on consignment. That I had not expected. No sure about that avenue. But, there are others to contact. I had an article written in my local paper which was a good boost, but now I need to expand. Welcome ideas!
I have self published with Createspace December 2015. The power of real love. I wish I would have sent my manuscript to a publisher. Maybe it would have been view by more people since it is been distributed in many venues. Got a call today from Author House they would like to republish it. I don't know that it would do better. What to do...????
My lesson, along with those discussed above; relate to the money aspect, here I am, I've written a book, I've gotten it published and it doesn't move at all unless I buy copies and promote and sell them myself, that lesson was hard.
Gina wrote: "I have self published with Createspace December 2015. The power of real love. I wish I would have sent my manuscript to a publisher. Maybe it would have been view by more people since it is been di..."Gina,
I googled the Author House. It's a vanity press and the cheapest fee was $899 to do what u can do for nothing on Creatspace. Wow! With self publishing, you're doing good if you can make back your money for the paper and toner cartridges. I've learned not to use paper and toner, and it's still tough to break even.
I'm terribly reluctant to promote myself and my books and it is difficult for me to do even though I need to. Only one of my books does well thanks to Amazon. The rest have few sales, my fault for not advertising. Thanks for the excellent article.
Brenda wrote: Authors need reviews, and that is hard to get. Boy, you're not kidding. I did a free weekend with one of my books and after giving away over five hundred copies, got 0 reviews. I only started writing a year ago and live out in the middle of nowhere with no one to advise me. I started reaching out on Facebook with a couple of authors and I'm slowly learning about newsletters, websites, promos and sharing. I'm still learning. I have found that you really have to have a following to get reviews. I don't expect to ever be a great writer, but it would be nice to get a review once in awhile. I'm sure a lot of you will agree.Margery Ellen
K.S. wrote: "Thank you for the advice!"Margery wrote: "Brenda wrote: Authors need reviews, and that is hard to get. Boy, you're not kidding. I did a free weekend with one of my books and after giving away over five hundred copies, got 0 reviews. I only..."
Consider that FREE means NO VALUE.
There's no risk, no investment - financial or emotional, no commitment and no obligation implied or otherwise. Giving your books away free achieves one thing - it cheapens your work.
You need to try to connect to readers another way because this does not work.
I'm going for the personal approach - library readings, free writing seminars, critique workshops - with an opportunity to sell the paperback edition of my books at these events.
We all know that doing the same thing and expecting different results is a definition of insanity. We're not insane, delusional maybe.
And though you should not "expect" to be a great writer, Margery, it's certainly something worthwhile to strive for.
Great article. I agree with Sande, I wish I had known how much time and effort I would have to put into marketing. Chris, I would like to know: how did you get your beta readers? What do you recommend as the best way(s) to find beta readers?
You will find, as I did, that even when you give a copy to a friend, acquaintance or relative and ask that they write a review, they won't. They will if you hound them, but then you become a pain and people think you're a jerk.If you like promoting your work - nothing wrong with that - then maybe being a literary agent rather than a writer is the path you should take.
Rod wrote: "K.S. wrote: "Thank you for the advice!"Margery wrote: "Brenda wrote: Authors need reviews, and that is hard to get. Boy, you're not kidding. I did a free weekend with one of my books and after gi..."
Thank you for the advice
Maybe I wish I had known how unlikely it is to find a literary agent or commercial publisher and I might have moved straight to publishing an ebook. I guess that's the way things are going these days. I spent a large amount of time seeking an agent or publisher for my first two books, one non-fiction and the other fiction, and nearly got taken on a few times. For my third book, on daylight saving time, I have gone straight to the ebook option. I have better things to do than to endlessly chase agents and publishers.
What is so frustrating is that writing and selling are two very different skill sets. I want to write the best manuscript I possibly can, which involves hours of unpaid work, and now I have to learn all the nuances of selling. It is true that now I have to learn to be an extrovert. Very difficult and unnatural for me. Of course this is unrealistic, but I wish there were more monetary rewards for the painstaking writing process. None of us live on air--we are all trying to survive.
Chris wrote: "Maybe I wish I had known how unlikely it is to find a literary agent or commercial publisher and I might have moved straight to publishing an ebook. I guess that's the way things are going these da..."The thing with an agent is that he or she has to be a good one. Some couldn't sell a ten dollar bill for five bucks. Maybe after all of us write a million words, we can find a good agent. Do u like writing enough to write a million words and not get recognized? If so, you're a writer.
Idelle wrote: "What is so frustrating is that writing and selling are two very different skill sets. I want to write the best manuscript I possibly can, which involves hours of unpaid work, and now I have to lear..."Day job takes care of the survival angst. Some of the best writers had day jobs.
Robert wrote: "Idelle wrote: "What is so frustrating is that writing and selling are two very different skill sets. I want to write the best manuscript I possibly can, which involves hours of unpaid work, and now..."Of course! But there are only so many hours in a day.
As I am still in the 'publishing' process, please take my comments for what you think they are worth. First, thank you for the article and notes. Writing is easy, all the rest is so much more 'work' behind the scenes than expected. I recently read a book "APE-How to Publish a Book" by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch which also provided a lot of insight into the process. They believe (and after reading - I do too) that to be successful you are not merely an author, but an author, a publisher, and an entrepreneur. Thank you all for the comments and advice.
If I remember the story correctly, Sheila Ballyntyne got her first novel "Norma Jean the Termite Queen," published by a legit house (Doubleday) and sat back waiting for the royalties to flow in. When they didn't, every single weekend she loaded up the trunk of her car and went to book fairs, book clubs, bookstores, libraries that would host her, any venue she could think of where she could wangle her way in to do a reading, and sold her books that way for a year. Her efforts paid off when the book became, if not a bestseller, certainly a respectable seller. I know for a fact that environmentalist and psychologist James Swan sold his critically acclaimed "In Defense of Hunting" (Harper) that way and did very well with it. My point is that even when a writer is published by a legit house, success is a very, very elusive thing, and sometimes it takes persistence and imagination to get the book in front of the reading public. With a self-published book especially, whatever the writer can do to target the specific market his book is intended for will be a big help. Find the websites or conventions or whatever are appropriate for your book and go for it. Public appearances take a certain amount of guts, and it's best to have a facility for that, but if you're good at it, more power to you.
One of my favorite writers, George V. Higgins, worked as a prosecuting attorney and wrote 14 books in his spare time before he got the first one , the Friends of Eddie Coyle, published. He did it by accidentally meeting the editor of Knopf at a party. He went on to write many more great books. Maybe it might take even more than 14 before we can get our break.
Wow, I'm overwhelmed by all these great comments! I'm seeing so much great advice and support for aspiring writers. For all of you who pointed out how extroverting isn't something you're used to, I think you can count chiming in on posts like these towards your efforts :) Thank you all for the great thoughts and keep them coming!
What a great idea to get readers to review your book.
Great tips! Each one rings true. The journey from writing in journals to writing to share with others has been an amazing (and challenging) process. I find the marketing part of the process easier when I stay true to who I am and when I am not attached to a particular outcome. Time management strategies are critical to managing the process of marketing a book, writing, and having a fulfilling life.Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path
Harald wrote: "Trisha wrote: "As a new Author, the writing part seems to come naturally and I have written almost 3 books in a 5 part series in around 4 weeks per book, it seems to flow. I love to work on my own ..."Thank you for replying. Yes, I too am very introverted maybe some writers are hence the escapism. Whether or not I will ever make a living out of writing time will tell. Do I enjoy it? yes very much so, and I will continue writing for the rest of my days. Seems to me after a short space of time in this 'world' that a lot of writers/authors get despondent. They should not. To create something from your mind and be able to give others enjoyment from that no matter a small audience is the most important part. Success and fame well...who knows!
I got lots of rejections and I quit writing forever after every one! The general feedback was that they were too different to the other books in my supposed genre (crime/thrillers). I picked myself up and wrote another one.I have since been found by a publisher who was brave enough to give me a go and the series is exceeding expectations (mine at least!). You've probably already guessed my twist but the positive feedback - it's around my stuff being different. 'A breath of fresh air' was my favourite comment.
If you're writing then you're spending a lot of time doing it. So there's no point unless you're enjoying it and you're immensely proud of the finished article - lord knows it takes us long enough to get there. What I wish I knew before I started is you have to be you. You're better at that than anyone else. Write something no one else can. Or what's the point of being a writer.
