Writing a Novel as a Book Publicist
I have worked as a book publicist for over 10 years now—and I’ve been writing (and trying to get published) for even longer. I love being a publicist. I love being in publishing and being a part of a book’s success—still now, I get a buzz every time I see a review in a magazine or newspaper for a book I work on, and I remember the first piece of coverage I ever secured and how excited I was. I love working with authors and have met some wonderful, kind, inspirational people through this industry.
(10 Things a Publishing Copywriter Discovered About Book Blurbs.)
But there are hard parts, too. There are no guarantees in this industry, and it can be tough sometimes to see how much effort the author, agent, editor, publicist, marketing and sales team (not to mention production and design and everyone else that goes into making a book) put in, only for a book not to sell. I often get asked the question from friends and family why a certain book doesn’t sell—and if we knew the answer to that then publishers would be a lot richer than they are! I think having a front row seat to the pure luck and chance that sometimes dictates whether a book is successful can be incredibly stressful—and is probably why I didn’t succeed in my dream to become a published author for so long.
I’ve learnt a lot in the past 10 years—and I’m sure I have lots still to learn. I’ve learnt that luck almost always plays a part in a book’s success. I’ve learnt how some books can take the industry completely, brilliantly, by surprise, whether self-published, traditionally published, or digitally published. I’ve learnt how hard you have to work to get a book noticed. I’ve learnt just how much competition is out there. I’ve learnt that it’s often about the long game and the connections you form, the ideas you have along the way. I’ve learnt just how hard everyone in the industry works. No one gets into publishing to earn big money, and I think it’s important to remember that. There is a lot of work to do, and not enough time to do it. I’ve learnt that most authors write alongside a day job—and that it is hard, even more so these days, to constantly compare yourself to others out there who seem to be ‘more’ successful (however you define that) on social media.
If you’re getting into publishing just to get a book deal then you’re doing it for the wrong reasons, and probably won’t have a hugely long career—first and foremost, everyone is in the industry because they love books! That said, I always did want to write a book, and working as a book publicist definitely affected my writing. Firstly, I read more! I don’t think I would have read so widely, across so many different genres, if it hadn’t been for working in the industry. I am introduced to new books and new authors on a weekly basis, and there is no doubt that this has pushed me to think about what I really want to write. Being in the industry has also meant that being an author felt like a feasible dream—because I meet authors all the time. I go to events with them, chat about our families, talk about what is and isn’t working in books at the moment… It made authors feel like real people. People like me. People who have worked hard and have a great story to tell—and who have followed the dream to publication.
But while there have been good things, there are definite downsides. I tried to write many novels before I landed on One Moment. I had two near misses where I got to the agent stage with completed novels, both in very different genres, but got a multitude of rejections from editors, and didn’t secure a publishing deal. I also wrote three complete novels, none of which were all that good, because I was sort of ‘panic writing.’ I was trying to work backwards, seeing what was doing well and what publishers were acquiring for big money. It’s something you’re always advised against but being in the industry made it near impossible for me to filter that out. I was in those acquisition meetings, having those conversations about what ‘trends’ were working—and then I tried to write according to what I was hearing about the market. And it just didn’t work! It was only when I took a break from the industry and was doing something completely different abroad that I was able to write and tune out all that noise—and that’s when I finally started making some headway.
Check out Becky Hunter’s One Moment here:
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Even now, when I have achieved what I always wanted to—a two-book deal in both the UK and US—I am still seeing how competitive it is on a daily basis during my ‘day job.’ I see over and over again how much timing and luck plays a part—I have seen authors get huge publishing deals, have secured them an enormous amount of PR and then, for whatever reason, the book just doesn’t sell. This can quite often be the end of someone’s career—unless they have the resilience and the courage to pick themselves up again and try something new—and that fills me with fear if I let it! On the flip side, there are those books that take everyone by surprise and become a whirlwind success, and there are authors who have written 10 books and then their 11th is the bestseller. So it can be exciting, as well as scary.
Now, in theory the hard part is done—I’ve made the leap, written the novel, and secured a publishing deal—and I’m about to have my debut published in the US. I think, though, working in the industry means you’re one step ahead, so I am already thinking about what next, trying to plan a year or two down the line, because of how rocky I know the publishing landscape to be. Specifically on the publicity front, I think having ‘insider’ knowledge definitely helps me. I know the language that is used and what it means—something that can be hard for debut authors—and I know how tricky it is to secure coverage, so I like to think my expectations are managed!
Really, in the end, it’s probably a balance—it’s not really a case of the good outweighing the bad, or vice versa. I sometimes wish I didn’t know as much as I did—because it makes me incredibly anxious at times—but ultimately I consider myself very lucky. I have been fortunate enough to work with some incredible authors, who work very hard and are brilliant at what they do. I am very lucky to have been able to write two books under contract which I’ve loved writing. And probably being an author now has made me a better publicist—because I have a lot more sympathy for how tough it is on the other side! What’s great is how the two careers feed into one another—one way or another, I am constantly using the creative side of my brain to come up with ideas around books, and I am constantly surrounded by literature. What’s not to love about that?
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