Hi Kathleen! Loving your Substack, as always…My question has to do with what level of quality/quantity platform is best to have before going out with a book proposal. I have a client with a unique memoir in a high interest but crowded field. She had no media platform, so six months ago, I helped her start a Substack (350 subscribers so far, strong open rate), publish a smart op-ed in a legacy media site, and get on a respected podcast in her niche. But in the last few weeks, something nuts has happened. I asked her to go on Instagram, and within one month her storytelling reels went viral. She only put up four of them and now has tens of thousands of followers. I know this can be fool’s gold, but the level of passionate engagement is stunning. 1000 comments on her recent post, many are begging for the next installment. When is the time to say go and pitch agents? It’s a cruel world out there. I was thinking another major media placement And to keep putting out more reels and ride this wave. How much more substack? Obviously, this is unknowable. I respect your insights very much. Would love any thoughts you have to offer.
Hi Raymond. I actually don't encourage my authors to have social media connections. I assess their content and engagement. If I see there are no comments on posts, it is time to pivot the content. I encourage authors to engage with readers on social media because community is more important than follower counts. That is why I engage with almost every comment I receive on Threads. It keeps people around--they know they can have a conversation with me.
Hi Kathleen—a follow-up question on your response to Bill. I’m primarily on Substack with rare posts to insta. Do you recommend that an author also be on Threads or Bsky? And if so, any opinion on whether one is better than the other for engaging with readers?
Bluesky is a weird place that is still very niche. I pop in there every now and then, and it is just media people talking to each other. I love Threads, but I don't love it for book-related stuff. It can get toxic very fast in that respect.
Thanks for your insight! Kinda sounds like I don’t need to add one of those. I should probably be more consistent on instagram but I think it’s so labor-intensive and counterintuitive!
Everything is going to change on Instagram. Meta is launching subscription services for each of its platforms, so basically, if you want the algorithm to notice you, you need to pay.
A little about me: I published two books traditionally and two with SWP. I've published an academic book, essays in NYT and The Forward, articles in Parents magazine, two essays on Zibby's substack and more. Bill Wolfe listed my last novel as an honorable mention as best novel of the year in 2024 on his site: https://readherlikeanopenbook.com.
Would love any advice you have about trying to sell my novel (published in 2024) by She Writes Press. While it received good reviews (Kirkus, etc) and I did a couple of Suzy Approved book tours, the novel didn't sell. I've had a little success with ebooks but not with the paperbacks. I'd love any advice you have on getting more of the paperbacks sold. Not looking for miracles. In the past, advertising on Amazon helped but that's not working now. Thank you so very much!
It's hard to answer this without knowing what the book is (the link just took me to Bill Wolfe's website) or what your platform looks like. In general, readers want to connect with authors, so you should engage with them on whichever platform you use. The problem with promoting a 2yr old book is the bottleneck that new books create. Is there a hook for you or the book?
Thank you so much for your quick response! I realize it's much harder with a two year old book. Here's Bill Wolfe's assessment: "Will End in Fire – Nicole Bokat (SWP)
When the family home burns down, leaving star athlete-turned-recovering addict Josh Stone in the hospital, clinging to life, his older sister Ellie has to face her own possible involvement. Will End in Fire is both a mystery/psychological suspense novel – how did the fire start and who could possibly want to harm Josh — and a literary character study. Bokat explores sibling rivalry, addiction and recovery, and how the past refuses to stay in the past (thanks in large part to social media). It’s a taut narrative that also probes the nature of the brother and sister’s complex relationship and the issue of who can be trusted."
The hooks are: mysterious murder (due to a house fire), 20-something date rape, addiction and sibling rivalry.
Have you tried Facebook ads? If not, I’d spend some money there. Have you done a Goodreads giveaway? If you did, try doing another one. If you didn’t, it could help with the book’s visibility. Another option—and I don’t know if they will do it for a book that was published in 2024—is a Women on Writing (WoW) blog tour. They have different packages, some include podcast interviews. Hope this helps.
Hi Kathleen! Loving your Substack, as always…My question has to do with what level of quality/quantity platform is best to have before going out with a book proposal. I have a client with a unique memoir in a high interest but crowded field. She had no media platform, so six months ago, I helped her start a Substack (350 subscribers so far, strong open rate), publish a smart op-ed in a legacy media site, and get on a respected podcast in her niche. But in the last few weeks, something nuts has happened. I asked her to go on Instagram, and within one month her storytelling reels went viral. She only put up four of them and now has tens of thousands of followers. I know this can be fool’s gold, but the level of passionate engagement is stunning. 1000 comments on her recent post, many are begging for the next installment. When is the time to say go and pitch agents? It’s a cruel world out there. I was thinking another major media placement And to keep putting out more reels and ride this wave. How much more substack? Obviously, this is unknowable. I respect your insights very much. Would love any thoughts you have to offer.
I think the time is now, especially with that kind of engagement. That’s the thing agents & publishers are looking for.
Hi Kathleen—To move the needle on adult novel sales, how many social media connections do you encourage your author/clients to have and why?
Hi Raymond. I actually don't encourage my authors to have social media connections. I assess their content and engagement. If I see there are no comments on posts, it is time to pivot the content. I encourage authors to engage with readers on social media because community is more important than follower counts. That is why I engage with almost every comment I receive on Threads. It keeps people around--they know they can have a conversation with me.
Hi Kathleen—a follow-up question on your response to Bill. I’m primarily on Substack with rare posts to insta. Do you recommend that an author also be on Threads or Bsky? And if so, any opinion on whether one is better than the other for engaging with readers?
Bluesky is a weird place that is still very niche. I pop in there every now and then, and it is just media people talking to each other. I love Threads, but I don't love it for book-related stuff. It can get toxic very fast in that respect.
Thanks for your insight! Kinda sounds like I don’t need to add one of those. I should probably be more consistent on instagram but I think it’s so labor-intensive and counterintuitive!
Everything is going to change on Instagram. Meta is launching subscription services for each of its platforms, so basically, if you want the algorithm to notice you, you need to pay.
ooh, that sounds lame.
A little about me: I published two books traditionally and two with SWP. I've published an academic book, essays in NYT and The Forward, articles in Parents magazine, two essays on Zibby's substack and more. Bill Wolfe listed my last novel as an honorable mention as best novel of the year in 2024 on his site: https://readherlikeanopenbook.com.
Would love any advice you have about trying to sell my novel (published in 2024) by She Writes Press. While it received good reviews (Kirkus, etc) and I did a couple of Suzy Approved book tours, the novel didn't sell. I've had a little success with ebooks but not with the paperbacks. I'd love any advice you have on getting more of the paperbacks sold. Not looking for miracles. In the past, advertising on Amazon helped but that's not working now. Thank you so very much!
Hi Nicole,
It's hard to answer this without knowing what the book is (the link just took me to Bill Wolfe's website) or what your platform looks like. In general, readers want to connect with authors, so you should engage with them on whichever platform you use. The problem with promoting a 2yr old book is the bottleneck that new books create. Is there a hook for you or the book?
Hi Kathleen,
Thank you so much for your quick response! I realize it's much harder with a two year old book. Here's Bill Wolfe's assessment: "Will End in Fire – Nicole Bokat (SWP)
When the family home burns down, leaving star athlete-turned-recovering addict Josh Stone in the hospital, clinging to life, his older sister Ellie has to face her own possible involvement. Will End in Fire is both a mystery/psychological suspense novel – how did the fire start and who could possibly want to harm Josh — and a literary character study. Bokat explores sibling rivalry, addiction and recovery, and how the past refuses to stay in the past (thanks in large part to social media). It’s a taut narrative that also probes the nature of the brother and sister’s complex relationship and the issue of who can be trusted."
The hooks are: mysterious murder (due to a house fire), 20-something date rape, addiction and sibling rivalry.
I really appreciate your input!
Best,
Nicole
Have you tried Facebook ads? If not, I’d spend some money there. Have you done a Goodreads giveaway? If you did, try doing another one. If you didn’t, it could help with the book’s visibility. Another option—and I don’t know if they will do it for a book that was published in 2024—is a Women on Writing (WoW) blog tour. They have different packages, some include podcast interviews. Hope this helps.
A million thanks!