As I continue on the journey to get my debut book published (The Madness of the Faithful, released July 28th), this week I have been tasked with doing an interview for the summer edition of Matador’s Highlights Magazine. I am of course excited about the opportunity to discuss my work and talk about something I’m very passionate about. It’s the second time in my life I’ve been interviewed – the first was when I played bass for a rock band in Manchester, UK, and we were interviewed by a local radio station before playing a live acoustic set (and yes, we did rock).
These types of activities are inevitable next steps for writers once the book is finished. As the final draft nears completion, the focus shifts to marketing and promotion. If you’re trying to get an agent, you will likely have to prepare a synopsis and write a query letter that pitches the work succinctly. And if the traditional publishing route is successful, then a long list of marketing and PR activities will be planned for the months ahead. Meanwhile, if you’re self-publishing or taking the indie route (like I am) then you’ll have to be pretty hands-on with this process.
Some writers think that once the writing is done then that’s it, you can down tools and maybe start thinking about the next project. But the truth is, that’s when the real work starts. Selling yourself and your work takes a whole different skill set. But it is a useful skill set to learn. Knowing how to pitch or sell your book can help you to recognize its strengths and uniqueness, and going through the process may well help you with future projects.
A more challenging task, perhaps, is the art of selling yourself. Like in all areas of life, some people are better at this than others. It’s fair to say that the writing lifestyle does attract a fair number of introverts – people happier creating worlds behind their computer screen than sitting in front of cameras and an audience talking about themselves. With the indie route, there is some control over the extent of exposure one commits to, but it’s worth trying to push yourself out of that comfort zone. Ultimately, it will help to get your work out there and raise awareness of your book.
Working with medical writers in my day job, I have always encouraged junior writers to take up projects and opportunities with more exposure to see how they like it. Some realize it’s not for them, while others flourish in the limelight. The key is, that they only truly understand their own capabilities by getting out there and trying their hand at a new task.
Such a mindset has helped me throughout my career. Have I made mistakes and failed a few times along the way? I sure have! But I’ve also grown and developed professionally. The path I have taken has shaped me, and overcoming various challenges has given me strength and built my resilience, bolstering my willingness to try new things.
Writing a book has been one of the greatest challenges and achievements in my life and I tend to think that if I can do that then answering a few questions about myself should be a cakewalk. I hope the same applies to you too!
