Last week was pretty crazy here on Jekyll Island. A thousand copies of my first two books (Escape to Jekyll Island and In Bloom on Jekyll Island) arrived, and I got the warning that there are more en route. Scary. Exciting. Overwhelming. But so very real.
Even more exciting was knowing that the Jekyll Market and the Jekyll Island Authority shops were waiting enthusiastically for my books to be delivered. Somebody other than me wants my books to do well – wooohooo! I know I’m a doofus but I’m going to run around and see where they’re appearing and take pics of them because I feel like this is a momentous occasion I should be fully enjoying. Instead of sorta dreading.
Yeah, I said that. I was dreading delivering my first two big book orders. Not because I’m not proud or don’t love my books – I laughed writing them and I think readers will find them freaking hysterical. I’ve met the women I’m supposed to be delivering the books to, and there’s nothing to be scared of. So why did each delivery feel like I was walking around stark-ass naked?
News reporting was easy, folks. Nobody wanted my opinion. Just the facts. Heck, it was the same when I was writing a political tech column at the Wall Street Journal in the 1990s. I didn’t have to defend or explain what I wrote as long as I got it right. Blogging for BRIDES and HuffPost Weddings was a little harder because I tackled difficult topics. Some people considered me an expert and my word was the law, others thought I was a fuddy duddy when I pointed to etiquette rules. Fine, whatever.
But fiction is like stripping naked and walking through the streets of Jekyll Island. I think I was less scared when we were on TV on “Wedding Island” than I am facing people who may have read my books. Did they love them? Did they hate them? What did they tell their friends? Are they one of the great anonymous reviews on Amazon or should I be carrying around rain-gear for when the sh*t show starts???
It’s also hard to talk to readers because I’m a walking spoiler alert. I feel like I need to justify why I wrote the books – which is absofreakinglutely stupid. Right? Right. Writing fiction was a lifelong dream and if people don’t like my books, it shouldn’t rock my world. But I have to be careful because I want to answer their questions – will Mitch and Tally end up together? What happened to Etah? Those questions are answered in Books 2 and 3. I’ve got to learn to say “thank you and tell me when you’re done with the series so we can discuss.” Instead of “omg, yes, blah blah blah.” I also have to learn to resist the urge to jump up and down celebrating that people are actually reading my books! It’s probably not a great look.
I think the problem is that I’m in love with my characters. And I’m in a place where I’d like to hide in my house and just write 24/7 for about a year while the rest of the world keeps going (and reading my books). Then I can poke my head out and check the numbers – make sure folks are still reading – and then go back in my hidey hole. Unfortunately, that is not how self-publishing works. That’s not even how traditional publishing works anymore – publishers expect writers to market their work more than ever with social media.
So instead of keeping my head down and writing, if I want a market to sell future books, I need to be out promoting and sharing my books. I need to appear to be confident about them at all levels, even if I’m still sweating some stuff I need to tweak. I’m pretty damned lucky that I have an amazing husband who is willing to literally hold my hand when I’m terrified. But even he doesn’t totally get it. I mean, he understood the “I feel like I’m standing in the Mosaic Museum naked” thing even though he said I was being ridiculous. But he didn’t let go of my hand.
I’ve been asked to do a few books signings and they’re coming up soon – the first one will be next Saturday, April 27 at Jekyll Market in the Beach Village. Then I’ll be at the Mosaic Museum on Tuesday and Thursday the next week (April 30 and May 2). I’m excited and I’m terrified.
I’ll also be doing a signing at Vitality Living Frederica at 1 pm on May 24 and I’ve gotta be honest, that’s the scariest. It’s where my mom lives in assisted living and I’ll be reading and signing for her friends. And let’s be honest, nothing else matters if my mom doesn’t love my book and get as much of a thrill out of it as I do. So far, so good. She struggles to remember the name of it and I’m not entirely sure she can focus enough to read all the way through them anymore, but she sure read and understood the dedication in Book 2. I will save the voicemail she left me about it forever.
If you’re reading this and happen to live in the Golden Isles, please come by and see me at a signing! Sign up for my newsletter to get updates on new book releases (Book 3 coming soon), to sign up to be an advance reader for me, and to learn about upcoming events like signings.
Before I go, I want to tell you about an author that you totally must read. I am learning a lot from her, but more importantly, I have loved her books that I’ve read.
Pamela Bauer Mueller is a seriously-famous, multi-award-winning author who happens to live down the street from me. I read several of her 16 books when we first got here and fell in love. Check out all of Pamela’s books, but I’m not gonna lie, “Splendid Isolation” is my favorite. Pam and her husband, Mike, took a lot of time with me when I brought over my author copies, and gave me some great tips you’ll see incorporated in future editions. It’s pretty cool to have a famous author as my neighbor. When I grow up, I want to be like her (unfortunately, she’s not much older than me so I need to get hustling).
Thank you to all of my readers. Please share links to my books with your friends and if you’ve read them, please hook me up with a five-star review. Feel free to email me directly with your thoughts about the book at sandy@sandymalone.com. I promise not to send you a spoiler lol.
Until next time, happy reading!
Sandy