Your Breakout Book

Dig the well before you’re thirsty.

That is something that has been told to me several times over the years and is the perfect philosophy when it comes to creating a community.

We’ve all been in situations where someone from high school or a distant relative randomly reaches out under the pretense of re-connecting only to ask for a favor or try to sell us something. We’ve been in Facebook groups where people who never post or provide feedback suddenly surface around book launch to continuously post their promotional content. We’ve received random emails from fellow writers asking for a blurb, social media support, and so on.

None of us want to be those people, but we feel like we have to. It’s true, successful authors rarely do it alone. They rely on the support of fellow authors, super-fans, and their friends and family. But if you don’t want to leave a bad taste in people’s mouths, it’s necessary to nurture those relationships before asking for favors.

You must dig your well before you’re thirsty.

This is something today’s guest, Lainey Cameron, has truly embraced. Before she was published, she joined Women’s Fiction Writers Association and provided support for their events and social media channels. When she secured her book contract, she joined the 2020 Debuts, a group of traditionally published authors making their publishing debut in 2020. She also reached out to friends and family to join her launch team who not only helped her promote her novel, but provided morale boosts and encouragement as well.

In this episode, Lainey shares the power of online communities and the impact it has made on her writing career. If you’re an author looking to find your people, connect with readers, and create impactful online communities, then this one's for you!
Connect with Lainey

• https://www.laineycameron.com
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlueSkyBookChat
• https://www.bestofwomensfiction.com/podcast

Resources Mentioned:

• https://www.womensfictionwriters.org
• https://2020debuts.com/meet-the-authors
• https://www.instagram.com/2021debuts
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/Bloomwithtpw

When I speak with authors about the importance of creating a community, I’m often met with this reaction: "Oh great, one more thing I have to do!" You’re already creating social media content, writing newsletters, pitching yourself to review, and oh yeah, you have to write books too!

But what if your online community didn’t just serve your audience, it served YOU as well.

Today’s guest, Tasha Harrison, grew her community out of a person need: to get out of a writing rut with the help of fellow writers. She gave herself the challenge to write 20K words in 5 days, and in order to achieve her goal, she knew she needed accountability and comradery. So she put it out on twitter and encouraged fellow authors to take the challenge with her.

The response, was incredible.

What started as one twitter hashtag has grown into a vibrant online community that supports authors as they write their manuscripts, generates additional income, AND fills Tasha’s creative cup.

Tasha L. Harrison is a romance author, freelance editor and host of Wordmakers Writing Community. You can learn more about her latest novel, IF SHE SAYS YES, and the Wordmakers community at http://tashalharrison.com.
Resources mentioned:

• Being Boss
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Zoe York

Having a breakout book requires reaching people outside of your circle, and one of the best ways to do that is through media coverage. When you or your book are featured on podcasts, websites, or TV shows, you’re introduced to a whole new audience of potential readers.

But how do you start? Do you rely on your publisher to handle media outreach? Do you have to hire a publicity or marketing company to get the word out?

Not necessarily.

I know from my decade plus experience in book publicity that authors have the power to secure media coverage for themselves. In fact, editors and journalists like today’s guest say that often, authors doing a better job of pitching themselves than most publicists!

That’s why this month, we’re focusing entirely on securing media coverage for your book, starting today with S. Zainab Williams, Book Riot's managing editor and co-host of the SFF Yeah! podcast. She shares her insight into making your pitch stand out, how to work with editors, and what authors should consider when pitching themselves to media.

If you’re new listener, you are just in time to join our 28-Day PR Challenge. Participants are learning how to create media lists, pitch themselves to journalists, and successfully secure media coverage for their book. You’ll receive training videos delivered straight to your inbox as well as weekly check-ins to ensure you stay on track. You’ll also gain FREE access to the Your Breakout Book community for the entire month of February. That’s one free month of Your Breakout Book included in your registration fee.

Are you ready to hear the challenge part? Any participant who secures a placement will have their registration fee refunded. That’s right. I know this process works, but I also know doing the work can be intimidating. So what better incentive than a full refund?

Click here to get started!
Resources mentioned:

• Book Riot
• SFF Yeah! Podcast
• Follow Book Riot on Instagram

This month, we’re focusing on what it takes to quit your day job and become a full-time author. We learned how Rachael Herron used Patreon to fill in the financial gap left by her day job. We heard how Keir Graff write both his own books, as well as the books of others by ghostwriting.

It’s clear, there’s no wrong way to be a full-time writer. But it’s also that having a successful author career doesn’t mean you have to do it full time.

Today, I’m speaking with bestselling author, Gigi Pandian, who had the opportunity to take a sabbatical from her day job and fulfill a dream of being a full-time author. But, as you’ll here in this interview, Gigi learned that she actually missed her day job, and decided to return to her 9-5.
Gigi Pandian is a USA Today bestselling and Anthony, Agatha, Derringer, and Lefty Award-winning mystery author. The child of cultural anthropologists from New Mexico and the southern tip of India, she spent her childhood traveling around the world on their research trips, and now lives in Northern California. Gigi writes lighthearted traditional mysteries including the Accidental Alchemist mysteries, Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries, and locked-room mystery stories. She has served on the national board of Sisters in Crime, currently sits on the board of her local Mystery Writers of America chapter, and is one of the co-founders of Crime Writers of Color.

If you’d like to continue the conversation around what it takes to write full time, I encourage you to become a member of Your Breakout Book. All month, we’re trading ideas, answering questions, and sharing experiences to help you launch your own breakout book and move closer to the full-time writer dream. Visit KayePublicity.com/yourbreakoutbook for more information.

When you think about life as a full-time writer, it might seem like a solitary practice. But for today’s guest, it was actually his extensive network of publishing people that helped him smoothly transition out of the 9-5.

Keir Graff writes thrillers, mysteries, and contemporary fiction for adults, and adventure novels for younger readers. Recent works include THE THREE MRS WRIGHTS and DROWNING WITH OTHERS, both of which were coauthored with Linda Joffe Hull under the name Linda Keir. He is also the author of middle-grade novels including THE TINY MANSION, THE PHANTOM TOWER (a Chicago Tribune Best Children’s Book) and THE MATCHSTICK CASTLE (an Illinois Reads official selection). The former executive editor of Booklist, he lives in Chicago, where he is the cofounder and cohost of the much-loved literary gathering Publishing Cocktails.

But his novels aren’t the only thing under contract; he supplements his income through ghost writing. In today’s interview, Keir shares how he balances his creative writing with his contract writing, how he navigated the transition to full-time authorship, and how he worked his way up the publishing ladder.

If you’d like to continue the conversation around what it takes to write full time, I encourage you to become a member of Your Breakout Book. All month, we’re trading ideas, answering questions, and sharing experiences to help you launch your own breakout book and move closer to the full-time writer dream. Visit KayePublicity.com/yourbreakoutbook for more information.
Connect with Keir:
Website
The Graff Paper
Other Resources Mentioned:
Reedsy
Publishing Cocktails