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How I release a book and evolve my professional identity
Norah Woodsey
29 Jan
I have a new book coming out in the spring! Yes, this is not new news but I forgot to send a newsletter so here it is, my announcement. I’ll just explain my approach to the business side of this book, and how it differs from The Control Problem, Lifeless, When the Wave Collapses, all the short stories, etc.
With each book, I try to add a new skill to my toolbox. The first two were the basics, hiring cover artist and formatting the interior and learning how to release books professionally. For The Control Problem, I was more ambitious. I made an audiobook, signed up for NetGalley, sent the book out for professional reviews, and dabbled in digital advertising.
Doing those things illuminated other gaps. For The States, I started everything I did with before but earlier (The States is on NetGalley and BookSprout now!). And, I’ve tried other, less introvert-friendly strategies. I got expert feedback from a neuroscientist on the mechanics of my dream machine, I worked with a wonderful translator for all the Irish passages, and I’ve hired a publicity firm, Books Forward. Publicity? Me!? Gasp!
The last one was a recent decision. I was fortunate to talk with a publishing industry expert a couple months ago, who said The States was good! That I am a clean, expressive writer! I have a strong voice and point of view! And... I am bad at marketing.
This is not news to me – I see my monthly statements. That it was presented as an insurmountable problem made me angry sad reflective. A traditional publishing deal fills in this gap, but even that has been less true as time has gone by. And the fact remains – I enjoy doing most of the tasks involved in self-publishing. I love working with cover artists and interior designers and selecting my paragraph separators and emailing with printers about paper stock. It’s worth it to me to figure out how to overcome this problem of mine. Or at least give it a real try.
There are so many wonderful books out there. I can make these books as close to perfect as I can get them. But no one will read them if they have never heard of me. Sad but true.
