Pre-Publication To-Do List
What kinds of things does an author do while waiting for publication? Silent Sister releases on August 6, 2024, which is a little over four months away. The book is done, all pages are submitted, so what’s left to do? Here’s what I’ve been up to the last few months:
Record Quick Videos
Aside from social media posts, my publisher has twice asked me to make quick videos introducing myself and my book. The first one was nearly a year ago so my editor could introduce me to the team at internal launch (when all the books for the season are shared and discussed). Recently, I’ve been asked to film a thirty-second one for a campaign. Writers are always asked to pitch the book in one sentence—not an easy feat!
Attend Author University Sessions
Penguin Random House is unique from some other publishers because they have a portal for their authors, and one of the features is a library of videos and recorded Zooms with established authors and publishing personnel. However, they also have live Zoom sessions for debuts to ask questions and meet one another.
Many of the topics covered are on information readily shared in the debut group chat (a discord or slack group of all trad authors debuting in the same calendar year), but it’s nice to have a publisher invested in helping their authors get access to information without assuming they have the resources available on their own.
Book Promo
While I haven’t been hitting social media hard yet (the advice is to ramp that up around three months before debut), I have been doing some behind the scenes. I have contacted a few stores and personally asked them to stock the book. I plan to write my alma mater in hopes of getting some support. They’re little things, but can add up quickly.
Write Articles
Many authors are asked to write articles they can submit for other publications, with the idea being if your name appears elsewhere, people might be interested in checking out your upcoming book. My publisher hasn’t yet approached me about this, but I am planning to write a few for teacher organizations I am part of during the upcoming months.
Endure a Desert of Emails
Sometimes things in publishing are all happening at once. Other times, it’s pretty sparse. In the last few months I’ve only had a handful of publishing emails: A few to confirm blurb submissions from my US editor, details on a secret delivery from my UK publisher, a preview of my final book jacket, and an upcoming surprise event (which I’ll be able to share in the upcoming weeks on socials!). That averages maybe an email every other week. I suspect I may long for this silence as Aug 6 draws nearer…
Write the Next Book
If you’ve been following me on socials or my newsletter, you know this one has been happening for over a year. If you want your career to continue, it means digging in and writing the next book, even when the first hasn’t been published yet. I’m finalizing another round of revision that I’ve been working on for about five or six months, and then my editor will see the book for the second time. Submitting the next draft of a book is always exciting, but also nerve-wracking. I try to enjoy the weeks to a month while I wait for notes, but usually it means I have to…
Write the Book After That
Usually in a contract, publishers will put in an option clause. That means they have the option to offer on your next book before you send it to other publishers. These vary wisely and are hopefully limited to the age category and current genre you right. For example, if I stay in YA, my publisher gets to look at the next book first; however, if I moved to adult (a move I have no current plans for), my agent could shop the manuscript more widely.
Within these option clauses are deadlines for when the author can submit their next work (usually after the previous book is sent to copy edits) and how long the publisher has to make an offer before the author can take it elsewhere. Because paychecks are predicated on making the next book deal, many authors are planning ahead to avoid delays in this timeline. That means brainstorming, plotting, and maybe even writing Book 3 while waiting for notes on Book 2 while waiting for publication of Book 1.
