3 Things Every Author Must Do

And why they are non-negotiable

Hi friends. Things are pretty hectic. My son graduates from the University of Delaware on Friday, and turns 22 next Wednesday. Tonight, my daughter is having about 10 girls over to celebrate her acceptance to Salve Regina University’s (Newport, RI) nursing program. I also somehow agreed to having 40 (!!) girls over for the evening of June 3 for a senior prom bouquet-making party. I am Gen X, and I am not even sure my parents knew I went to college (kidding—they did, but I commuted, so no questions were asked), so I like doing things for my kiddos to celebrate them. They’ve both worked incredibly hard over the past four years. If you are in graduation season, I see you.

I have some interviews scheduled that’ll run over the next few weeks, so I have some breathing room while delivering content to all of you. Paid subscribers: Book Therapy will return on Friday, May 29.

Don’t forget there is a webinar on June 6 from 12-2 pm EST! It’s called Your Book’s Launch Timeline. A recording, etc., is available on June 7. It’s $75, and you can sign up/find out more here (it’s a hyperlink): YOUR BOOK'S LAUNCH TIMELINE

And now, the main event:

Yesterday, Brooke Warner wrote an excellent newsletter about what sells books. You should read it. It got me thinking about three things authors must do before, during, and after the publication of their book. Without further ado, here they are:

AUTHORS MUST KNOW HOW TO PITCH THEIR BOOK: I talk to authors every day, and one of the things they have the most trouble doing is pitching their book in a very succinct sentence. While I understand this is a skill I’ve honed as a publicist, it is also something authors must learn.

Now, you might be thinking, I don’t pitch the media, so why do I need to do this? Consider this: You’re at a conference/gathering/dinner/doing anything with other people, and someone asks you what your book is about. If you can tell them in 1-3 sentences, you’ll retain their attention. If it takes five or six sentences, it is likely their eyes will glaze over, and they will (falsely) say that they can’t wait to read it. Chances are, they still have no idea what it is about.

In my last webinar, where we talked about positioning your book, one of the exercises we did was crafting an elevator pitch. Here are ways to do that:

PART ONE:

• What is your book? (Title, genre, length, publisher if known)

• Who is the protagonist (or, for nonfiction, who is the central figure / who is this for)?

• What does the protagonist want?

• What stands in the way?

• What’s at stake if they fail?

• What is the book really about — the theme underneath the plot?

COMP TITLES

• My book is for readers of (use a title from the past five years):

• My book is in the tradition of:

• My book is [TITLE A] meets [TITLE B]:

Sample: It’s Tana French meets Elizabeth Strout — for readers of THE SECRET HISTORY and OLIVE KITTERIDGE.

PART 3 — THE HOOK SENTENCE

• Your hook is ONE sentence (under 25 words) that makes someone want to hear more. It should contain: a character, a situation, and a tension.

• Hook formula: When [character] [does/discovers something], [tension/stakes].

• Write 3 versions and circle your favorite.

PART 4 — ASSEMBLE THE PITCH

Combine your ingredients into a 30-second pitch (about 75–100 words). Use this structure:

• ONE-LINE HOOK — your favorite version from Part 3.

• STAKES OR THEME — what the book is really wrestling with (1 sentence).

• COMP / POSITIONING — a comp title or genre marker (1 sentence).

• WHY YOU — your authority or personal stake, if relevant (1 sentence).

Now, do you have to do all the above? No, but try it. It’s a good exercise.

AUTHORS MUST KNOW THEIR AUDIENCE

I rarely talk to an author who knows their audience. Usually, when I ask about their audience, authors generalize. I understand why—it’s instinctual—but it is also the incorrect way to drill down to your readers.

An exercise I talk about a lot is “Your Perfect Reader Profile.” I created this so authors can write down comp entertainment for their book. Comp entertainment is:

• What podcasts do your readers listen to?

• What shows do they watch on streaming services?

• What music do they like?

• Where do they shop?

After you figure out the above, you can tailor your content on your platform of choice more effectively to its intended audience. What does that mean? It means that the content for someone who is obsessed with the Real Housewives franchise (Hi, Jon Hamm) is not the same as the content for someone who is obsessed with Book TV on C-SPAN (Hello to my husband). The person obsessed with Call Her Daddy is not the same as the one who is obsessed with Pod Save America. Yes, there is some crossover in audiences, but most people do not watch or listen to both.

AUTHORS MUST UNDERSTAND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

Indie (meaning, self-published) romance authors rule the kingdom of audience development. I am in awe of what authors like Vi Keeland and TL Swan have accomplished since I began reading them years ago. If you check out Vi’s Violets or TL Swan’s author page on Facebook, you will see a master class in audience development.

Now, I’m not telling anyone to do exactly what those authors have done, but you do need to work to gain fans of YOU and your books. How do you do that? Well, some of you will hate the answer: platform development. That is just a fancy term for building a following on a platform—whatever that means for you.

Think about it this way: You’re at a conference, and your name is on a badge. Can you walk through the conference without a single person stopping you to say, “I just wanted to introduce myself. I follow you on (name platform). When is your book coming out?” That person is your fan and will likely continue to follow your career. If you walk through a conference with the same badge and no one stops you, it isn’t the end of the world, but it also means you have work to do. Name recognition is everything these days, as are parasocial relationships. I don’t love the latter, but I also know people generally want to feel like they “know” you. That doesn’t mean you should spill your guts on social media every chance you get. It means you should engage with others and use an approachable voice. That also means you don’t want to complain about book publishing every time you are on a platform. That doesn’t sell books, and all you are doing is 1) Complaining and 2) Not allowing people to see what you are like when you are not complaining! Vibes matter.

Lastly, look at what other authors are doing on social media. I notice Jasmine Guillory responding to posts on Threads all the time, and I think she is great at it. Yes, she is well-known, but she is also invested in gaining new readers and retaining current ones.

I hope this edition of the newsletter is helpful. I realize a swath of you don’t want anything to do with social media, and that is also okay. Book publicist Abigail Monti wrote a terrific post last week about what authors can do if they do not have a platform. The good thing is that all the points I made above also apply to building an in-person audience.

END NOTES:

What I’m Reading: The Palm House by Gwendoline Riley. This is one of those books I heard about several times within a few days, so I had to get it. I’ll let you know what I think, but so far, I love it.

What I’m Listening To: The audiobook of Ghost Stories by Suri Hustvedt. Suri was married to the author Paul Auster until his death in 2024. I love both of their work.

What I’m Watching: This is a long list! Real Housewives of Rhode Island, Your Friends & Neighbors (season 2), Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Tucci in Italy (season 2), and I just watched the Martin Short documentary on Netflix, which I loved.