First up: The change.
My capacity over the next few months is drastically reducing, as I am working with a publisher on a range of campaigns, taking up about half of my week.
Between that work and my existing clients, I won’t be booking any author marketing accelerator reports or content planning packages until September 2024. Want to book ahead? Please do!
However, I am aiming to offer two one-off calls per month, where we dive into any area of book marketing that you’re struggling with.
Over the course of 1.5-2 hours, we can look at what you’ve already been doing, brainstorm new ideas, come up with a marketing plan, discuss your publishing questions - anything you need help with when it comes to your book marketing.
After the call, I will send over key action points and be on hand for the week following the call to answer follow-up questions, give suggestions or feedback, and generally help where I can.
If you’d like to book one of these sessions, please drop me an email and I will send you the booking link and my available times.
And now, on with my monthly roundup…
Things I loved
I read and ABSOLUTELY LOVED Costanza [aff link] by Rachel Blackmore. This was sent to me by a friend of mine at the publisher, and I’m so grateful. If you are a fan of hidden history and feminist retellings, you will love this, which is the story of Bernini’s famous Costanza sculpture from the perspective of the muse herself, and based on historical accounts. Couldn’t put it down.
I also finally read Big Magic [aff link]. I didn’t finish Eat, Pray, Love, so never sought this book out, but I’ve seen so many things about it over the years that when someone brought it to book club, I borrowed it to see what it’s all about. And I really did enjoy it. Very uplifting and inspiring, and really made me see creativity in a new light.
Another book club book I read (we swap books, rather than read the same one) was Shrines of Gaiety [aff link] by Kate Atkinson. I enjoyed this immensely. Gangsters, 1920s London, corrupt police, missing women, strong female characters, lots of sub-plots - loved it all.
My other book club (yes I’m in two book clubs) is reading Annie Ernaux’s Simple Passion [aff link] this month, which thankfully is very short, but compelling reading. It’s about a woman obsessed with her lover, and I inhaled it. LOTS to discuss at book club on Thursday!
I read a lot this month, apparently. I also just finished Love Story [aff link] by Lindsey Kelk. Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, a romance novel about a romance novelist, set in publishing, very fun, with spice thrown in.
I watched Three Body Problem on Netflix. I’m a *little* disappointed this wasn’t a limited series - I kind of thought it would all be wrapped up by the end - and definitely had to suspend my disbelief / not question the science of it - but overall I really enjoyed this, and am looking forward to season 2 (if there is one - so far it hasn’t been renewed, so please watch it so that they book in another season!).
Useful posts
What book publicists do, featuring
on ’s blog. Some really useful tips in here for any authors looking to do their own PR, as well as the reality of life as a publicist for a big publisher.I went along to a workshop on creating workshops, hosted by
, starring Kirsty at the School of Facilitation. I’ve hosted a lot of workshops over the years, and I have no training in running them, so although I’ve generally had positive feedback on them, I always feel like they could be better. This was such a useful session, and has made me think about planning something new over the next few months, so watch this space.I loved this piece from
on co-writing. I was also a participant in the early co-writing sessions and even though I was working on newsletters and social media copy, not a novel, it made me realise the absolute power of co-working, something I have come back to again and again when I need to focus on a particular project, or encourage authors I’m working on to make progress on something we are doing together.I shared the things that are absolutely essential to a successful book marketing campaign. They might not be what you’re expecting…
I also wrote about my first 6 months on Substack. One of the most popular posts I’ve written to date, both in terms of engagement, and in terms of the number of new subscribers it generated, so hurrah and welcome, if you’re new!
I felt very nervous to share this post about the publishing industry. This is such a complex topic, even for people who are actively working in publishing, so I know I didn’t cover everything, but I think I got across my thoughts in a reasonably clear way!
Want to use more video, but nervous or don’t know where to start? These tips from video strategist Kati McKinnon are great for authors just starting out.
Me elsewhere
I had a one-to-one call with
at the start of the month, and she invited me to talk marketing on her brand new newsletter, which I did! You can read a little Q&A about top tips for new authors, dos and don’ts for book marketing, and more, here.I chatted to video specialise Kati McKinnon about my somewhat erratic approach to using video for my business, as well as thoughts about TikTok and going viral here.
When
shared her goal to become a Sunday Times bestseller, I had a ton of ideas for her book, so sent her some of them on an email. She asked if she could share the email with her subscribers, which I was happy to agree to. If you have a non-fiction book coming up, have a read of my suggestions here.
Latest testimonial
‘Katie's marketing plan was comprehensive and really useful. She had looked at every angle and she advised me on a step by step approach. The ideas she gave were transferable to other novels, so the plan was excellent value for money. All in all this was a highly productive exercise.’
Maria Barrett, author of Still Lives
How about you?
How was your month last month? What were your wins, what are you struggling with? I’d love to hear from you, either on email or in the Substack comments…