Next month I am going to be published. I started writing This Place of Happiness in 2015, and seven years later I will be able to hold a copy in my hand. It is daunting and exciting, and reminds me of the day my son started school; except instead of worrying how he will interact with the teachers and whether he will make friends, the question is ‘What will other people think?’ This Place of Happiness is going out into the world.
My publishers, Dark Edge Press, have taken it into their productive care. It has a cover. It has an ISBN number. It has been proof read and copy edited, and like the day my son went to school, smartly dressed in a new school sweatshirt, it is as ready as I can get it. So what can I do now?
One of the things I have planned is a 30 day countdown. Every day for thirty days I am going to post an image that inspired me when I was researching my novel. I am going to post an image, a quote from the novel and on Facebook there will be a short paragraph explaining more. The aim? To intrigue you. To make you press that link to the preorder page. To keep you interested. To make you want to read the novel, and hopefully, coming to it with more insight so that you will want to write that review and leave me those all important stars that help other people find something to read when they’re searching for something a little bit different. (Maybe I shouldn’t point this out, but when you’ve had enough of the images you can also press ‘Pause Nicki for 30 days’. By the time you come back I will have stopped.
So now it is time for the background things that I need to think about. That includes my ‘web presence’. (Is that even a thing when it is only about just one novel?)
I’ve been looking through the course notes from my MA. The first year of the MA concerned writing, and the second year was about working effectively in the publishing industry, with direct reference to our own work. Yes. It was all about us. I’m wondering how I can do more. I’m looking for what I’ve missed.
I haven’t done much to update my Facebook page, website or blog. Part of that is because it has felt like a very long time since the novel was accepted for publication, and I didn’t want to bore people when there was very little new information to share. It’s to my shame because an up-to-date website is essential in this digital age. Sloppy websites which aren’t up to date aren’t professional, and are more likely to lose potential readers than attract them. But there’s so much I don’t know. I need to sit in front of a months worth of YouTube videos and pull in some favours while I learn how to do it properly.
I need to put in links to a page where you can buy my novel. (Did I mention that This Place of Happiness by Nicki Herring is available for Pre Order on Amazon? Only £1.99!) I want those little links for Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. I need to write more Blogs. I probably need to make a couple of films telling you more.
It all feels much the same as leaving that child in the playground. He looks okay… but does he know how to tie his shoelaces? Can he count to ten? And does he know how to make friends?
