Marketing Work (aka editing resistance!)

I’ve been having gargantuan resistance when it comes to getting back into edits for my YA novel. Gah! Like…soooo much resistance. I’m attributing it to several things: a) body and mind recovery post a big life change, b) the end of a dreary and cold-as-balls winter c) too many good books to read and d) desire to sleep (it’s my favourite!).

Finally, last week, I opened up the big file in Scrivener and did a little peruse of the mighty project. Everyone was there – all the characters, their scenes, developments…and all the edits awaiting my nimble fingers. But I couldn’t actually edit. So, I decided to start working on some marketing ideas that I’m planning on making go ‘live’ when I start submitting the book for publication and/or getting an agent. You know, to create buzz and maybe get some pre-sales, or maybe even sell some of the ‘bonus’ book…(see below)

See, there’s a character in the book who is a famous writer, so my plan is to create a website for her, complete will all her books (there are 25! Yes, this also means that I made up 25 novel ideas…that maybe one day I can actually use and write the novels!)), a bio, press, and other goodies that show her writing career. As well, I’m hoping to have a ‘bonus’ book that readers can purchase…essentially it’s the writer’s book that she wrote in the novel…but that is actually ‘real’ and readers can buy it as well as the novel!

I took to creating book covers for each of the writer’s books. She started being published in the late 1970s, and subsequently published a new novel about every two years after that. I did a bunch of research on book covers and fonts from the 1970s-80s, so I could create covers for the first bunch of books that would look like they were actually published in that time frame.

Here’s a teaser…

This is the author’s third book, published in 1981. This book catapulted her into Judy Blume status! Oh, I’m having so much fun creating book covers!

I’ve got six book covers drafted…19 more to go! I plan on putting them all on the website I make. It’s gonna be great!

This has nothing to do with edits that *need* to get done, but it’s still in the realm of the novel…thinking about and planning for and starting the major marketing plan I have. No matter if I get an agent or a traditional publisher or if I self-pub – marketing is essential, and I love it! (Most of it! I adore a stellar website…and I’m resisting the other socials…but I know I have to decide whether to jump back in or not…at some point. Not now!)

The take-away here? There is always the ‘business’ of writing to work on! Take to Canva or Wix, Envato or your phone to begin creating marketing tools that will help get readers reading – or in the least – curious about what you’re putting into the world!