Launch Lessons
Three months into an indie book launch is a good time to take a breath and assess what went down.
After working with an in-demand book editor, I researched ten agents looking for horror. A few months later, when that effort tanked, I sent the manuscript for an assessment from Jericho Writers in the UK. I got back targeted criticism and acted on it.
Five months later I’d retooled The Banished, and sent it for a second edit from my editor, who at this point was a lifeline and touchstone. She was enthusiastic about the changes I’d made, and offered another thorough round of edits. When the revisions were ready, I queried a new set of agents.
In the meantime, I went to ThrillerFest in July in New York, and had quality face time with ten agents at PitchFest. I felt I had as good a chance as any to land one if my work was right.
But I was starting to suspect my novel had a fatal flaw, especially for agents of commercial fiction. The opening was offbeat and complex and potentially off-putting: a sinister take-over of an orthodox monastery.
Two agents at the Gotham Writers Conference in New York in October confirmed my suspicions. They were enthusiastic about my query letter and synopsis. But the first pages turned them off. That’s it. Game over.
I consulted my magic 8-ball. Should I indie publish?
“As I see it, yes.”
I’d invested almost three years on The Banished, and decided to pull the trigger. Or, rather, to click PUBLISH.
Here’s what I learned, in no particular order:
• Some books will be suited to agents and traditional publishing, some will not. And that’s OK. I fully intend to query again with a new book. Though probably not the next one, because I doubt an agent would touch a sequel to an indie-published title.
• The opening is absolutely crucial. I was afraid the beginning was “less than spellbinding” – as one reviewer put it – but I was unwilling and unable to fix it. Some readers like it, and so do I. But making readers wait for the fun and surprises is a large ask for an unpublished author.
• I think it was better to indie publish than bury my manuscript on my hard drive, because I’ve learned from the process and otherwise would have flatlined.
• Advance review copies need to be sent at least three months before launch. And absolutely upload a nice PDF of the working print edition, not a manuscript. I learned the hard way.
• Setting up an author website is crucial, and also fun.
• Social media isn’t. Well, some may argue, but I find it dumb, disingenuous, and conformist.
• Amazon advertising works better if you use manual targeting of keywords.
• Traditional publishing excels in advance promotion and gathering reviews. Before readers can buy a published book, an army of Net Galley reviewers are engaged, authors with the Big 5 feed each other blurbs, and powerful media gatekeepers create buzz indie authors can’t possibly match.
• That said, the book review swamp, traditional or indie, is a racket and sleazy. Amazon reader reviews included. I now disregard most Net Galley reviews, and all reviews from authors with titles like USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR. The attribution is designed to mislead. And what author would say anything bad or mediocre? They can’t.
• I paid for three editorial reviews, and it was worth it: Kirkus, BookLife, and IndieReader. I got blurbs and valuable professional insight that has already improved my work-in-progress. I wouldn’t have these otherwise.
• Some indie bookstores will carry books from indie authors on consignment, but increasingly NOT if published through Amazon. It must be IngramSpark. That said, the print quality of my paperbacks from Amazon are far superior to those from IngramSpark, where the spine copy on the cover isn’t aligned, and the outside margins on the interior pages annoyingly vary. The Amazon printed books are impeccable.
• I can’t make readers find my book, buy my book, or like my book (or give stars or write reviews). It’s a tough reality most (all?) writers face.
• Readers are a cool and curious lot, unfazed by the internet dump of entertainment, and open to what seems good.
• Dry prose and summary are the enemy.
• Empathetic characters are essential.
• Writing’s a journey of self-discovery. I’ve pinpointed new weaknesses and limitations. The craft is very tricky, even to be mediocre. But therein lies the motivation to learn, over time, word by word.
