the neverending question

to write or to market

a disappointing statement

I received a couple of statements in my inbox recently from Lightning Source, the print-on-demand unit of the self-publishing site IngramSpark, the platform I used to publish my illustrated memoir of poetry and essays, this is a love story. Usually when I get a statement, it’s exciting, because it means someone has bought my book.

Not this time.

Here’s some behind-the-scenes for you: in bookselling, book returns are a thing. Bookstores will buy some books on “trial” and then return them if they don’t sell. Marking a book as returnable on a distributor like IngramSpark means bookstores are more likely to take a chance on your book, but also means the publisher (me, in this case) may be on the hook for return costs down the line. So, if you haven’t guessed yet, I have some returns of this is a love story on my hands.

Even though my goal with the publication of this is a love story was never to be a bestseller or sell tons of copies, and I knew it was going to be a niche project, it still feels like my own personal failure. It sucks to see charges instead of sales on a statement. I think: I could’ve spent more time on consistent marketing - I could be marketing right now! I could have tried to get the attention of traditional newspapers, knocked on booksellers doors more, made more connections, I could have done any number of things in this complete guide to selling books! Why didn’t I work harder?

deciding on priorities

But I also know that I only have so much time or energy, so I have to prioritize. For one, marketing is a never-ending hamster wheel. For two, that’s not the fun part or the meaningful part for me or most authors; writing is. When I get to this crossroads of, should I spend more time trying to promote myself on social media, or should I spend time on writing? I find myself, especially right now, deciding no, I’m going to focus on writing, creating, because otherwise, what is it all for?

I also like to remind myself that some of my favourite authors who wrote some of my favourite books of all time are social media ghosts. Megan Whalen Turner, who wrote the tightly plotted fantasy series The Queen’s Thief - filled with detailed worldbuilding and incredibly complex characters - is only occasionally on Instagram and sometimes pops up on Tumblr but doesn’t really have a consistent online presence. Melina Marchetta, whose contemporary fiction books have broken my heart into a million pieces many times over, hasn’t posted anything on Instagram since April 2023.

And yes, of course as authors, we want our books to get in the hands of people, and marketing is the way to do it! But I am only one person, and I can’t do everything perfectly at all times, as much as I want to.

what i’m writing

So for now, I’ve decided to put my efforts into writing (which of course doesn’t mean never getting tempted by a mindless scroll…) As far as what I’m actually writing… I’m working on putting together a submission package for my friendship love story novel while waiting for beta reader feedback. But since that’s kind of boring “business” writing, my fun writing is working on fleshing out characters and worldbuilding for an old fantasy novel draft I wrote a while ago, with the intent of revising it soon. That novel is set on a tropical fantasy island with lots of dangerous creatures and is about a shy young boy being dropped in a strange unfamiliar land with family he doesn’t know. Guess what themes you’ll find me writing about this time?? Loneliness, anxiety and interpersonal relationships! Absolutely nothing like what I’ve written before! (Just kidding, that’s all I write about apparently). You can get a glimpse of that world by reading a short story I posted on here way back when called Goodbye.

I’ve been enjoying keeping on track on these projects through writing partner sessions and attending the virtual Write or Die Write Together retreat, where I learned that querying is torture! At least I have something to look forward to in the future.

a love story needing some love

So if you’re looking for a gift to buy someone for Christmas or an upcoming holiday, why not try a cute, short, illustrated collection of poetry and essays on mental health and friendship? Perfect for your loved ones who struggle with mental illness, who are young and growing up, and those with too many feelings. If you want to read more about what kind of book this is a love story is, read some of the reviews. I would highly recommend buying on Bookshop or order in to your local bookstore! (or buy it on Kobo or Kindle!) Or find it anywhere you buy books. If you’ve ever thought you might be interested in reading or buying (or gifting!) this is a love story, this is the time to do it.

Happy December!

Alyssa