It’s been official for almost a month. Thanks to New Dawning International Bookfair and Books to Go Now! and their fantastic staffs, I am a published author. For years I worked for the day I could say I was an author. But as I hinted earlier this month, (well, it was more than a hint) publication is only the beginning. Because publication brings with it responsibilities: to your publisher, to your readership, to your book, and to yourself. Having written on one of the pitfalls of new authorship–the bad review–I thought I’d address another major problem of the newly published: obligations.
Some new authors do not realize just how much your life is not your own once you sign on the dotted line. Your publisher now has a vested interest in how well your work does in the marketplace. They have invested time and money into publishing and promoting your work. They expect, and you are obligated usually contractually but certainly morally and ethically, to assist the publisher in the promotion of your works. This partnership is part of the obligation of being published.
Okay, so how bad could that be, really? You maybe write a couple of reviews, you write a blog or two a week, you participate in an online chat, you set up accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, and a website and maintain them all. You perhaps do blog tours, you get interviewed, you interview and review other authors, you comment on others’ blogs, you join Yahoo Groups and/or Goodreads groups. All with the intent of getting your name and your book titles out there to the paying public.
The problem, you ask? Time. There must be more time somewhere in the universe, if only I could tap it! Because all this promotion takes time. Time you could spend writing more wonderful books for your publisher to sell.
Thus begins the juggling act. How do you keep all these promotional balls in the air and still add one for every project you are currently writing, one for critting, one for your family, one for your job, and one for God knows what else may crop up (always expect the unexpected!). Octopus arms seem a good idea about now.
This obligation can overwhelm new authors, who may have just gotten the hang of writing and critting. How on earth do you fit everything else in?
The truth is, you don’t. You can’t. Unless you’re Superman, or have a time bank from which you can withdraw a couple of spare hours each day, you will not be able to do everything. This is where time management and the art of prioritizing, walk hand in hand up to the newly published and say “Tell ya what we’re gonna do…” You are going to make a plan.
Because there are different schools of thought regarding the best way to promote your work, you need to make a series of decisions:
1) Decide which ways you plan to promote your work. Your publisher may suggest several things to you. Working with them (and you want to work with your publisher, not just make arbitrary decisions), decide on several (not more than 4 to begin with) ways you will be able to promote your books.
2) Make a list of these promotional events and the days/times you will devote to them.
3) Set aside time EVERY DAY just to write. If you don’t produce new works you will be the literary equivalent of a “one hit wonder” in the music business.
4) Set aside time each week to critique your crit partners works (if you don’t do them, you won’t receive them).
Currently, I am able to devote my weekends to writing and writing related events. I schedule everything from Friday morning thru Sun. night. It takes a bit of discipline, a bit of ingenuity, and a lot of determination. But the rewards, I am finding, can be very fulfilling (you get to write more books!) and very sweet (people actually buy your books!).
BTW–My publisher, New Dawning International Bookfair, in conjunction with their grand opening during the month of June, will be hosting a chat online at Publishing Trove beginning at 10 am Saturday, June 25, so come chat with me or any of the other New Dawning authors. Maybe you will become a New Dawning author yourself! Hope to see you online Saturday.
How do you cope with juggling your writing time and all the promotional/publishing obligations attendant on authorship? Please share!
Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 
With multiple kids in college I have to work multiple jobs. I try to squeeze in writing time late at night, or whenever I can grab a few minutes. Then I have to answer emails, do blogs, promote, promote, promote! I’m looking into the possibility of giving up sleep entirely! Warren Zevon sang, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” RIP, Warren, but I’m with him on that!
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NOt pubbed, so not really any help here. Sorry!
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But you will be! So you still need to know these things. Be prepared don’t you know!
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Let me just preface my comment with: I HATE PROMOS. I would so much rather be writing my books and novellas than doing promotional stuff. But, publishers don’t do much in the way of promos, so the author is left to do it or pay the price when the books don’t sell. I spend my mornings on promos–twitter, Facebook, blog tours, website management. I do not have a blog of my own simply because I’m not convinced that it creates the kind of buzz that sells books. Sure blogging is a community and networking thing, but does it drive sales? How much time does it take to compose a truly useful blog that isn’t just appealing to other writers, but brings in new readers? More time than I’ve got to spend on it.
As for making time to write… It’s my career and I do it full time, which makes me lucky, and very grateful to my husband who encourages me by kvelling over my punky little royalty checks as though they were diamonds. Couldn’t do it without him.
Great post, Jenna. Very thorough and thoughtful.
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Thanks, Patricia! Being new to the game, I have no idea what drives sales. I tend to think good writing does, but you do have to get that writing out there and draw potential readers to it. You are fortunate to be able to write full time. I get a taste of that during the summer and try to get as much accomplished then as possible. I am going to experiment over the next few weeks, try some different strategies re: promotions, and see if there is an increase in sales. And still keep plugging away at the writing. It all comes back to the basics. 🙂
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Oh and if you get a chance to join a blog tour, that’s a big plus. The last one I was with 16 other authors, each week I had a guest and was a guest elsewhere. Wonderful experience, our organizer was great. Just a thought and it was easy promoting.
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How do you join one? I’ve seen them around, but have never been able to get on the tour.
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Jenna, why don’t several or twelve of us get together and do a blog tour. You’ve got two out and I have a self-pub and contracted story. There must be others who have someting new(ish) they’d like to promo on a tour.
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Having guests at my blog helps free me to write. The guests bring their friends and hopefully I’ll get new readers. Keep interview questions prepared and change to fit the guest. Makes life easier and makes you seem more connected to your guest. I store all my excerpts, book covers, interview questions, anything I might want to use is kept on a flash drive and when the need occurs I’m prepared and the job is done fast. No stress. No mess. Nothing is more frustrating than searching your computer for some piece of information. I also keep copies of the same info in my yahoo email draft folder. Great post, sure made me think. Hope I get a chance to drop by tomorrow for your chat.
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Thanks for stopping by today, Cassie. And thanks for the great information! I had just begun to think about having guest bloggers to help fill out my week. And interviews sound like another great way to connect to both writers and readers. Hope to “see” you at the chat!
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Jenna, just signed on the dotted line so this article comes in super handy. Thanks for the explanations and tips, I will do my best to put them to good use.
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Congratulations, Toni! Which work are we going to be seeing soon? That is fantastic news! If this post helps make your life a little less crazy, I’m thrilled. Good luck!
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Unfortunately, Jenna we’re stuck with what time we have. Yes, it would be nice to be able to beg, borrow or steal even an extra few minutes but we can’t. So we have to make do with the time we have.
Besides being a published author I have another job. One that for now pays the bills. I’m also lucky that I can write while at work. I think I’d go crazy if I couldn’t. I’m working on a full, 95,000+, and a short, 15,000+. When the short is finished I’ll be starting another full, 65,000+.
So, you ask, how can you write both at the same time? When I started the short I would write parts of both at the same time but found it didn’t work. I decided the only way to keep the two stories straight, and don’t forget they both are mysteries and some characters cross from one book to another, was to work on one at a time, or I should say day. That’s what I’m doing. One day one. Next day the other and so on. And it seems to be working.
That’s Monday through Friday. On Saturday and sometimes on Sunday I edit. Usually the full. I’ll do the short when it’s finished.
Sunday it’s Six Sentence Sunday – http://sixsentence.com where I also post. And speaking of blog posting, I feel that if you stick to a routine then you’ll bring people back. Post the same day of the week. That way people will look for your latest post. Even if they don’t get email alerts. Oh but, you can still do special posts, like this one of yours.
My weekday mornings are for reading and answering emails along with reading and commenting on blogs I follow. And the list keeps growing. If time permits I’ll do a little promo.
Nights, which can run until 3-4 in the morning, I used to follow up on the morning blogs and emails.
I do admit that I Tweet more than I use Facebook because I find it faster and easier.
But it all boils to figuring out what works for you and doing it. And that’s all promotion. Promoting you, your book or in my case books.
Even with all this I still find time for the family. Okay, so they’re a dog and cat but they still need attention just like your spouse and offspring.
Find what works for you. But don’t expect the answer to come overnight. But it will come.
Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to read for a few minutes before getting some sleep. Because it starts all over when I wake up.
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Wow, Lindsay! What a schedule! I am finding the schedule that works for me, but it changes a lot based on my work. I’m off for the summer, but the work I’m doing in DC right now keeps me away fromt the computer Mon-Thurs. So I adapt. In the fall it will change again. No one said it was easy and they were right.
But organization is the key, I believe. If you can make a schedule that works for you and stick to it, you can fit in a lot of stuff you never though you’d get to. I have a friend who reads books while she’s stopped at red lights, because that’s the only time she has to read. But it works for her. I’m still working on what works for me. Less sleep, I think.
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