More random advice to new writers

Take it or leave it.

A while ago, I shared random advice to new writers. A bunch of people liked it, so I’ve been thinking about other things that might fit. If you want me to expand on any of these, let me know!

1

Figure out what you want to do with your author copies. Your publisher is going to send you 20-30 copies (or whatever is in your contract) of your book . . . both hardcover and paperback, if you’re fortunate enough to get both formats.

When I got my first carton of INCARNATE author copies, I was thrilled! I thought I’d want to keep them all. Forever. My first book!! But if there’s one thing that becomes very clear after publishing a few books, it’s that those author copies do not collapse into a small pocket dimension. They take up the same amount of space 20-30 copies of books normally take. And if you have a small living space, you know how precious storage space can be.

There are a lot of things you can do with your author copies — giveaways, donations, etc — and you probably already have a few ideas, but here’s something I wish I’d thought of earlier:

1.5

If you’re writing a series, remember that it’s easy to give away the first book, and a bit harder for the sequels. So consider waiting until you have full sets to give away, that way your closet isn’t stuffed with 304932 copies of the paperback of the final book in a series.¹ That does mean holding onto earlier books in the series a little longer than you’d like, perhaps, but I’ve found it a lot easier to offer full sets.

As far as what to keep? I can’t tell you what to do, but I have a little trophy shelf with a glass door (to keep out dust and cats). It has one hardcover, paperback, and whatever translations I’ve received. And I have a box with five copies of each US format. I’m saving them for some future time when I will need a set for someone special.

2

The most important thing you can do for your career is to write your next book.

No matter what stage you’re at, write the next book. And the one after.

3

This is going to sound harsh, but . . . get used to not seeing your book in a bookstore.

I know the dream is to walk in and see your book sitting there on a shelf, but . . . not all bookstores are going to carry it. It stinks, no doubt about it, but try not to take it personally.

This happens for a variety of reasons, basically all of them about business and none of them about you. For example, within the last few years, Barnes and Noble decided they weren’t going to carry as many middle-grade hardcovers in-store as they used to — because they too often get returned.² So when my middle grade came out last month and it wasn’t in BN stores,³ it wasn’t a huge surprise to me. Did it stink? Yeah. But it wasn’t about me.

Similarly, independent bookstores! Sometimes this is simply about what the store specializes in, and other times it’s what they know their customers will buy. And keep in mind, indie bookstores typically have slim margins and less floor space. They’re not able to carry a lot of books.

So remember: when you don’t see your book somewhere, you’re in good company. A lot of your colleagues have experienced the same thing.

4

There are a lot of skills you might end up picking up as an author, from basic graphic design to public speaking to photography to video editing.

Don’t worry! You don’t have to be good at all of it! Your primary job is to write books.

If you decide you want to pick up another skill, go for it! Have fun with it! But don’t try to do it all at once, and don’t lock yourself into doing something you don’t enjoy. Take your time with it.

5

Get a good group chat.

I mean it! Get yourself a small-ish group chat with people you can be honest with — and people who will give you straight answers and call you out (lovingly) when you’re wrong or overreacting. They need to be people you trust . . . and you need to be someone they can trust, too.

This will be where you go first to vent, where you share your weird conspiracy theories, and where you go for real, no-nonsense advice.

Your author group chat is going to be one of the most valuable resources in your whole career. Treat it like it’s sacred, because it is.

6

Write it down.

I know you believe you’ll never forget that brilliant thought you just had, but write it down anyway.

7

And related to that, back up your work. Send yourself an email, use a cloud service, get an external hard drive — whatever. Just back up your work.

You don’t want to be the person posting dire warnings to your socials at 2am. Just do it now.

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A couple of things before I go:

BYE FOREVER, I GUESS and DAWNBREAKER are both on audiobook sale. BYE FOREVER is 50% off and DAWNBREAKER is 70% off. (Only via the audiobooks.com site.)

Read BYE FOREVER, I GUESS if you want to be happy, embrace your inner nerd, and know you're loved for who you are. <3

Read DAWNBREAKER (after NIGHTRENDER) if you want to swing a sword, slay some monsters, and save the kingdoms from rancor and malice.

If you’re in the DC area, come see me at Scrawl Books on Thursday evening. (You can also order from them — they ship!)

And you can order a signed/personalized copy of BYE FOREVER, I GUESS through Parentheses Books. Order by December 15 for Christmas.

1. I will never forget the day I received a second shipment of WHEN SHE REIGNS paperbacks. My contract said I was supposed to get 35 copies — an already enormous amount! — so I’d gotten my 35 books . . . and then I got 35 more. Suddenly I had seventy (70) copies of the final book. IN PAPERBACK. I asked my editor if they wanted the carton back. She said no. I realized everything eventually does happen to you in publishing.

2. While books are returnable for full credit, it still costs bookstores money to actually make those returns, particularly in shipping, but also employee hours. Those books must be found, carted around, packaged, etc.

3. Aside from my local one, since they know me and the book already had an in-store champion.