As the days get closer to the release of my memoir, I seem to be getting more and more anxious. Though I got my first endorsement yesterday from one of the reviewers and it was absolutely terrific, I keep thinking what facts did I get wrong, what people did I offend by writing too much or too little about them, and how will I be able to handle the books signings and interviews that will surely be on my calendar in the weeks after its release.
I wonder if these are common thoughts for authors – especially of memoir. I took a class a while back from Maureen Murdock who calls memoir “unreliable truth” – that it, it is my truth versus anyone elses. For instance my husband has been reading a review copy and he is sure that the snowstorm that I write about didn’t happen in New York City when I say it happened. Well, I definitely stand by my memory, but it makes me wonder how many other things will he think I’m just flat-out wrong about. Besides having these about-to-be-released jitters I have a lot of things left to do on my plate before publication date. Here’s my list so far – though I’m sure this list won’t mean much to you, it’s very important to me and my marketing effort.
- Develop list of celebrities, authors, educators who might offer an endorsement and find out how to contact them (my cousin is helping me with this)
- Arrange book signing at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services
- Get friends and family to arrange book signings (my sister is working on Powell’s)
- Develop list of blogs where I could post about the book as a guest (WOW is in the works, though not certain yet)
- Follow through with Martha re blurb on her blog Out on a Limb
- Contact UCLA Writer’s Program about getting publicized through them
- Give blurb about book to Shalom for Ellen Bass’ monthly newsletter
- Ditto for Winning Writers
- Follow up about Easy Reader Interview
- Arrange for Beach Reporter interview
- Send out Evites re book signings at Pages, our local independent bookstore
- Keep posting about book signing at Pages on Facebook
- Keep on urging people to Like my author page and read my blogs
Writing this all down here helps. I’m sure I’ll think of more to do, but for the time being it is quite enough.
And of course the most important thing I need to do is Keep Calm. I really need to keep pinching myself as a reminder that this is all happening to me.
When I first started working for a book distributor, as a book production manager for their publishing clients, I was overwhelmed with everything I needed to learn, and do. My boss told me to take a Post-It and write on it 3 things to do that day. And just worry about accomplishing those 3 things. When I get overwhelmed I focus on no more than 3 things. It helps. He also had me put a note on my desk that said "Can someone else do this?"
ReplyDeleteAt the same company there was a wonderful guy who was the accounting person. He'd come in my office and ask what I was doing. And then "Is it making us money?" I thought that was funny, but it reminded me to remember the goal (not making money per se, but our purpose for that day).
So, now when I look at juggling so many projects and also the launch of various books and my personal projects, I think of these things:
1) Pick 3 things. That's enough for one day.
2) Can someone else do it? Do that which only I can do. Which I must do. Which I am best at doing. Which, if I won't do it, will not get done. Which I've determined are absolutely necessary.
3) Is it getting me closer to my goal, which is.............?
Releasing a book is a marathon, not a sprint. It doesn't all have to happen in the first month.