Start. Stop. Continue.
Harsh advice for myself.
NEXT WEEKEND! This is an amazing 2-day market in Okotoks. Come by and say hi.
Good morning, friend.
Sorry for the swearing.
I am so fucking tired.
Not from going hard seven days a week between work, writing, signing events, and markets.
I am so fucking tired of putting my energy in the wrong place.
Last week, I started working on a study guide for my middle grade novels, Shift and Flow. I spent about five hours researching other study guides. I spent a morning visiting websites of middle grade authors to see what they were offering. I googled “elements of study guides for middle grade novels”. When I had a burst of intellectual inspiration, I signed into Canva and started designing a pretty and informative study guide. I think I put in roughly twelve hours of work when Friday morning I decided no more.
I love my middle grade novels. They are smart and thought-provoking. When a kid at a market picks it up and wants to buy it, I am over the moon. When a kid told me his mom said he already spent his market money, it took so much willpower not to just hand him the book for free. I have to remind myself that I paid for that copy.
I am so angry these days about a lot of things, but mostly this: my publisher gives me zero support. When my books came out, there was a single Facebook post in a private group. When Shift was named one of the Best Books for Kids & Teens by the The Canadian Children's Book Centre, my publisher did nothing with that news. At my own expense, I sent copies to middle grade reviewers around the world. I spent days looking up who the right contacts were in schools far and wide and sent a pdf summary (see images below) of the presentations I could deliver. For almost two years, I have been marketing the heck out of my middle grade novels, but I’m doing it alone and getting nowhere.
To make things even more painful, I saw this online: If your publisher makes more money from the author copies they sell you, then I’m sorry, but your publisher is a vanity press.
This was a punch in the gut.
Because it was true for me.
I’ve been marooned on this island and putting a lot of effort into something that will ultimately enrich others.
This is why I stopped doing the podcast. It changed from being a pandemic labour of love to just being unpaid labour. I loved doing the interviews, especially when they were debut authors. I didn’t view the podcast as a way to grow my network; I was genuinely curious about other writers’ process, successes, and challenges and wantes to talk about it.
More than 80% of the authors didn’t share the episode when it went live. I tagged them all in my own posts. When their pub dates came, I shared their announcements. But when my own books came out, there was no reciprocal sharing.
Maybe it’s petty, but this is where my brain went: I spent hours producing the episode to let people know about your book, the least you could do was tap a couple of times to let your community know about mine.
I hate this mindset. I’ve never been a what’s in it for me kind of person. I’m generous to a fault. Maybe it’s time to stop that. I’m genuinely curious about what would change if I shift (pun not intended) my focus to only the things that are good for me. Like choosing a salad over a burger. Focussing on marketing Katya Noskov’s Last Shot instead of spending time where there are zero returns. I know what a business-minded person would tell me to do. Start focussing on opportunities, stop doing things that yield nothing, and continue doing what makes you happy.
It’s harsh advice, but I need to try it for myself.
xo Dana
What I’m reading
I’m heading to Japan on a family trip later this spring and I’ve been trying to read Japanese novels or things Japan-related. I listened to Rice, Noodle, Fish by award-winning author Matt Goulding and I can report it is a decadent book to listen to. I also recently finished listening to Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata and it left me feeling sad. It was soooo depressing to me, so of course, I seek out the absolute antitheses: creepy lit. I’m just about to crack the cover on Strange Pictures by Uketsu. Will it be the right way to wind down after a full-day at a market? Maybe not. I might start this one on Monday and save tonight for watching White Lotus (Season 2).
I hear ya, Dana, and I too am weary of hitting my head repeatedly against the brick wall. I've decided not to do any more markets other than the 2 I've signed up for - Strathmore and Nanton. I sold two books in Blackfalds - the first almost paid for the spot at the table, the second put barely a dint in what it cost me to get there. Though I loved seeing old friends and being with you and the other FWG members, I just can't afford to keep putting money out when barely a trickle, at best, comes back. The problem is I still haven't found a way of marketing that works, especially for books that are in such a small niche - like my writer's memoir. I seem to be drawn to writing things that very few people want. Sigh.
I feel this, Dana. I'm tired, too. I find the dumpster fire that is social media doesn't help, either. Sending you big hugs. I wish I knew the answer to all this...