RU Readers, help us welcome historical author Katharine Ashe who’s here to tell us about what happens – dum dum dum!!! – after the sale. =)
Make sure you leave a comment below, because you won’t want to miss Katharine’s giveaway – a copy of Swept Away By a Kiss!
In May 2009, one of the biggest editors in romance at my dream publishing house offered me a three-book contract. I had worked for years to achieve this.
But that’s backstory. The story I’m going to tell today is what happened next. I call this story “What I Learned on After-the-Sale Vacation.”
First (since I am also a professional historian, and historians love to tell the punch line before the joke), here’s The Big Lesson I Learned: Nothing changes. Well, yes, your book ends up on bookstore shelves and lots n’ lots of people read it and tell you they adored it. This is fantastic. Actually, it’s way beyond fantastic. But nothing inside you changes. All that eagerness, all that love and passion and emotion I put into my writing, all that heartbreak and anxiety and uncertainty and frustration and fear and sheer boiling mania I felt before I made that sale is still with me. It is part of me. Succeeding in this manner has not changed me as a person. Ten years at a Zen monastery and some really good therapy might. But that’s also another story.
What did I learn, in practical terms?
1. First-week sales are HUGELY IMPORTANT. Great first-week sales land you on bestseller lists, which then go into promotion for your next book, which then sell more of that next book. They also help determine whether the big buyers will buy your second book in quantity. Do whatever you can to encourage readers to buy your book in those first few days. This includes promoting your book through social media (Facebook, twitter, blogs, etc.) and mailings to booksellers and book clubs before the book releases.
A Lady's Wish by Katharine Ashe
2. Professional contacts are crucial for creating a buzz for your first book. But you must start networking early. I don’t mean four months before your release date. I mean four years. At least one or two. Volunteer for positions in writers groups that will help you meet industry people. Every positive contact you make during these years will serve you well. I was co-chair of Programming for my local RWA chapter for two years before I got published. In planning monthly programs I met industry luminaries whose effect on my career has been significant. This takes time and effort, but it is incredibly fun, and it ensures that your name is familiar to influential people when your book hits the stands.
3. Take your time. When I learned of the eight-month space between the release dates of my first two books, I groaned. How would this build an audience? But I spent those months learning about promotion and, more importantly, writing the best books I could. That time also gave me the creative space I needed to propose an additional project to my editor. That project became my e-book, A LADY’S WISH (March 15), a $1.99 delicious little novella tied into my print trilogy, to be released two weeks before book 2 of the series, CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD (March 29). We invented this e-novella as a promotion for the print series, but it turned out to be super fun to write! It never would have happened, though, if I’d been rushing. In the crazy-speedy world of publishing, time can be a writer’s friend.
4. Don’t be surprised when people you thought would embrace your triumphs do not. Be gracious. No matter what. No. Matter. What. (Graciousness always feels better to me anyway.)
5. All bloggers are not created equal. Many are magically wonderful and I cherish them—like the women of Romance University! Other bloggers are not interested in furthering your career. Some are unprofessional. Take very great care in planning your blog appearances.
6. Fan mail is worth it all.
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If you are a published author, did you learn any crucial lessons after your first sale? If you are yet-to-be-published, tell us what you are doing now to prepare for those months between your first sale and book release, because we’d love to give you a high five and “Way to go!”
Don’t forget to join us on Monday, March 14 as Sally Bayless pops in to tell us about her writing journey.
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Bio: The American Library Association’s Booklist named Katharine Ashe one of the “New Stars of Historical Romance” and her debut historical romance, Swept Away By a Kiss, was nominated for Best First Historical Romance in the Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Awards. Katharine lives in the wonderfully warm Southeast with her husband, son, two dogs, and a garden she likes to call romantic rather than unkempt. A professor of European history, she has made her home in California, Italy, France, and the northern US. Please visit her at www.katharineashe.com.
Similar Posts:
- Weekly Lecture Schedule for August 9-13, 2010: Katharine Ashe, RWA Nationals, Jennifer Greene, Build-a-Blog
- Why Smart Women Write Romance
- The Pros and Cons of Self Publishing
- Pitching a Complex Story
- Back-to-Back Book Releases
Hi Katharine!
It’s so nice to have you back at RU! Congratulations on launching Avon’s new Impulse digital line with your e-novella. What an amazing honor.
I’m in the after-the-sale and before-book 1-release phase right now. For me, the whole editing process has been one big surprise. It’s different for every author.
But I agree with you about networking. Your programming position sounds very similar to what we do here at RU. We meet a lot of industry professionals, experts for all sorts of things, and authors like you, willing to offer valuable advice, every day. It’s been wonderful and it was great to connect with folks last year at RWA. Plus, I met my agent through RU.
Katharine, can you tell us how you went about developing the storyline for your e-novella? I’m really curious about the structure and how it connects with your other books.
Have a great release month! I’ll be in line to help out with your first week sales!
Tracey
Posted by TraceyDevlyn | March 11, 2011, 5:49 amThank you for having me back at RU, Tracey. I am so glad to be here.
Congratulations on your upcoming release! I’m excited for you and wish you all the best with it.
Thanks for asking about A LADY’S WISH. I’d never written a novella before, so it was an experiment to begin with! My only parameters were that it be tied into my “Rogues of the Sea” trilogy and act in some way to introduce CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD. Using the heroes of the trilogy to introduce the hero of the novella, was no problem whatsoever for me; I’ll grab any chance I have to spend time with those three dashing lords! Those three, however, pursue their noble missions under the radar of government. For this story I wanted a hero those men would respect and wish for their ally but who operated rather more within the law. Thus was born Captain Nikolas Acton.
I always begin a story with my hero and heroine, two hearts destined to be entwined. I already knew Patricia Morgan (she was born when I wrote SWEPT AWAY BY A KISS, though she never reached the pages of that book). The rest flowed pretty easily from there. Lost love stories are some of my favorites, and Nik had gone to war to escape a broken heart. The reunion was absolutely delicious to write.
Posted by Katharine Ashe | March 11, 2011, 7:17 amKatharine, thanks for the insight into the making of your e-novella!
Posted by Tracey Devlyn | March 11, 2011, 12:05 pmMorning Katharine!
Wow, great information! I didn’t know that about the first week sales. Interesting.
I think it’s great about your novella right before your book release, that’s a brilliant plan. =)
What can you tell us about your blog tour getting ready for your new release? Is it insane? how many blogs in how many days?
Best of luck with your new release – it sounds like a great read!
carrie
Posted by Carrie Spencer | March 11, 2011, 8:17 amHi, Carrie. Thanks for hosting me today! And thanks so much for your kind words.
My blog tour this time around is rather more modest than my tour for my debut release last summer (I think I made 27 stops then). I’m visiting a dozen of my favorite blogs over the next few weeks, starting here today.
I absolutely adore chatting with writers and readers about romance. It’s one of my favorite things about the business! But… I am also in the midst of writing a book, working on edits for another, and teaching class this semester. And of course there’s my lovely family and life at home (for which I am ever grateful and which sustains me). So I planned modestly with this tour. I’m so happy to begin it here.
Posted by Katharine Ashe | March 11, 2011, 9:55 amHi Katharine,
Posts like yours – as eye opening as they are – leave me quaking. The more I realise their importance, the more I quake at the thought of actually tackling the kind of promotion critical to a successful writing career.
I had no idea about the impact of the first week.
Any special advice you’d give someone not based in the US?
Thanks for the quakes… I think.
Cia
Posted by Cia | March 11, 2011, 8:57 amCia, good heavens, no quakes necessary! If done naturally and from your heart, publishing is really much more organic than it seems when summed up like I’ve done it here. Writers need to decide what works best for them, and pursue those avenues and just not worry about the others. Honestly, everything I did, I did because I enjoyed it. But most of all, I enjoy the writing. No–more than that. I adore the writing. When a writer simply loves loves loves to write and gets energy from it, that above all else will shine through in professional terms.
As for being overseas, blogs and Facebook and twitter makes it so easy to connect. For professional networking, it’s terrific to belong to an actual writers group and attend writers conferences every so often (there’s nothing like face-to-face). But with the multitude of online social connectors these days, you can take your pick and be right in the thick of it without even stepping foot on US soil.
Best of luck with your writing! And enjoy. It’s supposed to be fun.
=)
Posted by Katharine Ashe | March 11, 2011, 10:02 amHi Katharine,
My first book was published a year ago. I spent three hours in a dentist’s chair on the day of the release. What a great way to celebrate. You’re right, nothing’s changed. I write every day and still get rejection letters.
Mary Jo Burke
Posted by Mary Jo Burke | March 11, 2011, 9:06 amLOL, Mary Jo! That is the best (and worst!) release day story I’ve ever heard. Bless you. :}
Posted by Katharine Ashe | March 11, 2011, 10:05 amCongratulations on your sales, Katharine, and thanks for a fantastic blog! I love reading “call” stories, and “after-the-call” is just as exciting, if a lot more daunting.
Several of my friends made their first sales in the past year, and one thing they’ve all agreed on is the need to have another book in work or ready to go. One of these friends said she’s convinced the best marketing tool is having another release coming up so you can build the momentum. Easier said than done, I guess, although it looks like you did just that!
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | March 11, 2011, 9:38 amHi, Becke. Thanks for having me on the blog today! You’re so right about having a second book in the hopper ready to promote. So many publishers are buying series, that helps with connecting the first sale to the next as well. When proposing a book to an agent or editor, it never hurts to suggest that you have an idea for a trilogy (they love trilogies) in the works.
Posted by Katharine Ashe | March 11, 2011, 10:08 amKatharine -
We’re so happy to have you back at RU. And wow, have you been busy since you were last here!
You’re not the first published author to mention all the inner turmoil doesn’t stop once you receive a publishing contract. And also that you’re busier than ever. Personally, I worry about the promo demands of being published. How have you balanced writing time and “business time”?
Thanks for sharing all this wonderful information with us and our readers!
Kelsey
Posted by Kelsey Browning | March 11, 2011, 9:42 amKelsey, thanks for having me back at RU. I had such fun chatting with you last time.
It is definitely a challenge balancing writing and promotion — not to mention the rest of my life! I really love getting to know readers and other writers on FB and twitter. I could chat with them all day! But writing feeds me, and it is the reason I got involved in social media in the first place.
So writing always comes first. Whether I must wake at 5AM or go to sleep at 3AM in order to do so, I spend at least a few hours writing each day. And yes, I am chronically underslept. :}
Posted by Katharine Ashe | March 11, 2011, 10:17 amHi Katharine! Welcome back. This post really hit home for me. In September, I had the excellent fortune of Carina picking up one of my romantic suspense books. They then bought the other two books in the series. So, in the next year I will have three books released (Yay!) and I’m having all the anxiety you mentioned in the post.
Through my first round of edits (things move very fast in the digital world!) I found I needed to lock myself down and ignore the internet. It was a good learning experience because I realized how much time I spend on emails, blogs and researching marketing opportunities. I’ve had to cut down on the time I spend reading other blogs to accomodate my writing time. It also amazed me how much time the marketing angle eats up. The way I look at it though is that all the marketing in the world won’t help if there’s no time to write the next book.
So, yes, I agree with you, nothing changes. I’ve had an amazing experience with Carina, but all the anxiety is still there. In some ways, I think it makes us try harder.
Posted by AdrienneGiordano | March 11, 2011, 10:39 amHi, Adrienne. Thanks for having me here today. Congratulations on your success with Carina!
It’s a wild ride between the sale and the release. And it doesn’t end after that release day either. Over the holiday months, in order to take advantage of my family’s vacation time and to finish writing A LADY’S WISH, I signed off on twitter and FB formally for a while. I missed my online friends so much, but it did allow me the time I needed. It was fun to get back to it after the hiatus, though.
Best of luck with your trio of releases. Fabulous!
Posted by Katharine Ashe | March 11, 2011, 10:50 amHi Katharine,
I enjoyed your post. I am a debut author in the post-sale, pre-release period where it seems that there is so much to do that I’m not doing anything well! I am excited and daunted.
It’s easy to get lost in all the promotional planning and shove the writing aside. I’m settling in with some new daily word count goals. Thanks for the inspiration!
Have a great weekend!
Posted by Tracy March | March 11, 2011, 11:26 amCongratulations on your sale, Tracy! I get that way too. I especially like to write To-Do lists over and over again. The lists are so long it feels like a little accomplishment to even manage writing them.
But I have to believe that all that must be done will be done in time. (Maybe I’ve already got a jump on that visit to the Zen monastery, after all, lol.) Best of luck to you!
Posted by Katharine Ashe | March 11, 2011, 12:10 pmHi Katharine!
I’m chimiing in late, but your post is exactly what unpubbed authors like myself need to hear. I’ve got to work on the networking part. Love the idea of your e-novella! Beautiful covers.
Congratulations and thanks for joining us again!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Posted by jennifer tanner | March 11, 2011, 7:15 pmHi, Jennifer. I was so glad to be here today. Thank you!
Posted by Katharine Ashe | March 11, 2011, 7:26 pmThanks so much for posting with us today Katharine! And best of luck with your book sales!
=)
carrie
Posted by Carrie Spencer | March 11, 2011, 9:12 pm