How I'm Preparing For Paperback Pub Day

Ready, set, book release!

It’s an exciting week around here as I get ready for On Gin Lane to come out in paperback next Tuesday, May 2. While the hardcover released last summer, my publisher changed the cover for the paperback (read why here), added an engaging book club guide, and will release the novel with new jacket copy (I wrote it this time!). All readers LOVE paperbacks, especially summer beach books, since they slip easily into a tote, they’re cheap ($18 vs. $27 for a hardcover) and they’re easy to devour.

But here’s a little secret about being a writer: Promoting your work is the hardest part of the job, whether it’s during the release of the hardcover or the paperback.

Self-promotion can be so utterly cringey.

The hardcover release is often bigger, so you’re more likely to go on tour, see your book in magazine roundups, etc. But even the paperback release comes with work! I’ve come to accept, however, that I have to do some self-promotion (gah!) to get my work read. So here’s how I’ve been readying myself for the big book launch.

1. Posting on social media more. A lot more.

   I’m not going to lie, I kinda dread social media, even if I enjoy keeping up with author and book friends. Insta is incredibly distracting and it takes me so long to compose posts. So much so that throughout the year I take long social media breaks. But when you have a book coming out, you need to shout it from the rooftops.
   
   Yesterday I posed a challenge to social media followers: Try to take a better #bookstagram post of On Gin Lane than I did, tag me in your photo and the #bookstagrammer will be automatically entered to win a pair of the original Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses, which is what my characters would wear. (If you want to take part on Substack, DM me on Instagram or leave a comment here. I’ll get you a signed copy of On Gin Lane to pose and hopefully read!)

   

2. Reach out to author friends.

   I’ve met so many incredible authors, mostly women, at all levels of success and everyone is always so generous with shout-outs to help spread the word about your book. It’s always challenging to ask people to promote your work, but I love helping other authors, which makes it even more puzzling why it’s so hard to ask.
   
   Yesterday, I sent an email to authors whose work I admire and asked if they’d be willing to spread the news of my paperback’s release. I included photos of On Gin Lane (posed with hedgerows and with my basket light and then against a cherry blossom tree) and sent them in the email. I also gave them possible blurbs.

   
   The best part was that I got to spend the day emailing with some of my favorite writers out there, like Jaime Brenner, Samantha Woodward, Fiona Davis, Natalie Jenner, Allison Pataki, Nancy Thayer, Amanda Fairbanks, Jackie Friedland, Amy Poeppel, and Janet Skeslien Charles. Love these writers and their work!

3. Contacting indie bookshops to set up book signings.

   I’ve met numerous supportive booksellers over the last few years while being on the road promoting my novels, so I love to send a note when I have a book coming out, say hello, offer to send signed bookplates — and if I’m in the area, offer to come sign books. Authors set up these events up for two reasons: One, it’s such a joy to go and meet readers and talk with fans. But also, signed books sell faster in bookshops. The more books you sign, the more you sell. (Here’s a pic of me signing books at Bethany Beach Books in Bethany Beach, Delaware last summer!!)

   

4. Throw a party.

   Since my first novel came out in the thick of pandemic times, I never had a true book party with friends and neighbors. I didn’t want to let On Gin Lane’s paperback release day pass without inviting some close friends and neighbors over for a glass of rose´ with me. Sometimes I feel like everyone is looking for good news to celebrate these days, so why not? We’ll have copies of the paperback on hand, but really, it’s a chance to talk books with friends.

5. Spread the word about retail sales.

   Today I had to make a video promoting a Barnes and Noble pre-order sale running through April 28. In it, I share the news that if you pre-order my novel before its May release, you will get 25 percent off the paperback price. CODE: preorder25. (Um, that’s kind of awesome. I’m buying a few new novels off of bn.com myself.)

6. Check in with my in-house marketing team.

   I’ve been talking with my marketing team at Gallery to wade through various possibilities, like radio/app announcements, ads and newsletters. They’re also setting up a partnership with a national clothing chain (more on this soon!), and they shared the news of various special events honoring On Gin Lane. (Can’t quite spill the beans on these yet, but it’s all part of the process.)

7. Decide on your own marketing plan.

   Sometimes writers want a little extra help getting their book out there, so they hire a third party marketing team to spread the word. I’ve been exploring working with an advertising firm that buys ads for you in targeted publications. I love this idea, but I’m still going over details to figure out if this makes sense for me.

   Now I’m curious to find out: How do you discover new novels? Are you most likely to read books you see featured on social media, recommended in newsletters, podcasts, advertisements or highlighted in traditional media?