Didn’t you work too hard on this book to leave its success in the hand of a random subjective jury or a fickle industry?
My Adventures in Book Publicity Part 4 | Planning
My Adventures in Book Publicity
Each edition of series My Adventures in Book Publicity will feature a campaign or organization that I am supporting.
What it Feels Like to Launch a Book
For those of you wondering what it feels like to launch a debut book into the world—or any book for that matter—well it can feel like an exercise in exclusion.
Were the gym teachers sadists when they handed the bats to the best athletes in the class who also happened to be the most popular and anointed them team captains? Of course these boys chose their friends first (the system was rigged) and then the rest of us were either picked or passed over until we got to the final sad kid. Fortunately most stopped paying attention once the stars were selected—nobody else really mattered.
Because of my uneven abilities, my placement in the draft pick was never secure. While I generally was not good at sports and pretty terrible at catching, I could run fast and hit the ball decently, so I often was picked in the middle or second to last and sometimes last.
Worse than the order in which you were chosen was the anticipation of waiting to hear your name. The feelings of excitement and dread were something close to torture as you stood frozen in the silence between the humming and hawing of the captains looking at you then past you until finally fixing their eyes on someone they assessed was better than you.
I remember holding my breath and thinking pick me during these minutes that felt like years—not because I cared which team I was on, but so this excruciating public display of humiliation would end.
That we had to live through this a couple times a week in gym class and at every recess made it all the worse.
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And that’s what book launch season can feel like only with higher stakes because this isn’t some random game that you most likely didn’t choose to play, but your most prized accomplishment—your book!
An author has a role to play in the promotion of their own book—particularly small or independent press authors. In the publishing world, the system favours those with big presses, big agents, private publicists, money, time, connections, and other resources.
You can throw your hands in the air and do nothing, and often it will be the case that nothing will happen—unless by some chance of luck you get shortlisted for an award, but even then you have to make the most out of that opportunity.
Didn’t you work too hard on this book to leave its success in the hand of a random subjective jury or a fickle industry?
As I discussed in part one of this series, the first step for me was figuring out what my goals were in terms of what I wanted my book to do. It’s ideal if these goals are connected to something you care about like your ideas rather than something you have no control over such as sales or awards.
Next I tried to develop a productive mindset to carry me throughout my book promotion which can last up to and beyond two years if you want it to.
Just because the publishing world moves on from your book within three to six months, doesn’t mean you have to.
Milk your book for all its worth.
But in order to milk it, you need a plan.
I’m writing now what I would have liked to have read when I was first promoting Anecdotes. It would have made me feel less alone to know that other writers felt shitty or insecure.
Planning
For me, the best way to deal with the anticipation and lack of control of launching a book was to do some planning.
Acknowledge that during this time you most likely will not feel mentally great. In fact you will be on a roller coaster of emotions.
The literary world and our friends and family tells us that we should be happy when we get a book deal and launch a book. While this is of course objectively a good thing, it doesn’t always feel like a good thing from the point of view of an author.
In Anecdotes, not only was I writing about my concern for the world, but also I was writing about my most private and painful experiences—from living with a facial disfigurement to growing up in an alcoholic home to be on the receiving end of male violence all the while trying to add some humour into the mix. I had also stirred up some unresolved trauma. To say I felt vulnerable is an understatement.
One of the reasons I’m writing this series is to help other authors know that they aren’t the only ones with ambivalent feelings. Of course when we’re launching we might not want to share these feelings, but they are there nonetheless.
I’m writing now what I would have liked to have read when I was first promoting Anecdotes. It would have made me feel less alone to know that other writers felt shitty or insecure.
Life doesn’t stop when you launch a book so likely you’ll also be dealing with all your regular life shit such as mental health, family problems, financial problems work problems, relationship problems, and so on.
A therapist once told me that anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. Of course when you have too much it can be debilitating (which I’ve experienced) but also anxiety can be productive because it can force you to act and to prepare.
Rather than being overcome by the anxiety of book launch season, I tried to channel it into action. I wasn’t always successful, but at least when I felt at my absolute worst, I had plan and a path that I could choose to take.
Start the planning as early as possible before your feelings of inadequacy seep in because by then you won’t feel like doing a thing.
Meet with Your Publisher
Before you start to planning how you will self-promote your book, meet with your publisher and find out what they are able to do in terms of publicity and be clear about what you are willing and capable of doing.
Ideally your publisher should set up this meeting, but in the event they don’t, make sure that you do.
A quick look at your publisher’s website, newsletter, and social media accounts will give you a sense of how invested they are in their marketing. Ideally you will have checked into this prior to publication, but sometimes we don’t get to decide who will publish our book and you may find yourself with a publisher who might not be the best with marketing. If that’s that case, it’s not the end of the world, but good information to have because then you’ll know you have to take the lead.
Remember that your publisher is promoting more than one book a season. So there is going to be a limit on what they will be able to do—especially in the small press world. Your publishers and their teams are humans with a finite amount of time and resources.
Should You Hire a Publicist?
For Anecdotes, Book*hug exceeded my expectations in all areas of marketing and promotion. They have an active blog and YouTube channel and create content to support their writers. They pitch to festivals, magazines, and literary outlets, they organize launches, help set up bookstore events, submit to awards, are active on social media, attend festivals and conferences, and of course they are doing a lot of other work behind-the-scenes. They also had a clear marketing plan that they executed.
Given that I knew they were good on the publicity side of things, I decided not to hire a private publicist. I’m not a huge fan of writers going into debt for their books or paying to play. I thought that I had a good enough idea about marketing that I didn’t need to hire someone.
However, I did get I burned out. So would I consider hiring a private publicist for the next book? I might. This would depend on how I feel about the book, how much money I get for an advance, and how much I’m able to save and willing to put out for it.
I didn’t pitch myself to podcasts or media, or festivals, and I didn’t get through my entire list of pitching outlets for essays. I just couldn’t keep up especially while having a full-time job.
In the end, I’m happy with how my book was received and I’m grateful for everything my publisher did. But for a next book, I would likely hire a private publicist to avoid some burn out and potentially get different opportunities.
Timeline
Thinking about publicity is overwhelming.
Be reasonable with yourself about what you can do given your particular situation.
I thought I had enough time giving myself eight months, but if I were to do it again, I would start thinking about publicity up to a year or more in advance.
In considering your timeline, think about a two or more year plan. You don’t have to do absolutely everything in the first six months. Spread it out.
Your publisher will likely have you fill out a publicity sheet where you list comparable books, places where you’ve published, names of people or outlets who should receive ARCs, blurb requests, and other publicity related questions.
They will have their own agenda for things that they get all their authors to do such as intro videos, blog posts, and round ups.
Below are some areas where I made lists and did some planning about what I would focus my time and energy on in addition to what the publisher planned.
Only Do What You Are Interested In
My main advice for all things self-promotion is don’t do anything you don’t want to do.
If you hate social media, then don’t use it.
Don’t want to do a book tour? Don’t.
Seriously don’t!
Book promotion is like exercise.
If you despise what you are doing and dread it, then you just won’t do it, and you’ll feel like a failure.
Don’t set yourself up for that.
Only do what you are interested and invested in doing.
Completing one thing well is better than doing a bunch of things badly or nothing at all.
When you invest in others, you are investing in yourself. Instead of seeing writers as competition, think of them as collaborators.
Social Media
Although I am a pretty heavy user of social media, I still decided where I was going to focus my attention which was on Instagram (since Twitter imploded) and then later Bluesky and Substack.
Your social media plan can’t just be screaming “buy my book” into the void. No one will pay attention to that.
I didn’t end up doing much different than I usually do—some jokes, some politics, supporting others with whom I share values in the literary community.
Collaborators
If you know you have a book coming out, start supporting others who have books coming out.
When you invest in others, you are investing in yourself. Instead of seeing writers as competition, think of them as collaborators.
If you want the literary community to be interested in you, you also need to be interested in them.
Focus on the community to which you are most aligned. Read books by your press mates or others who are writing within your subject matter.
I tried to support other small press fiction and especially short fiction writers, so when I saw that they were sharing their launches and other book information, I shared their posts, and they started sharing mine. We had this sort of unspoken understanding that we would lift each other up. It was sweet how that unfolded organically.
Take the initiative. Whose work do you admire? Share it! If you’re able—go to their events in person or online.
Show up for others how you’d like them to show up for you. But ensure that your shares and engagement are genuine.
Most likely those who you’ve supported will support you too. And some may not. That’s okay. Don’t be in this for a tit for a tat. You’ll be disappointed.
When I say start early doing this—start like two years early.
Lists of Previous Publications
If you do nothing else—do this!
Make a list of magazines and journals that have published your work especially those in the last 5 to 10 years and send the editor a personal note with information about your book.
You want to make this as non-generic and non-spammy as possible.
Remind them what they published of yours and when, mention that you have a new book out, include the description and press release, and offer of an ARC. Of course your publisher will be doing this as well, but a personal letter goes a lot farther especially if it’s framed in the form of a thank you.
A journal that published you before is more likely to do something for you now. For example, a story from Anecdotes had been published in Vol. 1 Brooklyn, and I sent a note mentioning this to Tobias Carroll, the Managing Editor, and he put Anecdotes in a round up of their book of the month list. Other places where I had published my stories or poetry either did interviews, reviews, profiles, excerpts which included Geist, subTerrain, PrismInternational, 49th Shelf, All Lit Up, and CBC Books.
This is a very successful strategy because you are pitching a place that has already accepted your work.
I realized that this was a good idea when I was on the receiving end of these pitches for The Rusty Toque and Joyland. I was always happy for previous contributors new books and would attempt to do something for them if I could.
Pitching and Self-Publishing Essays
I knew that it was going to be hard to get review coverage since there are few outlets, so I thought I had better pitch some essays in hopes that I could get some pre-book launch activity going.
I pitched an essay “On Not Wanting Children” to Catapult Magazine, and it was published about eight months before my book came out. Even though it wasn’t an essay about my book, it was related thematically. This is where a literary agent would also be helpful (which I don’t have for fiction) because they would be able to pitch you to some bigger publications—although I was surprise at how many I could pitch to myself.
I tried to pitch other outlets on topics related to the book such as periods and shame and Judy Bloom but was turned down.
Once I realized no one was biting on essays related to my book, I used my newsletter and wrote and published my own. One of my more popular posts on Send My Love to Anyone was written about the time I wrote the most hated haiku in Canada, a piece is directly related to a story in my collection.
On a whim, I wrote another essay on why pre-orders matter. It was a question I was genuinely wondering about, and I ended up interviewing some booksellers and publishers online. It turned out this was topic that many writers were wondering about and was shared widely.
And then I wrote another piece on self-promotion—a kind of in-the-moment reflection.
So the lesson here is that if you try something and it’s not working (that is, you’re getting rejected everywhere as I was) then consider pivoting.
This is why having a newsletter can be valuable. Even if you don’t have many subscribers, your article can be shared around which reminds readers about you and your book.
Another option if you don’t have a newsletter or blog is to ask your press to publish your piece on their blog or website.
For every roadblock, I try and think about what I can do instead.
Pitching Literary Podcasts
Podcasts are another great way to connect with audiences.
Well before your book launches, research what literary podcasts you’d love to be a guest on and that would be a good fit for your book.
I didn’t have a sense of this at all which was a missed opportunity.
However I got invited to a couple of podcasts based on my literary citizenship rather than direct pitching. Writers who I met online like Tim Blackett, Hollay Ghadery,
and , and ended up inviting me to their podcasts through our online interactions.While literary citizenship is important, it can be random, so direct pitching is a good idea. Get to know the podcast world well before your launch year.
Here are some places to start, but this is just scratching the surface.
12 Literary Podcasts for Writers and Readers, Electric Lit
10 of the Best Literary Podcasts, Book Riot
Short Story Today with Jon DiSavino
Canadian Podcasts
Getting Lit with Linda with Linda Morra
No Future No Cry with Dr. Syrus Marcus Ware
Reframables with Natalie and Rebecca Davey
What Happened Next: A Podcast About Newish Books with Nathan Whitlock
- Podcast with
What are your favourite podcasts?
Where to Send ARCS
My publisher sent Anecdotes to many IG Book influencers which is a great way to get traction, excitement, and publicity for your book.
Each time an influencer shares your book, you and your publisher have something to promote about your book.
I initially thought this was just smoke and mirrors, but actually it really does drum up enthusiasm.
Next time I would be more intentional about sending friends or writers I admire ARCs in hopes that they will read it and share it on their socials. I didn’t do this, but I think it’s a good idea and would put more care and time into who received early copies of the book.
Book Tours
I wrote about book tours in part three of this series, and I also outline some alternatives if you’re not able to do an in person book tour.
Blurbs
I’ve written about how to ask for blurbs and how to write blurbs, but my quick tip here is to ask for more than you need because some writers might agree and then fall through for any number of reasons.
Good Luck!
While planning can help offset the anxiety of book launching and provide you with some opportunities to share your work, know that you are not alone in your feelings.
I try to remind myself that it’s a privilege to have a book in the world, a publisher who supports it, and readers who connect with it.
And I’ve found having this path forward is the best way to deal with the uncertainty and stress that comes with launching a book.
I’ve love to hear your thoughts about book launching and your tips and tricks for surviving!
My Adventures in Book Publicity Series
Curious about my debut story collection? Check it out at Book*hug Press.
Kathryn Mockler is the author of the story collection Anecdotes (Book*hug Press, 2023), which won the 2024 Victoria Butler Book Prize and was a finalist for the 2024 Trillium Book Award, 2023 Danuta Gleed Literary Award, 2024 Fred Kerner Award, and 2024 VMI Besty Warland Between Genres Award. She co-edited the print anthology Watch Your Head: Writers and Artists Respond to the Climate Crisis (Coach House Books, 2020). Her films have screened at TIFF, EMFA, the Palm Springs Film Festival and most recently at the Arizona Underground Film Festival and REELPoetry/HoustonTX. She runs the literary newsletter Send My Love to Anyone and teaches screenwriting and fiction in the Writing Department at the University of Victoria.
Featured Campaign - Crips for eSims for Gaza
Each edition of series My Adventures in Book Publicity will feature a campaign or organization that I am supporting.
Disabled people around the world are raising funds to get as many eSims as we can into Gaza.
"We want to get money and resources directly to Palestinians in Gaza, however, as many people know, the blockade has made it almost impossible to get cash and resources into Gaza. One way that is possible is getting people eSims."
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So glad to be on your list - we appreciate you!! ⭐️
This is so good, Kathryn! I appreciate your generosity.