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Aug 12 • 12 tweets • 5 min read
Good idea! Follow #TenThingsAboutDebuts to collect them all!
1. Anyone looking at publishing right now might be forgiven in thinking that they're OBSESSED with debuts. Well, yes and no. #TenThingsAboutDebuts
2. On the one hand, the papers are full of stories of exciting new debuts getting massive books deals. And yes, it happens. But here's the thing. #TenThingsAboutDebuts
3. The publishing industry, much as I love some of the people in it, has the attention-span of a gnat. If your debut sales don't live up to the advance, then you may end up being forgotten just as fast as you were picked up. Because you're only new once. #TenThingsAboutDebuts
4. The reason publishers like debuts so much is because there's no previous history. If an established author's book tanks, then the next one is likely to suffer prejudice in terms of budget, ordering, etc. Not so with debuts. #TenThingsAboutDebuts
5. Hooray, right? Except that there are so many debut novelists out there that only a few get singled out for attention. The rest are left to sink or swim. So, there's that. #TenThingsAboutDebuts
6. What can you do to help your book get the best possible start? Well, first off, join the @Soc_of_Authors. They will check any contract you send them for possible problems. Plus they'll provide networking opportunities, info and maybe even a grant. #TenThingsAboutDebuts
7. Be part of the online community. Publishers tend to take it for granted now that authors have a social media presence. It's wrong, and it shouldn't be true, but it is. #TenThingsAboutDebuts
8. Sign up to @samatlounge's newsletter, theempoweredauthor.com. She's full of really great advice. #TenThingsAboutDebuts
9. Don't try to sell your book online. Instead, talk about the things you love, and the ideas that your book represents. That way, the kind of people who share your interests will come to you. #TenThingsAboutDebuts
10. Don't let anyone rush you. Some editors, in their excitement, can be pushy about wanting to bring out your work before you're properly ready. Remember, this is your book, not theirs. Give yourself time to finesse. You only make a first impression once. #TenThingsAboutDebuts
I hope that was helpful. If you enjoy these occasional threads, you'll find 100 more of them in my book, TEN THINGS ABOUT WRITING. amazon.co.uk/Ten-Things-Abo…

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More from @Joannechocolat

Joanne Harris Profile picture
Aug 14
Since the terrible attack on Salman Rushdie, a lot of writers have talked about feeling anxious and afraid. I've been searching for ways to talk about this that don't detract from the gravity of the attack on him, which followed decades of all-too credible threats. But here goes.
As authors, we are all open to potential threat from readers. Fortunately, Salman Rushdie is an extreme case, but ideas and stories are powerful, and those who create them are sometimes unaware of their effects on the reader.
Strong themes attract strong feelings. It's a double-edged sword - we all want to make a human connection, to invoke a response, but what happens if that response is anger, obsession or something worse? And I know some of you have been thinking: "Could that ever happen to me?"
Read 14 tweets
Joanne Harris Profile picture
Aug 13
Let's do this one. Follow #TenThingsAboutTensionManagement to collect them all!
1. Constructing a tight plot is a bit like flying a kite: it's mostly about the correct management of tension. #TenThingsAboutTensionManagement
2. If you've never flown a kite, bear with me. First, you pull on the kite string (creating tension) to make the kite rise. Then, when it's in the air, you adjust the tension on the string. Too much tension, the kite plummets. Too little, it falls.#TenThingsAboutTensionManagement
Read 12 tweets
Joanne Harris Profile picture
Jun 28
Lots of people talking about university courses today, and what they "lead to." Truth is, no-one can know what an academic course leads to. It depends on the person's experience, and the opportunities for personal growth and meeting people that being on the course may give them.
A lot of academic courses don't seem to lead to specific jobs. But that doesn't mean that what they teach has no value. Creativity; articulacy; empathy; critical thinking; increased literacy; all these things are essential, not just in work, but in life.
Not everyone wants to be an academic, and there's nothing wrong in pursuing a purely vocational degree. But attaching less value to a degree that doesn't lead directly to employment shows a fatal lack of understanding of what education means.
Read 6 tweets
Joanne Harris Profile picture
Apr 16
Here's a little story from when I was a teacher. Bear with me awhile; it's relevant, and explains what I feel about Partygate.
Some of you already know that I taught for 12 years in a boys' independent school in Yorkshire. Some boys were richer and more privileged than others, but all of them were raised with the idea that they would amount to something some day.
When I was a very new member of staff, I caught one of the boys in my form dropping a crisp packet in the corridor. I challenged him, and asked him to pick it up. He looked at me and said: "Why? We have cleaners to do that."
Read 8 tweets
Joanne Harris Profile picture
Apr 11
Here's a little test for you. Imagine reading a book set in Britain, written by someone who has never been there. Imagine a picture of Tower Bridge on the jacket, even though it's supposedly set in the North. Imagine characters that are continually referred to as "pasty" or pale.
Imagine all the British characters being called "Smith" or "Jones" or "Robinson." Imagine multiple references to the fact that none of them can eat spicy food. Imagine all of them having bad teeth and unsanitary habits.
Imagine all the bad guys being British, and the only non-British person in the story being the main protagonist. Imagine the British characters being portrayed as beer-swilling, inbred snobs who can't even be bothered to learn a foreign language.
Read 5 tweets
Joanne Harris Profile picture
Oct 27, 2021
We haven't had #TenTweets for awhile. People keep telling me this, so let's have #TenThingsAboutFinishingProjects. Follow the hashtag to collect them all!
1. So you've already got three unfinished projects on the go, and along comes another shiny new idea to lure you away from completing them. Why do you do this? Is it just you? (Spoiler, no: we ALL do this.) #TenThingsAboutFinishingProjects
2. But here's the thing. Just because we all do this doesn't necessarily mean we should. Part of being a better writer is knowing when to abandon a project that isn't working, and how to persevere with a project that is. Here's how. #TenThingsAboutFinishingProjects
Read 12 tweets

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