Debut Author Do’s & Don’ts: Pre-Pub

I’ve been asked many times now for advice from soon-to-be debut authors and I thought it would be helpful to post what I feel like were the big takeaways for me from book sale to book publication. I will also probably do one in the future on post-publication, which I’m headed into right now. Disclaimer: This is based on my own experience and may not be true for every author! Like I said, I still have a lot to learn about what comes next. It’s also just my attempt to help others who are in the boat I was in a year ago when you’re feeling totally overwhelmed and freaked out and unsure of everything.

Susan Dennard also has so many resources and information on her site so check it out!

DO

Invest some of your advance on self-promotion

Not everyone will be able to spend money on self-promo, but if you’re able to set aside money from your advance, it is totally worth it. I’ve met so many debuts who don’t want to spend any of their own money. I get it, but you will likely lose a lot of opportunities to help your book be more visible. Be thoughtful about what you want to attempt and make a plan before you spend a single dollar. Make a list of things you are interested in doing (early giveaways, preorder gifts etc) and asked advice from your publicist/marketing team & other established authors before you buy anything.

Go meet your publisher in person

By far the best thing I did pre-pub was send myself to New York to meet my editor, agent, publicist, marketing team and cover designer in person. Making this face-to-face contact and starting a relationship with them that goes beyond email exchanges was invaluable. It helped me establish some trust, understand their personalities a little, and really just made me like them as people. It’s so hard as a debut to feel confident when talking to your publisher or throwing ideas out there. Having met everyone in person made me feel more comfortable communicating with them.

Start your online presence early & research your platform

As soon as you sell your book, start your presence in the social media reader world if you haven’t already. Even if your book doesn’t come out for a year and a half. The reason this is so important is because it really takes time and a lot of troubleshooting to figure it out. First, pick a platform to focus most of your presence on. I chose Instagram because I really don’t like Twitter and Facebook. I knew I would actually enjoy IG and have fun with it. But it took a good six months for my Instagram to start growing because I had to figure out what worked and what didn’t and develop a brand that was authentic to me. Doing early giveaways of bookish goodies is a great way to grow, but only do it if you’re offering something people actually want. This presence is also so important because you will form relationships with highly influential readers, bloggers, bookstagrammers, booktubers etc. These people really do have an impact on what books people are learning about and preordering. Focus on building long-term followers, providing quality content, and engaging naturally and positively. Note: Some people just hate social media and don’t want to do it. That’s fine! You can definitely still be an author without it.

Promote other authors

This one is huge. If you’re a writer, you’re probably a reader. There is no better way to connect with your future readership than to fangirl amazing books by amazing authors. Talk about what you’re reading, promote books you love, and buy (YES, BUY WITH YOUR OWN MONEY) books when they release or before. Put some good karma out into the author community and support others the way you want others to support you. *Not with the expectation of getting something in return, but because we could all use a boost.

Start a newsletter

I was super sceptical about this one because I don’t particularly like newsletters and almost never subscribe to them. But readers really do like newsletters! I started mine early and was shocked at how many people subscribed only a couple of months in. Offer exclusive content or opportunities to win something every now and then and keep it  simple, short & sweet. You can see an example of one of my newsletters here.

Go to events pre-pub

If there is any way you can afford to send yourself to book events before your book comes out, DO IT. You will meet so many authors in the world you are about to jump into. This is important for a few reasons. First, I found that veteran authors were incredibly willing to share advice. I feel like I learned so much from small interactions with really successful authors. Second, the watch and learn aspect is amazing. Going to panels and watching authors talk about their books and answer questions really had an impact on my ability to do it when the time came. Third, networking! You will meet other debuts and form bonds with them. You’ll also connect with other industry people who aren’t authors but have a lot to offer your book. Make sure you do your homework and only go to conventions/festivals that are successful, have a great author line up, and get a decent turnout.

Do a pre-order campaign

Sometimes publishers will run a preorder campaign for an author but most of the time it’s going to be on you to put it together and execute it. It’s a lot of work and takes a lot of time but readers do respond. Make sure you are offering something people actually want, are flat, and definitely offer the chance to win a grand prize. Promote it before you launch it, and DON’T launch it too soon. I announced my preorder campaign five weeks before publication so that it coincided with other buzz and publicity building for the book. If you launch it too soon, not only will it have low visibility because you haven’t built up your presence enough, but it won’t be exciting because the book isn’t coming out for a long time.

Think long-term with your agent & keep working on new ideas

You sold a book. Awesome! But what comes next? This one is tricky because you are going to be so busy and won’t have the same time you used to have to just sit and write. But make sure you are still putting ideas in the pipeline so that you aren’t left wondering what you’re doing next after your book comes out. And be sure to talk candidly with your agent about what your long-term plans and goals are for your career so that you’re on the same page.

Ask for advice from veteran authors

I was really scared to approach established authors and ask for advice, because they are busy people. Here’s the thing… most authors are more than willing to share about their experiences. But the ones that do will give you advice that will save you so much time and energy. Think of authors whose career your admire and reach out to them while also giving them an out if they are too busy. You really don’t have anything to lose.

Ask for what you want

If you don’t ask your publisher for things you want, you will probably never get them. I know that (especially us women) are supposed to just be grateful and happy and not expect anything from anyone, but this is your career and your dream. Speak up if there’s something you want. Be professional and respectful and your publisher will either grant your request, decline it, or dialogue/collaborate with you on it. There are a few things I thought I wanted until I talked to my publicist or marketing team and realized they actually weren’t going to help me or weren’t worth the resources. They are the experts and they have the knowledge you don’t. If they don’t want to do something, ask why and learn. If it’s something you still want, do it yourself. More on that later…

Hire a short-term assistant

Again, if you can afford it, this is the single best decision I made leading up to my book’s release. If you have a full-time day job or have kids (like me), this can be a lifesaver. You will be so busy and overwhelmed when release day comes! If there’s anyway you can have help, you will save your own sanity. I hired an assistant for the month before and month of pub and had her come once a week for a few hours. She runs errands, goes to the post office, ran my preorder campaign, logs my receipts, and other random things that need to be done. This gave me more time to not only care for myself, but also meet my deadlines on book two. I was really unsure if I should spend the money but it was worth every single penny.

DON’T

Invest money before you have a plan

There are a few things I spent money on early in the game that I shouldn’t have. I hadn’t done my research or asked for recommendations and I definitely didn’t get a return on those dollars. I learned my lesson pretty quickly and got more careful about where money was going.

Reinvent yourself

Once you start a presence in the reader world, I think it can be tempting to try to reinvent yourself. Don’t do it. Be yourself and be honest because that’s what people respond to. If you’re faking it, people will feel it and it comes across that way. When you’re creating your “brand” just be yourself and talk about things that are important to you. Most importantly, get a little but not TOO vulnerable, and let people get to know the real you. When you do, you’ll probably get to connect with some really amazing humans in this industry.

Rely on your publisher to do everything for you

This is kind of an extension from one of the “Do’s”. I have been really lucky with my publisher and they have supported my book really well. But not everyone gets that same kind of support and who knows if I will be so lucky in the future. I have a lot of author friends who bust their asses to promote their own books. You can’t sit around and wait for other people to do things for you and your career. If things aren’t happening, take control of your own fate and get busy. If you’re not a natural self-starter, it’s time to learn how to be one. If you don’t make an effort, things will not magically come together. Be prepared to work really hard, invest your own time and resources, and do things that are outside of your comfort zone.

Get sucked into the abyss of ARC tours

I signed up for a lot of ARCs on my debut group’s ARC tour and man did I regret it. I actually had to go take myself off a lot of lists because it is SO time-consuming! Only offer to read books you are really excited about and if you commit to read an ARC, read it. Don’t just let it sit on your bedside table for two months. Additionally, don’t put stock into your own ARC going on tour. I wish I’d done more giveaways with my ARCs instead of sending them on tours. One got lost and the other was never read by a single person. We are all busy, but this is one thing I thought was going to be so beneficial for early reviews on Goodreads and instead, it was a time and energy suck. The verdict: Sign up for a few ARCs you really want to read and support. Send out your ARC on tour ONLY if you have a lot of copies and don’t care what happens to it or if anyone ever reads it or reviews it.

Compare debut experiences

Every single debut will have a different experience with both advantages and disadvantages. Stay focused on your own book and be genuinely happy for other people who are doing well. Be honest enough with yourself to recognize when you are just flat out jealous and don’t ever engage in talking bad about other authors or publishing professionals. EVER. This is a very small community and you can’t afford to burn bridges.

Rely on your debut group

This is not a slight on debut groups – they are a great place to get information and learn. I love my debut group! You will meet some awesome people but do not bank on them supporting you or your book. I invested a lot of time into promoting and boosting other debuts books early on thinking I’d get the same in return. This is really unrealistic thinking because although debut groups start out really energetic and enthusiastic, everyone gets so so so busy the closer publication gets. Some people get burned out, disappear, and just don’t have the bandwidth to stay engaged once their book comes out. The people who get the most support from the whole debut group are authors who are releasing beginning of the year. If that’s not you, connect with a few other debuts who are pubbing at a similar time as you and form some relationships with them. In the end, I made a few great friends who have been so incredibly supportive of Sky in the Deep and they have been amazing! But I wish I’d gone into the debut group experience with that expectation.

Start promoting your book too early

Earlier I said to start your presence in the reader world early. That’s different than self-promo. The best rule of thumb I’ve heard is to wait to start your consistent self-promo until 12 weeks before release. And even then, be sure that you are still promoting other people’s books or talking about things other than your book. Your promotion will start to lose its impact very quickly if you are only talking about yourself. Be strategic about it and save most of your promo for right before your book releases so that it has the most return.

Make too many commitments

You have no idea how exhausted and busy you are going to be in the few months before publication. DO NOT overcommit to things! Be sure you are thinking ahead and being wise about your time and energy because there are limits to both. Only commit to things you really think will be a great benefit to your book.

Read reviews

Just don’t do it. It’s so tempting, but stay away from Goodreads before and after your book comes out unless you have an incredibly thick skin. Nothing takes the wind from your sails like someone stomping all over your work, your art, and your voice. People can be so incredibly awful and some of the most popular reviewers have huge followings because they are downright mean. A good author friend gave me this advice early on and I’m so glad she did because it has saved me so much heartache.

Neglect self-care

This is the biggest mistake I made during this process and luckily, I was able to correct it about halfway through. If you don’t take care of your mental health, it will have a really negative impact on your creative well. This is your dream! Don’t let it turn into a negative emotional monster that is sucking the life out of you. The highest priority has to be your well being or it’s all for nothing.

 

I hope some of this is helpful to future debuts! I still have a long road ahead and a lot to learn but these were definitely the biggest lessons learned up to this point.