Publicity and Door Steps

Posted by Lynne

When I found out I was pregnant with my first child, the joy was indescribable. Until I realized at the beginning of my ninth month I would have to deliver.

If you are a regular reader of my entries, you know I can't help but compare having a book to having a child. The emotional rollercoaster ride is eerily similar. The highs include pride and gratitude; the lows, apprehension and enormous amounts of hard work. So here I am seven weeks from the publication of Negotiation Generation, and it's just starting to don on me in a real way--I've got to deliver.

I'm over the moon because I'm scheduling events, planning travel; I've seen the galley and have been contacted for some interviews. I can't believe publication is right around the corner. Yet, twenty-four hours a day, (Yes, even while I'm sleeping) my mind is racing with all the other things I should be doing to make the book successful. Will I be able to do enough to get the attention of the media, other bloggers, and most importantly parents?

Years ago when I lamented how hard it was to get an agent and a publisher for my book, a dear friend of mine said to relax. She said, "If God wants to get your book out into the world, you could leave it on your front steps and he could make it happen."

I smiled at the time, wishing it were only that easy. Yet her sentiment stuck with me. Now that I have a wonderful agent, and my book is due out, her words come back into sharp focus. All I can control is what I can control.

Sure I'm busy, though there's a lot that can't be done quite yet. It's too early to announce the book in my fall newsletter, or book radio segments, or visit bookstores. School and community leaders are out on summer break, so trying to connect for possible speaking engagements is challenging. Once again in the journey from idea to published book, there's a whole lot of waiting going on. Something I admit is not my forte.

So how do I move forward with publicity while managing my emotions? I review my publicity plan so many times a day I could recite it like a favorite poem. (I imagine that's why it scrolls through my mind while I sleep) Each day, I choose a few tasks to be completed and do my best to close those circles. I reach out to old friends and colleagues to help me connect to parent groups that might be interested in an event. (If you are, please be in touch!)

Best of all--I'm going on vacation. I know the next few months will be thrilling and tiring, so I've decided to get away with my family for an uninterrupted week in a cabin on a lake in Maine. It will be just what I need to empty my mind, re-energize my body and renew my spirit. Not to mention give my full attention to the three people who have supported me for as long as it took to get this book out into the world.

When I come back refreshed and ready to tackle more book launch tasks, I imagine I'll still be filled with exhilaration tangled in self-doubt. I know I won't be able to do everything I want to do to publicize the book. But I know this--I will work hard because I believe in the message. The rest is in God's hands.