(Read part 1 here.)
(In which the saga of Bob’s publishing journey continues). So, a smart and savvy Bob fought to get a pub date between January and March or September and November. (Perhaps Bob has been reading our favorite publishing newsletter, Neon Literary’s “How to Glow in the Dark”, for more insider tips: https://buff.ly/3JOTpV4) You should do this! Even if you might have to wait longer for that exciting milestone, these windows are when important book people are in the office doing important book things. Think about where you are during the holidays and summer if you’re lucky. Book people have friends and family and vacations too.
Next, Bob must start marketing their book. At Grey Horse Communications, we suggest working with a publicist and beginning 3 months ahead of the pub date. After the pub date it depends on the book — most books will have a period of about six weeks to attain coverage, and some can even have 2-3 years. If Bob’s book is a flop it might just be 2 weeks (sorry, Bob).
The number one thing — and I cannot stress this enough — that will help Bob’s book (and yours) over the course of the very long publishing timeline is enthusiasm. So if you’re ready to publish tomorrow because of bounding enthusiasm, bottle that up and settle in for a long haul. You’ll need every bit of it to make the strongest impact you can on your readers.
I can’t remember the first time I read Goodnight Moon — probably because my parents started reading it to me before my infant brain could really catalog memory. Chances are, you had a similar experience. The book turns 75 this year, and over that time, it’s sold over 48 million copies, touching at least that many lives, time and time over.
Hello, friends, and happy scam season. To usher in the spirit, let me tell you a story.