Tips for Debut Authors: What to Expect in Your Publishing Debut Year

Congrats! It’s finally here—the release of your debut book! But now what? Do you post about your book on social media? Look for influencers? Hire a publicist? Do you read reviews on Amazon or Goodreads?

Whether you've gotten a book deal with a traditional publisher, or you're an indie author ready to launch your first novel, your debut is a special moment. You worked really hard to get here! In this post, we'll explore what debut authors need to know to survive their very first book release, and what they can do to make their debut a success! 

Tips for surviving publishing as a debut author

Don’t obsess over reviews

Once your manuscript is a published book, it’s no longer yours. You are still the author, but your book is meant for readers! As much as possible, try to stay away from reviews. With the internet today, that can sometimes be difficult to do, no matter how hard you try. You may be tagged in reviews and simply can’t avoid seeing them. However, when possible, don’t read the reviews yourself. Have a trusted family member or friend shift through the reviews and share the encouraging ones with you. No matter how thick you think your skin is, reading negative reviews can put you in a bad head space and block your creativity, keeping you from writing. It’s just not worth it to obsess over these reviews. Remember, even your favorite books have their share of negative reviews. No one is immune to this.

Reframe how you view negative reviews

We might think a negative review will hurt our book sales, but negative reviews help sell as well. Sometimes, they sell even better than the positive ones. Reading and entertainment are subjective. Someone may not like a particular trope in your book and, therefore, review it negatively, but someone else may love that trope, and that review gets them to pick up your book. Some readers follow reviewers with the exact opposite taste and preference in books because they know if that reviewer hates a book, there’s a good chance they’ll love it!

If you plan to self-publish, be prepared!

You’ve just published your first book! Something many people dream of doing, but never accomplish. Celebrate and enjoy the moment! Treat yourself to something special. Also, be aware that your first year as a debut author will be busy and stressful, so take care of yourself and be sure to take breaks when you need it. Try to let go of comparing yourself with other authors, especially those debuting around the same time as you. If possible, have a support system in place to talk with when things feel overwhelming— such as friends, family, or a community of writers. They will help so much with the difficulties of being a new author!

Tips to make your debut year a success

Make a plan for publishing

Try to plan your launch strategy at least three months ahead of time and keep your ideas and plans organized. Think about what commitments you already have and don’t over-schedule yourself with too many activities—especially if you’re still working a day job while writing. The week of your book release, you may even want to schedule time off from your work. There’s a lot you’ll have to do the week of your book’s release, such as interviews, blog or social media posts, preparing for your launch party, etc. Requesting the time off work will allow you to focus on the activities and promotions you’ll have to do and get through the highs and lows of release week without stressing about your job responsibilities as well.

Focus on one social media platform

During your debut year, both before your release and after, you’ll want to spend more time going all in on one social media platform… maybe two, if they use similar media like TikTok and YouTube, but only two max. Find a platform you enjoy and don’t mind being on. Share fun things about your book, like the inspiration or how you came up with the idea, “interview” one of your characters, share some favorite lines or small teasers, or just share about your writing process. Just make sure you’re also posting other fun content and not just asking people to buy your book every time you’re on the platform. Don’t be afraid to self-promote your book, but don’t overdo it, either. Find a good balance.

Build your newsletter list

If you haven’t already, start building your newsletter subscriber list. This will be your most effective marketing strategy. How do you get readers to sign up for your list? You offer a cookie! No, not an actual cookie. In marketing terms, a cookie—or “lead magnet”—is an incentive you offer people to sign up for your mailing list. This can be a desktop wallpaper of your book cover, a short story featuring one of the secondary characters in your novel, a sneak peek into the prologue or chapter one, or anything else that will get a reader to sign up for your news.

Book events

Attend local book events and launches, especially for other debut authors. This gets you out into the community and become known and will help you make new author friends, which is invaluable for writers. Having author friends debuting around the same time as you makes the road less lonely and you’ll have more support as you go through the rollercoaster of being a debut author. You can also meet authors who are a little further ahead in their publishing journey and who you can ask questions about what to expect and get tips on planning your debut launch and how to connect with local bookstores.

Write your next book!

Indie authors know this well, but whether you’re an indie or traditionally published author, the best way for your book to be successful is to develop a backlist of books. This means the best way to market and promote book one is to write the second book, and the third… and fourth! When readers pick up one of your books and love it, they’re going to want to get more books written by you. Therefore, book series—especially long ones—work so well in indie publishing. For traditional publishing, you might not have a contract past book one yet, but keep in contact with your agent and work with them if you’re going to be doing an option for your next book. Your agent is your business partner, so don’t be afraid to ask them questions or talk to them about what comes next.

Happy launch day!

If you use the tips and strategies above, not only will you survive your book’s launch release, but you’ll set yourself up to make your debut novel a success!