Publish and be Damned

So. On the 31st March 2023 my debut work of fiction, The Sum of all Parts was published and it is now available to buy worldwide. I should be ecstatic, and I am to a certain extent, but you see what I didn't realise is how much work I would have to do myself in order to promote my book. Perhaps it was naivety on my part, but I thought the onus for that would be squarely on the shoulders of my publishers. Not so, and it's something I think new authors need to be aware of. Now I knew I would have to do some of the leg-work - my naivety did not extend to stupidity - but I honestly feel that all I have been doing since mid-March is posting on social media and contacting various people who might be interested in helping to promote my book - book shops, libraries, book festivals, newspapers, radio stations, TV stations, and book reviewers - and all at the expense of my poor work in progress which has had to be side-lined.

So far since the 15th of March this year, I have contacted 73 possible sources who I thought might help with publicity and these are the results so far:

7 successes - 1 podcast on national radio, 3 online newspaper articles (local press), one Instagram review (pending but the ball is definitely rolling), one article in a major literary review (pending),one invite to a literary festival which of course I can't go to - my son chose the wrong weekend to get married!

7 'we'll get back to you asap' - they haven't.

8 'yes of course!' - then nothing.

8 thanks but no thanks.

43 no responses

It's quite disheartening and I'm not sure what is worse: those who don't respond at all or those who offer to move heaven and earth for you, then maintain radio silence. I am learning though. One thing of import I gleaned from a national newspaper's book reviewer: they don't review published books, only books to be published in 6-8 weeks time. No good for The Sum of all Parts, but this particular reviewer said to send in my next book. So maybe that's my cue to take a break from self-promotion and to return to my writing. As the genius that was Viktor E. Frankl wrote: 'Don't aim at success - the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue...'

But before I start working on my latest book, maybe I'll contact a few more people...

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