Confessions of a Debut Author (or How to Avoid Going Crazy in the Weeks Before and After Your Launch)

By Lisa Malice, Ph.D.

I must confess! No, not to murder, embezzlement, conspiracy, or any other nefarious crime. My declaration has nothing to do with anything immoral or otherwise salacious. (I will admit to having deadly thoughts occasionally, daydreams in which I kill people in all manner of ways for all manner of motives, but then again, I am a thriller writer.)

No, today I simply confess that being a debut author—as amazing as it is to finally call myself that—has been an overwhelming experience in the months before and after my December release of Lest She Forget. Every day I’m doing something other than writing my next book—crafting blog posts for Writers Who Kill and guest posts for other authors’ blogs, responding to interview questions, arranging and making in-person and virtual author appearances, prepping for webinars and videoblogs—and updating my website and daily social media posts to capture it all to share this amazing experience with friends, family, and fans. So much to do, leaving me little time for anything else (other than help my daughter plan and throw a fabulous wedding!).

One of three in-person book club meetings in Atlanta during the first week of April 2024.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve found these opportunities exhilarating and fun. But this flurry of activity is something I did not anticipate, as I never thought to ask anyone what to expect about this phase of my debut experience. So, this post is meant to encourage emerging and debut authors to be prepared!

Start this process early! If you are traditionally published, ask the PR/Marketing staff what they will be doing to promote your book and what your role will be. Are they going to bat for you and your book, or are you pretty much on your own? Either way, you’ll need to draw on your own network of family, friends, and connections in the writing community (e.g., writers, readers, reviewers, industry pros) to help you get the word out about your upcoming book.  

Here are a few tips I can offer debut authors to start:

1)  Brainstorm outlets for PR based on your network of family, friends, work associates, volunteer organizations—any group of people with whom you are associated, even if your connections are rather stale. Good things can happen only when you put yourself out there.

 

I am living proof this works. Reaching out to Georgia Tech led to a webinar appearance, during which I shared what I’d learned about networking as a writer. Similarly, my women’s fraternity (Chi Omega) ran a 2-page feature on me, focused on how my college experience impacted my success as a published author—again, very much dependent on my ability to be an active member of the writing community. More locally, I parlayed my ITW connection to a local news anchor into a launch-day TV appearance on FOX 13’s Tampa Bay Reads. 

This 2-page spread from the January 2024 issue of The Eleusis, Chi Omega's quarterly magazine, 

resulted from an inquiry made in July 2023. 

This blurb in the Georgia Tech alumni magazine (April 2024) was requested in July 2023; 

the contact also resulted in a November 2023 webinar appearance

2)  Brainstorm a list of topics related to your book, your writing process, your research, basically anything that shows your potential readers who you are, what your book is about, and why they should place a pre-sale order immediately—then get to work writing in anticipation of guest blogs and written interviews. Edit at your leisure. For guest blogs, shoot for 500-700 words. You can always embellish the piece if more words are allowed. Your book should be peripheral to the post, not the focus of the piece.

My four-part blog series for WWK (“Unforgettable Tales of Amnesia”) drew on books, films, and true-life stories to illustrate the differences between the various forms of amnesia. These pieces could have been researched, written, and edited months before my December launch date—but it didn’t occur to me write these essays until my publisher’s PR staff asked to me (two months before my launch) to write for a few guest blogs.

Blogs are effective in selling you and your book to the extent they are interesting and engaging. Use what is unique to you for fresh perspectives and angles that will draw readers in. For me, that’s my background in psychology. The first two blogs in my amnesia series prove this works. Readers found the information “absolutely fascinating” and shared their own experiences interacting with relatives suffering from memory loss for one reason or another.

3)    Anticipate interview questions and get to work. Again, edit at your leisure, shooting for 250 words max, then file them away for later use. This task is not as hard as you think. Some questions are pretty standard. Other questions will center more on your book, its characters, and the story. Ask other authors, especially those who have read your ARC, for questions. Consider questions that a reader might ask, too. Here are a few I was asked to answer:

·         What was the inspiration for your book? 

·         How did the story develop from its inception to the ending (a roundabout way of asking whether you are a pantser or plotter)? 

·         What research did you undertake to write your book?  

·         What was the most challenging part of writing your book? The most fun? 

·         What are you working on now? 

·         When you’re not writing, what do you like to do? 

·         Is writing more of an emotional or cerebral endeavor? 

·         What words of wisdom do you have for aspiring writers? 

·         What do you do when you find yourself stuck or blocked with your writing?

·         If your book were to be made into a movie, which actors would play your characters? 

These efforts don’t have to be a time-consuming. When you need a break from writing your next book, get started on a blog post or interview question. Edit them at your leisure, then tuck the finished essays in a folder marked “Launch Posts” for quick and easy access when you need them.

Now, let’s hear from you—what tips or advice can you offer soon-to-be-published authors for better managing pre- and post-launch PR/marketing activities?

LISA MALICE is a psychologist-turned-thriller author. Her bestselling debut novel, Lest She Forget, a psychological thriller, was honored with the 2024 IBPA Gold Medal for Best New Voice. Lisa loves being part of community of crime-loving writers, readers, and industry professionals. A compulsive volunteer, you can often find Lisa interviewing someone for feature in ITW’s “The Big Thrill,” planning an author event for her Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime chapter or working the registration table at Bouchercon and Thrillerfest. Learn more and contact Lisa @ www.LisaMalice.com