My debut book is out in 16 days.
Aarrmmaaggaahhddd! I thought I should share a little update on what’s happened
so far and what’s coming.
Sweatpants has gone through
some routine edits, first a Copy edit to check for inconsistencies and random
things that only make sense to me, then a Line edit, picking up on typos and
grammatical errors. Then there was The First Pass, which was my last chance to
make any changes, which of course made me have a little panic. It’s hard not to
angst over every single word because this feels like the Set in Stone stage,
but eventually I had to let it go, not least because having read it so many
times now, my eyeballs are rallying for a protest march.
So now we are onto the marketing
side of things. The book is up on Netgalley for bloggers and reviewers to
request for a pre-read. I’m pleased to say I’m getting fab feedback. They
thinks it’s funny!! Hurrah for that. (I’ve also had my first one star, which I
knew would come and clearly she should have put it down pretty quick rather
than carry on. Honestly, life is too short to read books that aren’t your cup
of tea.) I've also had brilliant cover quotes from bestselling authors Cathy Bramley and Alexandra Brown which are both heartwarming and super helpful.
I’ve set
up a Pinterest page with book-related pins. (Not sure about the marketing value
of this, but I found it really calming. Procrastinating?? Moi???)
I’m sending press releases out
to local papers and publications in the hope that they’ll run something based
on the local slant. I have to say that blowing my own trumpet like this does
not come naturally at all.
I’ve recorded little vids to be
used on HarperImpulse’s twitter feed over the next week. I have difficulty
retweeting those because It Me! (My eyes are enormous on them, but that’s just what
they do.) And I was invited as a guest on a podcast. I blogged a year and a half ago about the
brilliant Bestseller Experiment here, we've tweeted back and forth and when they saw I’d got a deal, they
asked me on. That’s surreal, right, when you suddenly find yourself on a show
that is integral to your Monday morning ironing routine. It should air mid
August. The half hour flew by, I have little recollection of what I said, other
than it felt like I talked non-stop at Mark. Poor chap. Hopefully there is
something sensible in there.
And now, ahead of launch day I’m
trying to write some little related articles that can be released as and when.
Sweatpants aside, I’ve finished
the manuscript for Book Two, which I’m submitting to my editor shortly. Fingers
crossed she’ll like it. I spent the last weekend hoofing around Copenhagen
getting photos of the city for support purposes. If you are interested
in seeing them they are on my Facebook page. (Facebook page???? I hear you ask astounded,
as such things require technical abilities that we all know I hardly possess.
But yes, I’ve done one of those too since I last posted. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT???!!!!)
So that’s what I’ve been up to. I
think the next month will be mad. Please join in the mayhem on Twitter and Facebook
and if you fancy a summer read, you can find the ebook on Amazon, Itunes, Kobo, and GooglePlay from August 3rd, (Paperbacks are out in October and can be pre-ordered.)
Wish me luck!!
