I done did it, Ma! Coming to a bookstore near you in 2018 will be The Bucket List. It's about a young woman, Lacey Whitman, who is single and works as a trend forecaster in NYC. Right off the bat, Lacey is diagnosed with the BRCA1 gene mutation, which puts her at an 87% lifetime risk of developing hereditary breast cancer. Lacey, a self-made gal with a cracking sense of humor, elects for a preventative mastectomy and breast reconstruction to all but eliminate this risk: but before that, she creates a “boob bucket list”: all the things she wants to do with and for her beautiful tatas. Her adventurous year changes everything in her life—love, friendship, career—as she grapples with the questions of true self-knowledge, destiny, identity, and, of course, sex.
I’m excited to write this book to explore the very real choice an increasing number of young women who are at risk for breast cancer make, as well as diving into the murky arena of female sexuality. My feeling is many women my age are sexually experienced, but perhaps not sensually experienced. We know how to please others, but when thinking about what turns us on, really, it’s way more complicated. The challenge of this book will be balancing gravitas with humor; pathos with wit. First draft is due to my freelance editor, Sarah, end of June. That’s 16K good clean words a month, minimum. Stay with me as I start making things up for your reading pleasure!
How to research for fiction
My next book is a young woman who is diagnosed with a mutated gene, BRCA1, which puts her an elevated risk of breast cancer. I do not have the BRCA1 gene, nor do I have a family history of cancer. Am I nervous about writing about something I haven't lived? Heck yes I am! But I'm a storyteller. I feel confident in my ability to learn about new worlds and bring them to life, with the magical power of research...
Books on your subject are great (and I’ve read perhaps a dozen books relating to BRCA) but finding IRL subjects is essential. Not only can you find out what you need, but these subjects can help you navigate this new space and advocate for you in a world where you are just a tourist.
1: Finding your subjects
So far I’ve interviewed women with breast cancer, women with the BRCA gene who have undergone mastectomies, a plastic surgeon, a genetic counselor, at-risk cancer advocates, as well as various trend forecasters. Most of these interviews happened over Skype (I’ve set up an in-person meeting at a cancer care center that was super hard to get but absolutely essential). To find these subjects, I focused on existing communities like F.O.R.C.E (Facing Our Risk Of Cancer Empowered) and Bright Pink, by posting on their forums and emailing staffers directly.
2: Reaching out
When it comes to research for a novel, people are more likely to want to help than you think they are. People like talking about themselves or their specialities, and most people want to be nice, and help an author out. They don’t want you to waste their time or generally be a ding-dong, and the best way to assure them that you're a norm is in your communication. My requests take the form of:
- an introduction, including credentials
- the request (a phone interview)
- my reason for the project
All of this is short, polite, grammatically correct, with relevant links so they can see I’m legit.
3: Doing the interview
I start by explaining the project and the part of it I need their expertise in. Sometimes I have questions written down but so much of my work and what I need is just in my brain so I usually don't need to. You’re going to be searching for technical details (facts/processes) or emotional details (how did things make someone feel? What was the hardest/weirdest part?). My project involves asking very personal details, like things to do with sex. Usually I just go for it: I’m just pretty straightforward and down to earth about it. Interviewees respond in kind. Never run long. If you need more time, see if you can schedule a follow-up.
4: Staying in touch
You can get a sense pretty quickly about who is really into your project: make sure you keep the door open. Right now, almost all of my subjects are down to read the sections of the book I needed them for, and that is invaluable. If you’re writing about a world you’re not in, it MUST pass the smell test of those who do. If it does, they’re more likely to recommend it to their community and you won’t piss anybody off.
Overall, research is easier than you think it is, and it’s really fun! I know all this stuff about breast cancer and the cancer community I didn’t know before, which is a true privilege. Don’t let a lack of knowledge you scare off a subject. Life is for the learning!
How to get and what to do at artist residencies
I spent the first two weeks of December at Ragdale, a renowned artist residency in Lake Forest, Illinois. If you're an artist or writer, treat yo' self with a residency. You don't just get to travel somewhere cool and meet other artists (like the artist Anne Kingsbury, who I shared a bathroom with), there’s no better way to get your sh*t DONE. Residencies take a mix of experienced and emerging artists, so no matter your experience level, YOU can get into one!
WHAT HAPPENS THERE
At a typical artists’ residency, your time is your own. There’s no check-ins, workshops, meetings, or final report: you are only accountable to yourself. Sometimes there's an informal reading night or open studio. Sometimes the group bonds and spends a lot of time together, sometimes everyone’s working hard and only coming together occasionally. It’s a good idea not to invest too heavily in the prospect of a highly social residency as you can’t control that: what you can control is the work you get done.
HOW TO APPLY
Search for residencies based on location, type, cost (etc) on sites such as Res Artis, PW, and Artist Community. There’s a pecking order: the ones that are free and feed you are the hardest to get into, rolling down to the ones where you cover all your own costs, including food. Residencies like big dogs MacDowell, Yaddo, Hedgebrook, U-cross, Millay are highly competitive—I’ve applied to all of these and not gotten in. Applying for one residency isn’t really worth the time putting the application together: apply for ten and you might get into one.
Be as human and engaging in your project pitch as possible: explain why the work matters to you and what you’re about, really. Don’t be too formal. You’re usually applying months in advance and TBH, I’ve never applied with the project I actually do at the residency. I apply with my newest, unpublished work that is the strongest representation of me, right now.
Try not to let your inevitable residency rejections get you down (I have dozens). Directors aren’t looking to disclude you, they’re just looking to include other people. Rejections are part of an artistic life: consider each one a sign that you're committed and know that you won't give up.
WHAT TO DO THERE
Residencies are amazing because you have nothing but time and no distractions. That’s what can also makes them extremely challenging, soul-searching experiences.
At a residency in rural Portugal, I made the mistake of assuming I was there to polish what I thought was an almost-completed novel, only to hear back from my editor on Day 1 that is was an “okay” first draft. I wasn’t prepared for that and spent a lot of time crying into large glasses of admittedly excellent port. Being an artist of any kind requires discipline, especially when it comes to your mental health. A small melt-down about the validity of your work is all but standard; it just can’t poison or halt your creativity.
At Ragdale, I planned and executed the completion of my fourth novel’s outline. To prepare, I’d done 1 – 2 months of research, note-taking and brainstorming. I bought index cards, some butcher’s paper, and a few other tools. The hardest part of any project is starting. So I always just start. It doesn't matter if it's bad! You can fix bad work, you can't fix no work. Also, I mentally committed to the work before I came. For me, this is essential. Knowing that I am working tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that helps make writing into my job, rather than a fun thing I won’t do if it's not fun (which it often isn’t).
An outline the way I do them is a big task, and it took me 12 straight days of work to pull something together that’s good enough to get feedback on. I worked in the day and at night I watched The O.C on Hulu, drank a little wine, and only come back to the project if I got a good idea. Yes, I had a little meltdown, but I managed it (the key was adding a villain: ah! the power of the villain!), and finished. I am a finisher. They’ll put it on my gravestone: Here lies Georgia. Yet again, she finished. Choose to be a finisher.
TIPS 'N' TRICKS!
- Exercise daily. I always sleep badly at residencies because the mind is over stimulated and the body is under stimulated. I try to do a daily yoga practice and/or walk, and I bring a fun array of powerful sleep aids.
- Resist the urge to judge other peoples’ over or underachievement.Some people come to residencies to relax, ideate, talk long walks and chat in the kitchen. Others will finish a whole damn book. Who cares? Do you.
- Avoid self-destructive impulses. These include drinking too much, indulging in distractions or deciding you are terrible and everything you do is dumb. It’s worth repeating that if you want to be an artist, you need to manage your inner critic: this is not optional, it is part of the job.
While residencies are great, they’re not the only way to work. Most professional writers write at home, at their studio, in cafés, cars, bars etc. It can be tempting to decide you can ONLY do your project at a residency, because then if you don’t get in, you don't have to do it. Set a goal—two application periods a year—but plan to create your work regardless of the outcome.
The Pro-Active Author is here!
I'm so excited to pull back the curtain on my newest project! It's called The Pro-Active Author (applause!). It's an intensive 8-module self-study course that shows you step-by-step how to proactively and effectively launch a fiction or non-fiction book.
Up to 1 million books are published every year. On average, each will sell 250 copies (Forbes, 2013). Whether you're self-publishing or being published by the Big Five, you need to be pro-active to make an impact.
Personally, I enjoy many parts of book marketing, plus I do things that actually work. As y'all know, I had great success with The Regulars and I want to help other people have the same experience. It took ages to put it together, but I'm so proud with how it turned out.
Early bird prices are good to December 1. Find out more here. Please pass onto your author friends!
Book Marketing ideas that actually work!
Book marketing is essential for any author looking to sell more than a few hundred books. Over the course of promoting The Regulars, I tried many different things, some which worked and some which did not.
The secret to book marketing is to focus on strategies that you as an author are good at, and enjoy. That way you’ll actually enact your plan, as opposed to giving into Netflix and a glass of wine.
Here are five effective book marketing techniques that anyone can do, whether you're self- or traditionally publishing. If these pique your interest, you can also check out my online course, The Pro-Active Author.
1. Start a monthly newsletter
Sending a regular author newsletter is an excellent author strategy. Not only is it free, always a bonus, it’s also a way to showcase your personality/include your humor/share pix that aren’t anywhere else. Newsletter platforms these days are incredibly easy to navigate. I spend 3 - 4 hours tops on my monthly newsletter, but you could definitely do it even quicker, depending on your style
I create my newsletter in Mailchimp and send it to a subscriber list that I build by hand (ie adding new friends into it), as well as through an email pop-up on my website.
Be savvy with the way you sell to your audience. I only really make one direct ask per “big thing”: one direct ask to pre-order/buy the book/do an Amazon review. Other times, they’re more soft asks, they’re more like ‘if you feel like it” or just less in-your-face.
On the back-end, you can see from your newsletter platform what links people click on, so you can work out when they’re going to book buying sites.
2. Plan a panel event
As well as your book launch, you have the opportunity to organize panel events in the weeks after launch (they should be after the launch so you have the chance to sell books). When thinking of panel events to promote your book, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Research—or better yet, attend—venues who host the kind of event you’re interested in and look at what’s popular. Listen to the zeitgeist. Create events around things you know readers are interested in.
You don’t need to know people to ask them to do an event with you, even if they’re more “famous” than you. If they have a book or platform to promote, they’ll probably be flattered that you asked! Partner with local writers if planning something somewhere you’re not intimately connected with
You can delegate organizational aspects of your event to an intern. And always social media the hell out of what you’re doing.
3. Define your author brand
You need to know who you are before you can tell people about it. Even though the word “brand” is a bit gross, bare with me: what we’re talking about when we’re talking about brand is your genre, your values and your personality. We’re talking about how to clearly convey your these things to the world so people get you. The way you present yourself should be simple and uncomplicated: your brand—who you are and what you write—shouldn’t be counter-intuitive or confusing. Think of your favorite authors: most of them have a pretty clear brand, ie. easily communicated personality, set of values and genre.
Authenticity is key. Let’s start with writing a simple statement about who you are and what you write about. And let’s pair it with an accompanying image of you that feels right.
I am:
I write:
EXAMPLE
I am a novelist who lives in New York
I write about funny, flawed, feisty women
Here’s my picture.
Here’s how it turned out:
You can do something similar for your website or just to have as a guiding image.
Now think about your brand (or just YOUR) values: your attributes and defining characteristics. Someone mine include humor, feminism, and optimism. These values should be evident in your web presence, copy style, image selections, etc.
If you're serious about starting or improving your career as an author, check out my course, The Pro-Active Author.
Further reading!
Book Marketing Ideas That Will Change Your Life - Author Media
Book Marketing 101 | Jane Friedman
Marketing Your Book | The Creative Penn
Book Marketing for beginners
Looking for an easy way to market your book? Anyone and everyone can write articles for relevant media to promote their books!
Book marketing for beginners
Writing articles and op-eds is one of the best ways you can be proa-ctive with your book marketing. I have a background as a women’s media journalist, so writing and pitches articles was a significant part of my strategy because I’m good at it and I enjoy it (check out some of my articles here. Almost all websites are looking for quality content from interesting voices, for free. You might not be able to get reviewed by some of your top press, especially women’s magazines as they review so little books every month, but you can certainly get published on their websites.
1. Op-eds
Opinion pieces are smart, well-expressed essays about noteworthy issues of the day. Your best bet is to tie this kind of piece to the themes or central argument of your book.
2. Personal essays
The more relaxed cousin to the op-ed, personal essays focus more on your personal, lived experience. They’re less about trying to explicitly make a political or topical point, and more about sharing a unique human story about something noteworthy.
3. How-to
All writer-focused websites are looking for craft-focused pieces. Logic and practical advice are king. Base your how-to pieces off your book: think back on what you did to achieve publication, that other writers would find useful.
4. Trend pieces
Popular media and even more highbrow pop culture outlets love trend pieces. These are articles that say something—really, anything—about a new or accepted trend.
5. Listicles
The bread and butter of the internet, listicles are list-based articles. Because most readers want “snacky” content, articles they can flick through and read quickly, listicles are very popular.
6. Profile pieces
On 110-year anniversary of her birth, I wrote a profile piece for Bust about the controversial silent film star Clara Bow. While THE REGULARS does touch on women in Hollywood and the construction of female narratives, as Clara’s story does, it really has nothing to do with silent film stars or the 1920s. This was just something I was interested in and could write easily about, and the anniversary was a good tie-in.
If you're serious about starting or improving your career as an author, check out my course, The Pro-Active Author.
Further reading!
Book Marketing Ideas That Will Change Your Life - Author Media
Book Marketing 101 | Jane Friedman
Marketing Your Book | The Creative Penn