On Audacious Publishing Goals

If not now, when? If not me, yadda yadda.

I’m about to be very vulnerable with you. I’m going to tell you about one of my biggest mistakes, and it’s a mistake that might cost me a career. (I’m trying to change that outcome, and if you stick to the end, you’ll learn how you can help!)

I published three critically acclaimed novels in the 2010s with a brand-new publishing house, Interlude Press. With a hope and a prayer that we could change the landscape of publishing for LGBTQ authors, we launched in 2014, me being one of the first titles released. They were so small that they hadn’t yet secured trade distribution, although it was a traditional publisher, not some vanity press.

They went on to launch some really impressive careers for Queer YA (Julian Winters, CB Lee, F.T. Lukens, all amazing people and gifted authors). My debut The Bones of You, their third title, was their first to get a USA Today review. (5 stars, I thank you.) and was short-listed for some amazing awards, Foreword Indie finalist for Book of the Year, and two Lambda Literary awards.

RIP to Becky Condit, USA Today’s champion for queer romance for years.

Here’s the source of my shame, and well, I just didn’t know any better. I wrote the best books I could and then… I didn’t market the hell out of them. My second novel, Bitter Springs (see my last post) came out right after some major family trauma and a divorce and a move. Selling a book post-launch wasn’t top of mind.

Life happens and things change. But. Publishing is first and foremost a business. And if I don’t have a good track record, publishers are gambling on me, and my hand doesn’t look winning.

I ended up working for a publishing strategist and editor, who also happened to be the previous owner of Interlude Press, AJ Harper, helping her build an amazing program for nonfiction authors, and that’s where I’ve been for almost ten years. Nonfiction book sales are very different than fiction, but I got to really see how the sausage was made.

During those years, I wrote my fourth book, a damn good one. It’s a suspense novel set in East Texas, based off something a drunk millionaire heiress told me one night while bragging about another wealthy southern family’s ranch: “I think they hunted people down there.”

Uh… come again?? So I simply had to write that.

I’ve queried for almost two years, and I’ve been really lucky to get the rarest of gifts, personal feedback from agents, how they really connect to the story, to my characters, to my writing. But my previous sales… It’s too risky.

Devastating.

I’m putting on my Big Girl Britches and thinking outside the box. It’s time to do something absolutely nutso. Audacious. My Hail Mary pass.

I asked myself, “Self, what if you tried to resurrect one of those old novels and actually give it the marketing attention it deserved? And what if you also built up your author platform and serialize the book you’ve been querying?”

Actual footage of my Self, pleased.

All of those years out of the fiction game means I’m starting from almost zero. I like Substack. I like that you’re here because you like reading stuff. You like the conversation. You’re a word person, like me. I like that.

Here’s where you come in.

I’m going to self-publish the best story I’ve written so far here on Substack. Weekly chapters (that’s what that poll was about). I’ll have an exclusive Section for those chapters so if that’s not your bag and you just want the regular stuff I post, you don’t have to change a thing, no worries.

I’d love it if you read along. I’d really love it if you liked those posts by clicking that little heart at the bottom and maybe invited friends to read. I’d kiss you square on the forehead if you shared what I’m up to on your own channels.

Coming soon…

The Posting Structure:

The first 10 chapters will be free. That’s 115 pages of my hard work, the first third of the whole novel, gratis. After that, I’ll move to a paid feature, but I’m not interested in using this as a hustle. I’m using this to build my platform, to gain interest, to prove I can write something folks want to read. I want subscribers. I want readers. The lowest I can charge for a monthly subscription is $5 but I’m going to put a coupon on it so it’s only $2.50.

$2.50. For each month. If you’re an early reader, you’ll be out $10 by the time it’s all posted. That’s cheaper than a paperback novel. Slightly more than a fancy latte.

I’m going to track everything. I’m going to share what’s happening with my subscribers each month. I’m going to give y’all all of that data in the end, because I want to demystify platform building for fiction writers. (And… I want to snag a deal for the other manuscript I’m writing.) ← I told you, full transparency.

The story is complete. I will post all of it, I wouldn’t do that to you. Chapter One drops June 22^nd and will run through the end of the year. I’ll post more about the story, the audio book, and Easter Eggs I’ve created next week, including how to set up subscribing to those chapters. (You’ll click a button. Easy peasy.)

My goal: reach 1,000 subscribers by the end of August, 6,000 by the end of the year.

What do you say, want to help me blow those numbers out of the water and get a good story in return?