For the WLT Agents Symposium presentation “Publication Day and Beyond” with Tamara Kawar of DeFiore & Company, she spoke on what to expect to happen before, during, and after the publication of your novel.

Here are some of my takeaways:

1. Congratulate yourself! It takes a lot of work to get yourself to this point. Make sure you pat yourself on the back.
2. During post-publishing (up to a month), you may attend genre conventions (Comic-con) or book festivals, send out finished copy giveaways (Net Galley), and take part of newsletters and social media features to keep your name in circulation.
3. While the publisher will do some marketing (publicity coverage, consumer ads, newsletters) for you, don’t leave it all up to them. Tell your friends, family, community, and social media following.
4. Promotions depend on what publishers are willing to do or can handle. Some bigger publishing houses have the time and resources, while some don’t.
5. The bigger book deal you get, more than likely, the publisher will devote more time to promoting your book.
6. You don’t need to hire an outside publisher, but there are some cases that it may be worth your money. Always talk to your agent about it.
7. You do not have to take time off work for publicity (unless you are going on a book tour).
8. If you are doing a bookstore event, be sure they have your book in stock.
9. Audio sales can comprise a large part of the sales.
10. With your agent, stay on top of submitting your novel for awards.
11. After the initial rush (about 3-4 weeks out), you may still have the publisher’s support, but they will start to move on to other projects. However, they will still be in touch.
12. Fine-tune your publicity by finding out which type of promotions or geographical areas had the most movement for selling your novel. Focus your attention there.
13. Does your book have themes in line with current events? For example, if your book is about a jewel heist and there is one in the news, piggyback off the event as a way to talk about your novel.
14. What else can you do when the publisher has moved on? Continue to use social media (even it is just one channel), leverage your network (online and off), arrange a library event, reach out to your alma mater, host other writers at events, and connect with local indie bookstores and book clubs.
15. When the paperback comes out, assess what worked and didn’t work in the initial launch (what did/didn’t readers respond to), create a new marketing push (find a different focus if necessary), and work on a cover art redesign.
16. Is there anything you learned about the market that might change the direction of your next project? Discuss it with your agent and publisher.

Bonus Takeaway: The publishing industry is difficult. People are reading less (books are expensive). Remember, the outcome is out of your hands. If your first book doesn’t sell, it doesn’t mean your next won’t.