Self-Published Promotional Thoughts

I haven’t written a post in a bit. The past six weeks have been a little hectic: the holidays, a full-time job search that took up more time than expected, and then the transition into a new role. But now that’s all sorted, and I’m wrapping up my third week on the new job—it feels like a good moment to resurface here.

On the writing front, I’ve just finished wrestling Draft Two of The Lost Season, the second book in the Kin of Fae series, into submission. And wrestling is the right word. The first draft sprawled—lots of worldbuilding, lots of exploration—and Draft Two involved some merciless cutting. About 20% came out, some of it easy, some of it genuinely painful. I’m hoping to shave another 10% during the Draft Three polish, but for now I’m letting the manuscript rest for a week before picking it back up.

While doing that, I’ve started thinking more seriously about promotion for the June launch. That’s led me down a surprisingly inspiring rabbit hole: browsing online portfolios of artists who’ve been kind enough to lend their talents to self-published writers in the past. I’ve found two whose work really resonates with me, and I’ve just reached out to the first to ask about commissions, rates, and scope.

I have a few ideas in mind—some character and monster art, a small run of vinyl stickers and bookplates I can sign and mail, and one special project I’m particularly excited about. Fingers crossed.

I didn’t promote Book One when it launched. As a first novel, my thinking was that any promotional effort would go further if, when someone picked it up and enjoyed it, there was already a second book available for them to continue the story. With Book Two on the horizon, this feels like the right time to start laying some groundwork.

Here’s the promotional list I’ve been sketching out so far:

• Character art to share on social media (possibly tied to the special project).
• A signed book giveaway. Costly to mail, so I’ll keep this limited. One of the art pieces I’d like to commission is a bookplate, which I can sign and include to make the giveaway feel more personal.
• Editorial reviews for Book One. I’ve requested reviews from Blue Ink, Clarion, and Kirkus, with the hope of pulling excerpts for the sales page once those come back (likely in February).
• Award submissions. I’ve entered Book One “The Returned Child” in a few indie-friendly awards. It’s a stretch—this is a debut—but even a shortlist would mean a lot to me and give me something worth shouting about.
• Libraries, if luck allows. If one of those awards (especially the Maine Literary Awards) results in a shortlist, I’d love to use that as an opportunity to introduce myself to nearby public libraries—stop by, share the information, and donate a copy for consideration. The idea of one of my novels circulating in a library genuinely makes me smile. Libraries are one of my happy places.
• Audiobooks. Finally, I’m giving serious thought to recording audiobooks for Books One and Two. I love audiobooks myself, and it feels like a way to open the work to a new group of readers. It’s a little daunting—but doable.

That’s where my head is at right now: a mix of pruning words, sketching plans, and cautiously optimistic plotting.

If you’re a self-published writer, I’d love to hear from you. Are there promotional approaches you’ve found especially worthwhile—or ones you wish you’d skipped?