“I know how teens sound and I know what they want at least as much as they do.” ~~B. Lynn Goodwin
Take a Look at the Disrupted Blog Tour
I strongly recommend WOW’s blog tours for any woman who wants to promote her book. Or invent your own blog tour. Disrupted is the title of my new book, and here’s the schedule for the tour I’m on with WOW right now:
Too small for you to read? Go to https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/2024/03/disrupted-by-b-lynn-goodwin-blog-tour.html. You’ll see an interview, a bio, and a schedule in much larger print. Ways to buy the book are there. If you want to purchase an autographed copy, send me a note from the contact box on our home page. Thank you!
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“I was impressed. And nervous.” –Kim McCollum
How I Found My Publisher
By Kim McCollum
Hooray! I finished my first novel. Time to celebrate, right? Yes, but the celebration was short lived when I realized I had no idea what to do with it. How would I find a publisher?
I purchased a subscription to Publisher’s Marketplace and watched for agents who were publishing books similar to mine. Then, I took multiple workshops on how to write the perfect pitch letter for my novel, created a spreadsheet to track my submissions, and began submitting to five agents per day, five days per week, as I had been instructed by fellow authors and professors from my MFA program. Then, the rejections began rolling in.
My friend said that rather than allowing the rejections to get me down, I should celebrate and give myself a reward when I hit 100 rejections. I believe I hit this mark about one year into the process. My writing friends told me to be encouraged by the number of partial and full manuscript requests I had received. It was true, I had received quite a few requests, but somehow, this just depressed me more. If my query letter was good enough to get an agent’s attention, what was wrong with my manuscript?
I plugged along for another year and focused on writing a second novel. I was about to scrap this first manuscript altogether when I friend told me she’d accepted a contract with a small, independent publisher on the east coast. She felt the terms of the deal were good and it was a great way for a new author to get her first book out into the world.
I decided to research small publishers. I was impressed with what I found. It seemed these small presses were a way to bridge the gap between the big five publishers and their nearly impossible gatekeepers and the rest of the world who just wanted to read a great story, regardless of the resume of the author. I started watching where people were getting their books published at the bottom of the WFWA (Women’s Fiction Writer’s Association) newsletter and googled all the small presses my fellow debut authors were using and one came up quite frequently. Black Rose Writing (BRW) out of Texas.
Turns out, they have published nearly 3500 titles. The covers of their novels looked amazing. What I found most impressive was that they had published quite a few bestsellers. But the most important fact was that these bestselling authors had chosen to go with BRW again for their second novels. I was impressed. And nervous. Now that I had gotten my hopes up, would they reject me like so many agents had?
Thankfully, they enjoyed my manuscript and even made suggestions for its improvement. The process has been wonderful. While they did not offer free developmental editing, they recommended a few wonderful editors who discounted their services for Black Rose authors. I also paid extra for additional marketing services, but those are the only costs I incurred. I absolutely love my cover and have been more than happy with the quick response I receive from the team whenever I have questions. They even got an audiobook version of my novel released as well. Overall, I am thrilled with my decision to publish my novel with Black Rose Writing.
NOTE from the editor: I was attracted by the title, but I stayed for the story. There’s some really good storytelling in What Happens in Montana as well as some likeable characters. Thanks for sharing this slice of your journey with us, Kim.
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Kim McCollum graduated from Barnard College as a Japanese major and headed to work on Wall Street. Many miserable all-nighters and the birth of her first child led her to stay home to raise her children. Eventually, she pursued her passion for writing. An excerpt from this novel appeared in The Copperfield Review Quarterly and her short stories have appeared in The Dillydoun Review, Beyond Solace, and Fiction on the Web. She lives in Bozeman, MT with her husband, Brian, and their blended menagerie of five kids, two dogs, and seven spoiled chickens. What Happens in Montana is her first novel.
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“It’s important to self-promote only 10-20 percent of the time.” ~~Jen Mathy
A Writing Tip by Jen Mathy
Booster Clubs Don’t Just Sit in The Stands
A successful writer today has a whole new set of responsibilities. Yes, your primary role is that of artist and writer. First, create. Then, with the understanding that agents seldom find new clients in their slush piles and that publishers primarily support A-list authors and authors who receive large advances, it’s important for an emerging writer to take on the role of marketer as well.
There are many elements and ways to promote yourself and your work, just as there are many ways to approach the writing process. And, unless you can afford to produce and place a viral-worthy Super Bowl commercial, there’s never only one element of successful promotion.
One easy and effective way to promote your work is to form a Booster Club or, rather, a Booster Network. We all know other emerging writers we like and admire. Perhaps we met them in workshops or writing groups, or by working together on a journal. Maybe we met them in college, via social media, at a conference, or in line getting coffee. By adding these writers to your Booster Network, all of your careers will benefit.
First, especially on social media platforms, it’s important to self-promote only 10-20 percent of the time. Your followers become easily bored or dismissive if every post is, essentially: “Look at me!” By using your social media, your blog, your newsletters to also mention recent publications by someone in your network, you become more engaging to your followers and you establish yourself as part of the writing community. Second, when your friend does the same, you are exposed to a new audience, a new set of eyes. You may connect with more writers – who you add to your Booster Network – exposing your work to an even wider audience.
Reading this Cleaver writing tip is your signal to reach out to those other writers and say: “You know, I’ve always liked your work, and you’ve said some kind things about mine. Why don’t we make a pact to promote and share each other’s work?” Send them a link to this page, if it’s easier!
There’s an “ick” factor to self-promotion, I get it. But doing scary or uncomfortable things always seems easier with a friend, doesn’t it?
This article originally appeared in Cleaver Magazine. Thanks to them for letting us reprint it here.
