Absolutely agree with this. If only authors would afford to work with a publicist after publication. I have done this with much success. But with low fees.
The book publicist I worked with told me "Readers don't buy a book when it's released, they buy it when they learn about it". Helpful advice for me. Great idea about the class, Kathleen!
Ok, well, this was helpful to an indie author who has sold a few hundred books. I feel like I am slowly making inroads with book clubs here and there across the country and a string of podcasts. The book was published with no real marketing plan,a mistake I won’t make again.
Thank you, Kathleen, for free posts like this. ❤️ I just self-published my debut memoir-as-novel last month, so this gives me so much encouragement and gumption to keep steady on course. Thanks to all of the other commenters' input, too! I believe in my book, and while I would like to make back some kind of "salary" after 8 years of writing it (I was a teacher, so I'm used to not much...), I believe that the book is more important than me, and I'm willing to be patient for people to find it or hear of it by word of mouth. Best wishes for all!
I like your Plan B specifics. Some of that groups of authors can do for themselves, like when we pitch in to help a friend who was ill or had another crisis at launch time, but clearly, some requires a rethink by publishers.
Thanks Leslie. Disaster is so common now that I really think it requires a systemic approach. The industry is nonsensically stuck in the trap of planned release dates as the make-or-break windows for titles to be discovered. It’s inane. There have to be better ways and timelines to generate word of mouth.
And yet, many readers love escape fiction during difficult times. I think that's part of the popularity of romantasy, and while cozy mystery -- one of my genres -- isn't selling as well as it did, it is filling a need right now, as it did during Covid. Our job -- and I wish publishers did more to help us -- is to help readers see that when the world is getting them down, they need a mystery set in a spice shop and on a lavender farm right this minute!
Thank you for this piece. My book came out in November 2020, and though it did okay for its first six weeks due to some wonderful publicity wins (my publisher banked on many books being rushed to early autumn or pushed off to spring 2021, and I think they were right) sales plummeted after the insurrection... It hadn't occurred to me that publishers should have contingency plans for books whose timing sucks. But yes, of course they should!!
I'm so sorry for your book. It keeps happening to me, too. One novel came out smack in the middle of Shock & Awe. Another when all book business closed under Covid. Now a book I ghosted is out i the middle of this Trumped up war. Yet PUBLISHERS DO NOT LEARN!!!
Distributed, traditional, independent publisher here echoing, re-ifying, confirming, validating everything Kathleen wrote. For many other independent publishers and us, we've abandoned the 'big sales in 90 days or you're kaput' thinking.
I think that everyone who cares about this should differentiate between the Big Five and Independent publishers, because while the business is fundamentally the same, how each approaches it is different. Independents tend to think long-term sales strategy at every step of the process. We look for titles that are 'evergreen' so we can work the book for much longer.
A great example of this strategy in action is "Braiding Sweetgrass" (Milkweed, 2014). The book would have been considered a good success as it sold 3k copies in the first 90 days. A Big Five might have pulled back resources, projected selling 5k in the first year, and moved on to the next book. But Milkweed supported the title beyond 90 days, and Robin kept doing her thing, giving presentations, being an 'expert' commentator in press/interviews, writing essays. Sales throughout 2014 and 2015 were steady; then something happened in 2016. Was it a single event? Not really; it was Robin's rising profile and Milkweed's continued support of the book that earned it continued notice and an exponential increase in sales. "Braiding Sweetgrass" is about 12 years old and still selling. It did 121k in 2025, pushing it over 1.1 million copies sold since publication, and spawned a kids' edition and many foreign language editions.
Is "Braiding Sweetgrass" an outlier? Yes, but only in the huge sales numbers. I share the example because instead of thinking of sales history as a rocket that spikes high then crashes, think of your sales growth as a Hockey Stick....slow and steady, trending upward, then making a substantial spike when you've put in a few years' effort working the book.
This scenario is using non-fiction examples, but I *think* it can hold true for fiction. (Not my bailiwick, so those experts should weigh in.)
Adding: As a publisher, I have many examples of books that have 'hockey stick' sales tracks. In fact, I've just ordered a reprint (the third!) of Alice Bag's 2011 memoir. Why? Because Alice is continually active, playing shows and talking about her work and life. Over the past 15 years, she's gone from an unknown-but-important punk foremother to a widely recognized one, discovered by a new generation of readers.
And from a personal PoV. I think this is human nature...I'm a busy publisher, but I tend to have more "time" for authors who are cheerful warriors doing all they can to keep their work in the public eye. So when you do a podcast interview, write an opinion piece, or are "experting" in the press... let your publisher know! Send them links. It's much easier to work with a Tigger than an Eeyore.
I agree so much with this!! It’s so much easier and more fun to work with an author who is doing the work and putting in the effort to stay in the zeitgeist. I only recently heard about Braiding Sweetgrass and that shows the power of being consistent!!
Publishers and authors also need to a Plan B in case the release coincides with a national disaster. They should have learned that from Covid but NOBODY DID!!!!
I know this is anecdotal but I belong to two book clubs - one doesn’t read new releases when they come out b/c they vote for their selections a year in advance. The second tends to favor a mix of older and newer releases, but they are also moving to voting several months in advance, so that means any book they choose - and then recommend or pass along - will be on their list months after its pub date.
Great point. As a reader, I drop in and out of two book clubs, and visit quite a few as a writer, and your point about reading "backlist" is consistently true.
I read Dunham's last book and at the time, I recall saying, "She's a good writer, but I'd rather her have written this ten years from now when she has some perspective." Probably time to put my money where my mouth is, so I'll give it a shot.
My debut just published on 2/10 so we’re at about the two month mark and I am agonizing over what to do to keep up momentum. I would love any ideas or some kind of road map! 🙏🏻
Absolutely agree with this. If only authors would afford to work with a publicist after publication. I have done this with much success. But with low fees.
Absolutely. Everything starts small. The history of hockey-stick sales is just edited, cropping the bit before the stick.
The book publicist I worked with told me "Readers don't buy a book when it's released, they buy it when they learn about it". Helpful advice for me. Great idea about the class, Kathleen!
I LOVE this! A six-month post-publication class for our authors would be amazing!
Ok, well, this was helpful to an indie author who has sold a few hundred books. I feel like I am slowly making inroads with book clubs here and there across the country and a string of podcasts. The book was published with no real marketing plan,a mistake I won’t make again.
This is such a helpful reminder for so many. The long game is key! Last year I had a book hit the bestseller list after a full year in print!
I love the idea of a 6-month post-publication class! My new book will be out in January. I’m bookmarking this.
Thank you, Kathleen, for free posts like this. ❤️ I just self-published my debut memoir-as-novel last month, so this gives me so much encouragement and gumption to keep steady on course. Thanks to all of the other commenters' input, too! I believe in my book, and while I would like to make back some kind of "salary" after 8 years of writing it (I was a teacher, so I'm used to not much...), I believe that the book is more important than me, and I'm willing to be patient for people to find it or hear of it by word of mouth. Best wishes for all!
Thank you for the kind words!
Amazing as always!!!
Thank you :)
Bad news is killing new books!
https://mfalore.substack.com/p/bad-news-is-killing-new-books?r=12877t&utm_medium=ios
I like your Plan B specifics. Some of that groups of authors can do for themselves, like when we pitch in to help a friend who was ill or had another crisis at launch time, but clearly, some requires a rethink by publishers.
Thanks Leslie. Disaster is so common now that I really think it requires a systemic approach. The industry is nonsensically stuck in the trap of planned release dates as the make-or-break windows for titles to be discovered. It’s inane. There have to be better ways and timelines to generate word of mouth.
And yet, many readers love escape fiction during difficult times. I think that's part of the popularity of romantasy, and while cozy mystery -- one of my genres -- isn't selling as well as it did, it is filling a need right now, as it did during Covid. Our job -- and I wish publishers did more to help us -- is to help readers see that when the world is getting them down, they need a mystery set in a spice shop and on a lavender farm right this minute!
Thank you for this piece. My book came out in November 2020, and though it did okay for its first six weeks due to some wonderful publicity wins (my publisher banked on many books being rushed to early autumn or pushed off to spring 2021, and I think they were right) sales plummeted after the insurrection... It hadn't occurred to me that publishers should have contingency plans for books whose timing sucks. But yes, of course they should!!
I'm so sorry for your book. It keeps happening to me, too. One novel came out smack in the middle of Shock & Awe. Another when all book business closed under Covid. Now a book I ghosted is out i the middle of this Trumped up war. Yet PUBLISHERS DO NOT LEARN!!!
Distributed, traditional, independent publisher here echoing, re-ifying, confirming, validating everything Kathleen wrote. For many other independent publishers and us, we've abandoned the 'big sales in 90 days or you're kaput' thinking.
I think that everyone who cares about this should differentiate between the Big Five and Independent publishers, because while the business is fundamentally the same, how each approaches it is different. Independents tend to think long-term sales strategy at every step of the process. We look for titles that are 'evergreen' so we can work the book for much longer.
A great example of this strategy in action is "Braiding Sweetgrass" (Milkweed, 2014). The book would have been considered a good success as it sold 3k copies in the first 90 days. A Big Five might have pulled back resources, projected selling 5k in the first year, and moved on to the next book. But Milkweed supported the title beyond 90 days, and Robin kept doing her thing, giving presentations, being an 'expert' commentator in press/interviews, writing essays. Sales throughout 2014 and 2015 were steady; then something happened in 2016. Was it a single event? Not really; it was Robin's rising profile and Milkweed's continued support of the book that earned it continued notice and an exponential increase in sales. "Braiding Sweetgrass" is about 12 years old and still selling. It did 121k in 2025, pushing it over 1.1 million copies sold since publication, and spawned a kids' edition and many foreign language editions.
Is "Braiding Sweetgrass" an outlier? Yes, but only in the huge sales numbers. I share the example because instead of thinking of sales history as a rocket that spikes high then crashes, think of your sales growth as a Hockey Stick....slow and steady, trending upward, then making a substantial spike when you've put in a few years' effort working the book.
This scenario is using non-fiction examples, but I *think* it can hold true for fiction. (Not my bailiwick, so those experts should weigh in.)
So the big takeaway: always work your book.
Interesting and encouraging, Christina!
Adding: As a publisher, I have many examples of books that have 'hockey stick' sales tracks. In fact, I've just ordered a reprint (the third!) of Alice Bag's 2011 memoir. Why? Because Alice is continually active, playing shows and talking about her work and life. Over the past 15 years, she's gone from an unknown-but-important punk foremother to a widely recognized one, discovered by a new generation of readers.
And from a personal PoV. I think this is human nature...I'm a busy publisher, but I tend to have more "time" for authors who are cheerful warriors doing all they can to keep their work in the public eye. So when you do a podcast interview, write an opinion piece, or are "experting" in the press... let your publisher know! Send them links. It's much easier to work with a Tigger than an Eeyore.
I agree so much with this!! It’s so much easier and more fun to work with an author who is doing the work and putting in the effort to stay in the zeitgeist. I only recently heard about Braiding Sweetgrass and that shows the power of being consistent!!
This is so true. I have a much easier time with the Tiggers.
Publishers and authors also need to a Plan B in case the release coincides with a national disaster. They should have learned that from Covid but NOBODY DID!!!!
I know this is anecdotal but I belong to two book clubs - one doesn’t read new releases when they come out b/c they vote for their selections a year in advance. The second tends to favor a mix of older and newer releases, but they are also moving to voting several months in advance, so that means any book they choose - and then recommend or pass along - will be on their list months after its pub date.
Great point. As a reader, I drop in and out of two book clubs, and visit quite a few as a writer, and your point about reading "backlist" is consistently true.
I love to hear this.
I read Dunham's last book and at the time, I recall saying, "She's a good writer, but I'd rather her have written this ten years from now when she has some perspective." Probably time to put my money where my mouth is, so I'll give it a shot.
My debut just published on 2/10 so we’re at about the two month mark and I am agonizing over what to do to keep up momentum. I would love any ideas or some kind of road map! 🙏🏻