Thread by @MissDahlELama

I had the exact same thought yesterday, and in general this week as I had a couple of phone calls with pre-pub authors for various reasons. We truly horribly underprepare debut authors for so much.

https://twitter.com/what_eats_owls/status/1537426902230528000

And debut groups are great but they're also groups of people who all don't know the same things, all don't know what they don't know, and all panic over the same things because how can they not?

So, some stuff that may or may not come in your debut group, and debuts, please feel free to add your questions, and other published others, feel free to add your responses. (Since we're talking dealing w/publishers, this is specifically trad pub.)

1. Your publisher will prob ask you where you'd like ARCs sent. It's OK if you don't have a big list, or don't know anyone! You can provide a few dream options from media that covers comps; you have to start somewhere. But also know rights sold affect where ARCs can be sent.

2. You do not need to do a preorder campaign! You really do not! But if you do, *never have it cost more per book than the sale of a book would bring in*. Keep it to flat swag that can be mailed with a single stamp, or better yet, partner w/an indie who'll send it w/each book.

3. BookScan's where everyone sees sales numbers, and it's *so* off, because there are a lot of various sales it doesn't record, e.g. ebooks, audio, library sales, etc. If you want to subject yourself to them anyway, you can access 2 yrs of your #s via Amazon Author Central (free)

Some publishers have sales portals (e.g. PRH) and some do not, and I don't know why that is or if it'll be changing. But you'll only really see your true numbers twice a year, when you receive royalty statements. Those (should) come whether you earn royalties or not.

4. You can ask your publisher for things, and/or if they'll be doing things! Will there be a Goodreads giveaway, ads, whatever - you can ask! They can say no! But you lose nothing by asking, and you can (and prob should) talk out that ask with your agent first.

There are things authors pay for themselves and things they AFAIK never do. One of the biggest confusion sources in early publishing is not understanding what's being done by the publisher vs. being done by the author.

You can't always tell who's doing what! Sometimes the publisher is setting up the panels and sending authors to conferences, and sometimes the author is, and it can look exactly the same. Sometimes a pub sets up a launch and sometimes the author does, and ditto.

So it can look like spending money to promote is just part and parcel of the job but the fact is not all authors are doing that, and it's not your job to shell out in order to keep up. You are absolutely entitled to refuse to do things that are not being financed for you.

But you are also generally required by contract to keep up reasonable marketing efforts, so if you're not buying swag, traveling, etc. try to step up your social media promo, local events, etc. Partnering with other authors is always a great way to do it!

5. Related, you do NOT have to be on every social medium. I know people feel like you Must be on BookTok but tbh for the *most* part (with obvious exceptions) authors aren't the ones selling books on there; fervent readers are. You are almost def not gonna move that needle.

6. In fact, you personally are almost never gonna move that needle, so don't do stuff you hate or that depletes you. Lean into whatever about the process gives you joy. Blowing up these days is either publisher-driven or super organic and there is almost nothing in the middle.

7. You don't have to know your exact comp titles but it helps to know who's audience you'd like to reach, within reason. This can help you target promotion and ARC lists, but also help you find authors who'll be great partners for panels and giveaways.

8. Doing interviews is part of the job - some will be via email, some will be by phone, some will be over Zoom, some will be podcasts, all of them will be edited by someone who's not you and they will not always be shared with you before they go up (though you can ask).

In interviews, you will *very* often be asked about the following, so have answers at least mentally ready if not literally written down:

1) Your inspiration
2) Your fancast
3) Your writing process (esp if you're a plotter or a pantser)
4) Book recommendations

Your language matters a lot, and you're an author, so you know this. "There weren't any" isn't the same as "I couldn't find any" isn't the same as "I wanted to see more" isn't the same as "I really wanted to be part of the existing tradition with my own spin"

What you've read is about you as a reader; what exists is something that is far beyond you. If you're talking about the latter, you better be an actual expert, and no matter what, "As far as I know" or "To the best of my knowledge" is not gonna hurt you to include.

9. Appreciate your publishing team, and the fact that there are people on it you have never seen on emails and will never meet. Ask for their names. Put them in your acknowledgments. Let your editor know when you're happy with their work, especially if they're assistants.

For example, if you're not in publishing, you may not realize how many people are involved in the production of your book, but you likely have a Managing Editor, a Production Editor, at least one Copy Editor, at least one Proofreader, and a Designer, in addition to cover stuff.

10. Your agent is your partner. Have a question? You can ask them! Have a problem? Let them know. Want to have an uncomfortable conversation with your publishing team? TELL THEM. They have faced situations and *prepared language* for things you have and do not.

11. There are a lot of reasons not to compare yourself to other authors and a big one is that you often have no idea what's behind the scenes. There are so many things you don't even know you don't know about contracts clauses, rights etc. that would explain a lot.

Like, take something super basic - did you know COOL FOR THE SUMMER is Macmillan for audio but HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE is OrangeSky, even though the books are on the same contract and have the same fantastic narrator? Probably not! And it makes a difference in various things!

Another one: paperbacks. Some books are paperback originals. Some books are hardcover originals and don't get paperbacks because sales haven't hit a threshold where the publisher does one. Some get paperbacks no matter what. Some don't get for a while bc hardcover sales are high.

If a book was a hardcover original, the paperback usually comes out about a year later, especially if there's a new release to time it with. This can be a refresh of sorts bc let's say B&N is done carrying that hardcover but will carry the title again once in paperback.

12. Let's talk about some things that happen that can suck. Doesn't mean they will! Does mean that if it happens, you should know it's an established Suck and you are not the first author it has ever happened to, or even close to it.

*Not every trade publication has to review your book, and in fact, if your ARCs come out too late, they may not be able to. Do not take my timing for gospel bc this v well may have changed, but last I knew, PW needed a 6mo lead time for a review, and Kirkus needed 4.

*B&N does not buy every book. They famously screwed over a whole bunch of S&S authors almost a decade ago, in fact! This doesn't mean they won't buy future ones, and I don't think it even means they won't necessarily buy your paperback if you get one, but.

*Many many MANY new authors do not get great attendance at their events, do not get invited to festivals/cons etc., and that's just part and parcel of being new and it's hard and it sucks. Set up a "launch" for yourself that you'll love no matter what bc you deserve joy.

*This midlist is hard. It is hard to see other authors getting so much more than you - money, attention, opportunities, sales, fanart, everything, and everyone's going to find their own ways to cope with that. My biggest suggestion unless it's a systemic discussion is: privately.

*I'm always surprised when I see authors embarrassed to have parted with their agents bc I feel like we're pretty open about this as an industry but IT IS VERY COMMON. I'm on agent FIVE, and that's with every past agent having sold at least one book for me. It is FINE.

I don't want too much doom and gloom here but like, I have an entire post about this so if you're feeling particularly isolated about something, I encourage you to read it: dailydahlia.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/its…

On a more joyous ending*, you did it. You DID IT. YOU WROTE A FREAKING BOOK. Whenever you need it, stop and take a breath and think about the past you who dreamed of doing just that, and tell them you made their dream come true.

*feel free to ask questions on anything I didn't cover. But please keep your snark elsewhere because I am deeply not feeling it today.

No, wait, I thought of more things:

Blurbs - they are a nice way to promote your book and give you something to tweet about, and I know booksellers use them, but the average reader will literally never notice if you do not have them! Still, tips on them:

*Ask authors who are relevant to your work, whose audience is an ideal audience for you. Like, will it make sense when it says "Author Author, author of Book Title" on your book? Is there a connection there? That's a key component

*If you're uncomfortable asking yourself, see if your agent or editor will do it. You can write a letter that they pass along, if you like!

*Authors mostly prefer being asked via their agents, so that's usually a safe path. If you know them personally, you might make a dif call

BUT if you do ask authors for blurbs on your own, do let your team know. It sucks asking an author for a blurb only to find out your team won't use it because they think the author wasn't the right fit or they decided not to use blurbs on your cover at all.

In general, "Let your team know about your promo efforts" is a good call. That way they can boost you, or let you know "Actually, we're already working on that," or know what days you're not available, or provide ARCs for a book tour, etc.

OH, I would def be remiss not to share @aidenschmaiden's debut guide here - it's fantastic: aiden-thomas.com/survival-guide This is full of great advice and absolutely should be bookmarked.

Oh, and another tougher subject - returns, going out of print etc. Returns are pretty much *always* part of the deal, and timing usually works that your second royalty statement is where you're gonna be hit the hardest bc of how long bookstores keep stuff on shelves.

That's normal and does not mean you're a massive failure! Think about how many books are coming out each week and how much space there is on shelves at your favorite indies, for a little example. It's the cycle of book life.

One thing that some publishers do is sell off your stock to discount sites like Book Outlet, which I thiiink is good bc then you're not paying for returns, just not making money off those purchases? I AM NOT SURE. I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT THIS.

But lemme tell you a thing - I felt so funny the first time I saw one of my books on Book Outlet bc I was all "Oh nooo this means it's not selling!" and then realized A) I know it still is and also B) THERE WERE LITERAL CURRENT NYT BESTSELLERS ON BOOK OUTLET.

Anyway, Book Outlet is where I shopped when I had no money and it's what enabled me to become a blogger, so I love them and by the by you can hardcovers of both HIS HIDEOUS HEART and THAT WAY MADNESS LIES on there for half price: bookoutlet.com/browse?q=dahli…

It's VERY hard to think in terms of the long game when you're a debut, but it's important to. Everything you do is an investment in yourself and your career. If something happens that feels like it hurts your bottom line, try recentering it in the context of a greater career.

As for books going out of print - again, common! Still feels sucky! But hopefully (and most likely), it still exists as an ebook, and if it's something you'd like to do, you can ask your pub what clearance you need and what they'll provide so you can self-pub a hard copy.

Oh, back to a basic - cover reveals. These def used to be bigger! Publishers are moving away from caring about them and largely doing them as a group, but if you care about having one, just ask if you can organize your own and when it would need to go up.

Cover reveals are not in a vacuum; the covers get fed to etailers, Netgalley, Edelweiss, etc, at a specific point, which is why the timing is not a free-for-all, esp. because you generally want to make sure there are buy links available to include.

You can always approach an outlet to do one (or ask your publisher to), but if you wanna do one yourself on your social media, that is BEYOND fine. Just make sure all the important info is there, esp. artist and designer info, which should be in the tweet/post WITH THE FULL ART.

Cover went up early on some outlets? DO NOT PANIC. Only a laughably small number of people will find it and I know because I'm one of those people. It's hard enough to get your cover out there *with* a reveal; keep that in mind. Just do your "official" one as soon as you can.

Oh this is sort of random but ties into a few tweets about both language and questions - I love the concept of books being in conversation, and I think it's a great way to frame where your books fit into YA at large and acknowledges what came before and what gaps still may be.

Basic logistical thing! If you're in the US, media mail is your BEST FRIEND. It's a much cheaper way to send ARCs/books domestically, and you can print shipping labels for it at home here: paypal.shipstation.com/orders I like to buy sticky label paper, too, and call it a day.

Shipping internationally is *very* pricy, so if you're outside the US and publishing within it, ask your publisher if they'll do the shipping for your giveaways. If you're inside and want to ship out, I recommend signed bookplates.

Oh my God this thread is so obnoxiously long and I haven't even mentioned websites. Witness me.

PS if you have somehow missed my ridiculous number of threads about websites/media kits etc., you can find the main one here:

https://twitter.com/MissDahlELama/status/1141456757249716224