Thanks so much for sharing all your advice, Amy. It was really helpful. I really liked your advice that it is okay to do what you can handle. That’s my biggest fear. Can I handle this with the rest of my life?
Hi Natalie. Yes, you have to figure out what works for your life. Some take on a lot. Others do the minimal. The key is to find the balance that fits into your life.
Caroline Noonan
2 years ago
Really enjoyed hearing Amy’s insights on the debut year. She mentions her publicist several times throughout. Question: Do debut authors typically hire their own publicists? Or is she referring to someone working within the publishing house/imprint? Is a publicist necessary?
The publicist I spoke of was the person assigned to me through my publisher. An outside publicist can be helpful, but also expensive. Consider what you can afford and what the return on investment will be.
Thanks for this, Amy! What a great guide for anyone preparing to launch their book (debut or not). My experience in MG is that the timeline is more condensed — YA seems to get a lot of things out early (like covers) that MG doesn’t have until closer to the release date. But articles like this really help you take the structure and adjust it to your own schedule. Nicely done!
Debut groups seem to be restricted to those published by the big publishers. What about people who are being published by traditional small presses?
No. They are open to small presses and major presses. I’m published with Flux and I was part of two debut groups.
Great job, Amy! You are a wealth of information, as always!
Thanks Kathie!
Thanks so much for sharing all your advice, Amy. It was really helpful. I really liked your advice that it is okay to do what you can handle. That’s my biggest fear. Can I handle this with the rest of my life?
Hi Natalie. Yes, you have to figure out what works for your life. Some take on a lot. Others do the minimal. The key is to find the balance that fits into your life.
Really enjoyed hearing Amy’s insights on the debut year. She mentions her publicist several times throughout. Question: Do debut authors typically hire their own publicists? Or is she referring to someone working within the publishing house/imprint? Is a publicist necessary?
The publicist I spoke of was the person assigned to me through my publisher. An outside publicist can be helpful, but also expensive. Consider what you can afford and what the return on investment will be.
Thanks for this, Amy! What a great guide for anyone preparing to launch their book (debut or not). My experience in MG is that the timeline is more condensed — YA seems to get a lot of things out early (like covers) that MG doesn’t have until closer to the release date. But articles like this really help you take the structure and adjust it to your own schedule. Nicely done!