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April has been all systems go for Burden because, in case you’re living under a rock, haven’t been following my newsletter for long, or just haven’t been paying attention to my socials, my latest novel comes out on May 6th!
But with that means one thing: promotion.
So this month has seen me locked in on creating and finalising Burden marketing materials, and, would you believe it, dealing with another obstacle in the release run-up. Because of course. It’s par for the course for this book by now!
Without further ado, let’s jump in so I can regale you with behind-the-scenes info about planning and preparations for my latest book launch, as well as a smattering of life updates to round out this month’s Recap. |
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Marketing Reality
Here’s me pulling back the curtain on being indie—and this is as true for an author as it is for indie filmmakers doing guerrilla shoots, indie musicians funnelling funds into studio time, or indie video game developers sinking all their free time into a passion project: a big part of this game is marketing.
It’s also, arguably, one of the most laborious (and expensive) aspects, but an imperative one nonetheless. It’s an integral part of the process that I need to get better at because it’s the business side of the creative process.
So next time you’re scrolling through Instagram or whatever social media is your preferred space for desperate distraction/doomscrolling, take a second whenever those sponsored posts pop up. If you’re seeing videos/posts for bands, films, books, video games, etc, as I do, that’s some creative soul putting their money where their mouth is, pooling it into advertising in the hope of connecting their project with the right people.
With that in mind, April has seen me putting time and effort into creating marketing materials—from static images to short teaser videos—that hopefully capture attention and pique curiosity enough to convert into Burden sales.
I conceptualise, design, and execute the images and videos myself, but run them by my close inner circle, ensuring they convey the intended message before I upload them onto the big ol’ world wide web.
Video length was a topic of discussion, as was the deeper discourse of how social media has ruined attention spans, but I gambled readers would generally have better attention spans than those who don't—especially when you consider an average book may ask anywhere between six to twelve hours of a person’s time!
I remember when teasers and trailers would feature slow establishing shots, often pushing in or setting the scene with creeping footage to draw audience interest, pulling people in with intrigue. I admit this may just be an “old man yelling at clouds” situation, but I’d like to think we’re not all completely fried just yet. I mean, we’re close, sure, but not there just yet.
To bring this back on track, I’ve now shared a few videos with my followers, including a Cover Reveal, Coming Soon tease, and a Release Date video (a bit more on that later), which are all available on my Instagram.
Recently, I’ve seen quite a few posts on Reddit bemoaning how difficult it is to stand out amongst the sheer number of novels—both trad and indie—available on Amazon, with more being released every day.
One consistent answer cut through, bothering me more than it should, probably because of the truth in it that I haven’t adhered to the way I should: How can anybody know about your book if you don’t tell them it exists?
And that’s where the advertising part of marketing comes in. That’s where, as I alluded to earlier, the business element of the creative process comes into play. Because if you’re attempting to take the indie route (regardless of your creative outlet) there will inevitably be a business aspect involved, and if you don’t treat your indie endeavours as a business, you will most likely not yield the result you’re probably after: connecting with your audience so you can sell t-shirts, albums, video games, jewellery, or, y’know…books.
To that end, I’ll be ramping up a campaign soon, doing what I said about those other indie hearts earlier: putting money where my mouth is in the hope of connecting this story with an organic audience of readers.
Naturally, if you have friends or family who may be interested in Burden or any of my stories, word of mouth and personal recommendations count for so much, so please don’t hesitate to recommend it!
Delay, Delay
Of course, this being Burden, and so absolutely inundated with obstacles and delays mostly outside of my control, another issue cropped up out of the blue. Because of course, right?
Having taken the book through my final late-stage approval process (which really helps my OCD. I don’t even know if I’m joking here), I finalised the page count—an important number that cover designers need to adjust spine widths accordingly. Without it, they’re just guessing, which would cause major problems when it comes to printing the damn thing.
So with the final page count in hand, I emailed my cover designer.
Over the April half term in the UK.
More fool me.
I hadn’t anticipated that being a problem, to be honest. But, well, it kinda was. I ended up having to wait an extra week and change to hear back, but, thankfully, received the adjusted cover with enough time so I could finally share the Coming Soon video I mentioned earlier, kickstarting the whole campaign leading up to May 6th. It also meant I could order a proof copy to ensure I was happy before publication.
For those who don’t know, a proof copy is a version of the book that allows you to flick through it and ensure you’re happy with how everything looks before it becomes available. It’s a specific version that features a lovely “Not for Resale” banner running along the middle of the book’s front/spine/back cover.
I have to say…this thing is beautiful in hand. Absolutely gorgeous. Colours pop, text looks great, and everything has a really nice balance across the board. There is one thing that wasn’t exactly how I’d asked for despite discussion and confirmation, which, although an unfortunate oversight, isn’t enough of an issue to take away from such a stunning piece—a fact I’ve highlighted multiple times over the months in previous issues of The Recap.
And in just a few days you’ll be able to order the paperback yourself! (If you wanted an ebook version, you can pre-order right now!)
Winner by Submission
It’s always surreal hitting submit, clicking the button that sends the book for review, and putting it forward with the understanding that to do so means one thing…
Now, I’m of the opinion that art is never truly ‘done’, per se. More…abandoned. Left at a point of satisfactory completion—where the artist can step back and be at peace with their piece. Doesn’t mean there can’t be further improvements, or that there aren’t some minor mistakes, but it does mean they can detach.
I tend to become flooded with a tidal wave of mixed feelings. Warring emotions that clash and blend seamlessly, creating a messy tableau inside my head.
There’s an increase of anxiety that usually has any/all of these running through my thoughts at any given time:
What did I get wrong?
Oh god, that’s so obvious. I’m a fucking idiot.
Did I do that before?
Can I make that better?
Etc, etc.
This is offset by the elation of having pushed the project to the finish line (but not past it. No. That happens on release!) and a desire to reflect and celebrate that fact:
I can’t believe it. You did it, man!
All that time, all that hard work…I can’t believe it’s finally finished.
This is so awesome. I can’t wait for people to read it.
I can’t believe we did it. Again! Fuck yeah!
Etc, etc.
Rather frustratingly, these two effortlessly intermingle—a positive, celebratory thought will be followed by a one-two combo of doubt and anxiety. Then a higher sense of accomplishment, punctuated by a deeper sense of worry.
It’s fun—like a highly stressful emotional rollercoaster.
But that internal back-and-forth doesn’t take away from one inscrutable truth: the book is complete. It’s at the finish line. And, in this case, come May 6th…it crosses it!
Oh, and one last thing that I want to officially state here before the book is published and some possibly come to the wrong conclusion: No, that one thing isn’t a plot hole or a forgotten payoff. It’s wholly intentional and there are reasons why.
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Hip, Hip, Hooray
On the life front, April saw me travel to London so I could look after my dad after hip surgery. He managed to grab an appointment after someone else cancelled and, knowing how long he could be waiting, Thea and I made it work so that I could be around to take him to the hospital and back, booking in time on the backend to help him out around the house, follow-up GP appointments, and with shopping, etc.
For some reason—call it abject naivety—I didn’t realise the hospital would be keeping him as long as they did post-op, so I ended up looking after my ma for the first few days, bringing her to and from the hospital as she doesn’t drive.
Happy to say that Dad has been back home for a while after his unexpected extended stay. The first few days weren’t easy, but he’s steadily improved each day and is on a good trajectory overall.
Now it’s just a countdown until his other hip operation gets called up!
Hop, Little Bunny, Hop, Hop Hop
After a chunk of my April was spent in London, looking after my parents and even seeing some old friends for a few drinks at one of my old stomping grounds, I was able to return home in time to rejoin my family for Easter festivities.
Returning home on Good Friday, we managed to get stuck in some lovely motorway traffic en route to a woodland walk with some family friends. Thankfully, once through the traffic, the rest of the day went off without a hitch with a lovely walk that ended with us enjoying dinner at their place as the kids played together. Good people, good food, good times.
Saturday saw my family go with Austin’s Nana and one of her friends to Tulleys Tulip Farm. Field? Wait…
*Googles*
Tulleys Farm which was hosting Tulleys Tulip Fest.
The tickets were intended for my parents but, well, hip surgery. My dad would sadly have to miss out on frolicking through tulip fields this year.
To be honest, I’m not a flower guy. Although pleasant enough, I’ve always considered buying flowers the equivalent of throwing money away.
You buy them to watch them die.
But that’s just me.
And yes, I do still buy flowers for Thea on occasion. And no, not only when I’ve done something wrong.
Still, the tickets were there, we were free, and at the very least it would be a nice day out with the family. And it was. The place was bustling without being overly busy, filled with facts about tulips and their place in history, and filled with fields bursting with colour. It was a veritable blanket of varying hues and, although I’m still not a horticulturist convert, I appreciated it for what it was and loved spending time with my family.
Plus, when we got food they messed up my order, and gave me the wrong burger, and when Thea told them, they let us keep the incorrect burger and gave me the correct one. Score!
The weekend was rounded out with Easter itself. Now, in our house we don’t do a search where eggs are just sporadically hidden, waiting to be found. No, no, dear friend. We do riddles. We do clues. We make it so our son has to earn the eggs with wit, thought, and consideration. Plus a lot of running around and chaotic hunting, naturally.
Go Canucks Go!
April also brought with it two notable sporting moments: the end of the Canucks regular season and getting into the full throes of WrestleMania (okay, so that second one isn’t really a ‘sport’, but it’s still real to me, dammit!).
I captured my thoughts about watching the Canucks 24-25 season (all 82 games!) in a post on my Writer’s Cap IG, which you can check out here.
Needless to say, it didn’t go how I wanted it to considering they’re not currently in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and so…I’m guessing won't be winning it this year—an accomplishment the franchise has yet to achieve despite coming close in 1994 and 2011.
It was my first full season of being a ‘sports fan’ and even though it was certainly mired with frustrations and occasional lulls, the overall experience was a fun, albeit time-consuming, one. I started the season scoffing at the idea of watching every game, convinced I would be watching a lot of highlight videos on YouTube. Nope. I was fucking locked in, man.
So roll on October and the start of the next Canucks run. They’re doing a lot to restructure the team, invest in younger, faster talent, and address the issues of the season, and I’m excited to see what they follow through on when that puck drops once more in Rogers Arena.
Even if they did just lose their head coach…
The Grandest Stage of Them All
WrestleMania 41. The WrestleMania following John Cena's now infamous and controversial heel turn at Elimination Chamber.
So did the main event match and story pay off?
For me, sort of. I guess?
The Rock being missing while WWE forced Travis Scott down our throats, involving him in the finish, was an interesting choice. Apparently, Scott is important enough to crowbar into Cena’s monumental heel turn and has enough stock to be the singular distraction to aid Cena’s title win, helping him bypass Ric Flair’s long-standing record as the 16-time World Heavyweight Champion. Following ‘Mania, Cena is now a 17-time World Heavyweight Champion.
The overall online consensus is that we should ‘let them cook’ or ‘trust the process’, or whatever the current saying is.
Although I believe in what is being conveyed in the sentiment, it’s becoming clear there was no grander plan for the heel turn, meaning Cena’s current (and supposedly last) run in WWE is starting to feel sporadic and disconnected. It’s improvised and it shows.
In many ways, a Face vs Face match at ‘Mania punctuated by a one-two combo of a Cena win and a Cody Rhodes heel turn would have been more compelling. But I remain hopeful and am interested to see where this run goes and how Cody Rhodes chases the gold.
Overall, the two-day ‘Mania event wasn’t one I loved. I don't think it will go down as one of the best. Though it being WrestleMania, there was pizza, which I did love. A lot. I ordered my favourite custom pizza from Domino’s that I lovingly call the Writer’s Regret and…
But I digress…
Did you watch WrestleMania 41? What did you make of it and the main event? Or, maybe you just want to know what comprises the Writer’s Regret? Reply to this email and let me know!
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Welcome the rechristened recommendation section, “Thank Me Later”! A tongue-in-cheek title for the recommendation I provide in each month’s Recap.
It was originally called “On My Radar” which, after some consideration, I decided to move away from as, well, I don’t really think OMR fit the purpose of what this section represented.
And so after workshopping different titles and asking for people’s thoughts, the new name is here. It’s a jokey one that I hope expresses character and confidence in my recommendations. It’s not intended in an egotistical or arrogant manner at all. Plus, it’s also an open invitation to email back if you enjoyed the recommendation!
So, with that out the way, here’s this month’s rec:
Burden.
Can I do that?
No? Gauche, you say?
Okay. Fine. In that case…
The Last of Us Podcast
In case you didn’t know, I am a voracious podcast listener. My podcast list is always exponentially growing, and I listen to several shows that religiously deliver weekly episodes, which often means I am:
- Spoiled for choice
- Constantly inundated with new podcasts
- Always overwhelmed and behind in my listening
But I knew I had to jump into this show as soon as I’d finally caught up with the first couple of episodes of The Last of Us Season 2.
I love behind-the-scenes stuff (which shouldn’t be a surprise given how I constantly document my writing process with all its highs/lows here!), and the podcast provides great insight into creative decisions of the show, interviews with creators and actors, and adds depth and context to the process, all hosted by Troy Baker who voiced and brought Joel to life in the Last of Us video games.
If you’re after a companion piece, this podcast is well worth your time, especially as the episodes aren’t as long as the average podcast is nowadays.
So, if you’re a fan of The Last of Us, are watching the series, and want more (or are just curious about the creative process involved in bringing the show to our screens), be sure to check it out!
And if you are a fan of the game or show, given the thematic similarities between TLoU and an upcoming novel of mine…there may be a new story coming out in just a few days that could interest you.
Say, May 6th on Amazon?
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With Burden just around the corner, be sure to pre-order your ebook copy! There's no need to wait for release on May 6th because if you pre-order the ebook, it will download straight to your Kindle as soon as it's available!
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UNTIL NEXT TIME
Be sure to recommend my books and The Recap, follow me on the socials, and remember you can also support me with a cup of coffee on Ko-Fi!
Take care and all the best. |
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