Ready, Set, Promote!
When the World Turned Upside Down was originally slated to come out in November. As such, we had promotions planned to ramp up in September. One of the impacts of COVID is supply chain issues. There’s been a major issue with securing paper, so my book was pushed to January, and then to February. The push back was announced in September, so there was a flurry of rescheduling in September. Two events still happened in September. I participated in the Scholastic Independent Book Circle to introduce my book with three other Scholastic authors. I also participated in the Mindful Books for Anxious panel at the New Voices, New Rooms conference hosted by NAIBA and SIBA regional independent bookseller associations. Both events were fantastic opportunities to hear about other writers’ work and process. The conference panel got written up in an article in Publishers Weekly. Additionally, I wrote some activity sheets that could go with When the World Turned Upside Down. I have no idea if they will get developed, but I gave it a try. My publisher also hosted a book giveaway for the book on Goodreads.
In the pause, I worked on book promotions, publicity items, and the anthology I’m editing. I also did another workshop and hosted friends and family who came in town for various reasons. I love talking to writers. Participating in these events was energizing and fulfilling. I’m looking forward to continuing to connect with readers, booksellers and fellow writers.
Building a Book! I had an interesting moment working on the anthology that sparked the disaster mindset post. We all desperately want to succeed at everything we do, so much so that we spend precious brain energy imagining all the ways that things can go wrong. After taking a disaster diversion in my mind in August, I spent September getting to work. We got lots of original fiction and poetry. After my co-editor and I aligned on which stories we wanted to select, I dug into edits—typing in editorial direction for the fiction pieces. As I edited, I remembered my class on editing. One of the first things we learned was that *how* we communicated our edits is as important as *what* we communicate with our edits. The goal is for the writer to understand where the edits are coming from so that they can understand the intent and impetus for the comment. This gives them the leeway to solve the problem in the way that makes the most sense to them, while helping them grow as writers. It was quite a bit of lifting to get all the edits in on multiple stories, but after it was all over, I was left with nothing but excitement about what was to come!
The mystery of what it’s like to edit a book became clearer as September wore on. First the reading, then the selecting, then the typing up the notes. Our anthology had a specific point of view, so I am really interested to see if people will receive and take in the theme.
Can I hide under a rock?
I am not a fan of self-promotion—and this is not unique to me. Many writers and entrepreneurs struggle to promote their work. For me, I feel comfortable and confident sharing my point of view and my work, but it exhausts me. After a few months, I’m out of steam and no longer that interested in talking about myself. One thing that makes it easier to keep self-promotions going is to share everyday moments from your life. That’s one area I’m not comfortable with. I don’t take a ton of pictures of myself and I’m not at all intrigued by sharing the every-day details in my life. Fall is a huge time at work, so as my days got more stuffed with tasks, I had less and less energy to devote to social media. I also had my Writing Sprints that I had been running monthly since April that I was having less energy for. Ultimately, I decided to stop promoting the Writing Sprints so that I could take a break from social media. I re-posted promotions for various events and book press, but other than that, I allowed myself to cease the consistent posting. I decided I’d carry on with the writing sprints without the weekly emails that had been a component of the sprints, as well as without promoting it. Protecting your energy is key to keeping many irons in the fire.
Sustainable is a key word for being able protect your productivity. I have been appreciating being able to modulate the amount of energy I dedicate to social media while my book is still waiting to come out—and while I am overwhelmed by work and other responsibilities.
Authentic feedback
I had a long talk with the main editor for my YA book and came to an agreement that she would dive back into the editorial notes and make sure she addressed both the first and second drafts of the book. While I understood the strong preference for draft 1, I was unwilling to overlook all the work I had done to develop draft 2. My ideal outcome would be to use as much of the new material as possible and edit back as needed! She agreed to that process and I got even more time on my writing break. I could get addicted to *not* writing. Lol.
I have been working on a novel since March of last year. Three drafts of the middle grade book and two drafts of the YA book. I have really needed some time to rest and snap back. Now that winter is coming and darkness is coming sooner, I think it will be easier for me to go back into beast mode. My energy is getting restored, so in October, I’m finally ready to get back into gear!
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REFLECTION
Balance is essential. I remember a CEO Ursula Burns who suggested the only way to “have it all” is to spread it all out over time and not try to do it all at once. As I mature, I have a paradoxical relationship to time. On the one hand, I push myself to keep moving, saying to myself, there’s no time life the present. At the same time, I don’t force myself to work beyond my capacity, saying to myself, there will be time. If you run out of steam, can’t get as much done as you planned, fall behind schedule or anything else, it will still work out. You have more time than you realize. September was the fruits of shifting and the necessity of letting go of some commitments so that I can keep moving forward.
Self-Talk Script: There is no need to demand super-hero productivity. What you are able to do with the time you are given is all that is required. When a task takes more time than expected, adjust the timeline rather than trying to force yourself to accelerate. Your job is to build a sustainable relationship to your productivity; to push-forward while maintaining a rhythm that is achievable and that still leaves you with gas in your tank to nurture and care for yourself.