So, SCARLET has not yet launched. It will do that quite soon (ahem! Valentine’s Day! ahem!) but this is a blog of debut authors, so I’m going to go ahead and give you the down and dirty details of what I’ve done so far–and maybe at the end of the year I can tell you what really paid off and what didn’t!
Don’t hold me to that.
Join a group. Like…um…this one. I’ve never had a kid, but I imagine it’s kind of like having a baby when NO ONE YOU KNOW HAS EVER HAD A CHILD and trying to figure out how to go from there. Get help. Get friends. It’s going to get confusing, exciting, frustrating and thrilling, and you need someone who is going through the same thing.
Pick swag. For me, this was tshirts, postcards, a few stickers and a few hair combs. You DO need something for giveaways. You DON’T need to spend much. Buy something fun (I love my tshirts) so you can say yes when people ask–which they will. Be ready.
Buy Photoshop (and learn how to use it). From swag to stickers to postcard layouts, to website banners, headers, footers and everything in between, I use Photoshop constantly. The cheap one–don’t go crazy. I’m not graphically talented, but it saves me a lot of time and effort with a designer. I DO design my own website (on the supremely easy SquareSpace) so this really comes in handy.
Send postcards. I sent postcards to all the indies I could find (and Indiebound lets you find a lot) and could justify the cost of sending to. This has paid off. I sent them to schools; this has NOT paid off. Find English teachers’ email addresses and email them–it’s much, much more effective. (If you want to know what to do with them, Saundra Mitchell explains it wayy better here: http://anywherebeyond.livejournal.com/279474.html)
Plan a party and schedule a vacation. Somewhere in all the interviews, contests, reviews and copy edits, you’ll have this flicker of a moment where you’re just like “wasn’t this supposed to be the funnest thing EVER?” because it doesn’t feel like it. Which is when you get over that feeling, and schedule yourself some fun time. I’m having a pre-launch family and friends party to take the night off and actually celebrate (because I have NO IDEA how to do that) and…welll…scheduling a vacation is still on my to-do list. But I already recognize how much you need to schedule some down time into the madness.
Say yes to everything physically possible. Interview? YES! Donation? Yes! Giveaway? Of course! Kidney? Ye–wait, what? YES! Right now I have no idea what will pay off, what will get my name out there, what will be that magic ticket to the Willy Wonka factory (which is where we’re all trying to go…right?).
Find some way to reinvest your heart. I haven’t launched yet, and this is madness. It’s such a learning curve, it’s such a crazy new process that I have no experience in–and that gives me anxiety! And then add on the squishy feeling of this thing that was once super personal becoming super public (and weirdly unattached to you) and it’s easy to get emotionally depleted. So whether it’s time with your family, committing to a passion project, taking time off, or even working on something that will never see the light of day, find a way to protect your heart and have it do little heart push-ups. This is an amazing process, this is a growing process, and your heart needs to be Schwarzenegger’ed out to survive with your creativity intact.
So…any other checklist items for ME?
by AC Gaughen
Thanks for sharing your tips. They are really helpful. Off to check the blog post you recommended.
I’m going to picking your brain like crazy and I MUST have a T-shirt. Can we buy one????
Wait. Vacation? *mad I forgot something* Awesome post AC. You’re right on target with what to do. And what Kim said, I want a T-shirt.
I also have an extra party planned, though mine’s a post party/release with family and friends. This was a must-do for me.
And I agree with investing your heart and giving back in some way. This Saturday at my party I’m hosting a raffle to benefit my local Children’s hospital.
I’m so excited for you. I think you’ve got all your bases covered. And Saundra Mitchell truly helped me get through my release. Her website was like my marketing bible.
Great post, AC. Can’t wait for Scarlet.
Super post! I’m inspired. I’ve been waiting for more instructions on what to do before my book’s release. Thank you!
Ack! OMG, so much to learn, so little time. My debut releases in August. Photoshop? Check. Vacation? Uh oh.
Thank you, AC! Such excellent advice. And I am definitely taking notes from the 2k12 classmates who go before me. It is so important to have a support group around these babies…
Love this, AC! A vacation would be wonderful right about now!
Vacation, reinvesting in your heart, yes!!
Thanks for all the great suggestions! Re: Photoshop, free is even better than cheap; there’s a program called Gimp for Mac and PC which is just as good as Photoshop and simple to use.
Jennifer, my advice is not to wait for instructions. Your book is out in May, so now is a good time to start planning and reaching out to your publicist at your publisher. I would love to have a few extra months to get myself organized!
This is SO awesome! I’m in the middle of many of these things and yet I still find this helpful–focusing! Thanks, A.C.!
Thanks guys–I’m glad it was helpful! And as far as tshirts go…you’ll just have to watch my website for ways to win them!
Because you wouldn’t want to go pissing Scarlet off. She gets mean.
x
I do consider all the concepts you have introduced on your post. They are really convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are too short for newbies. Could you please extend them a little from subsequent time? Thank you for the post.