Hello, all! As you may have heard by now, my debut novel comes out (as a paperback, remember - don’t buy the hardcover!) on March 14th. You may have heard this from me via this very newsletter, or me via Facebook, or me on Instagram, or me in the supermarket/at CVS/during a hot yoga class/ or at my local bookstore where I just pop in to say hi 10 times a day.
But now, with less than seven weeks to go until launch day (!!!) the tide has shifted, and you are going to start hearing about DAUGHTERS OF NANTUCKET from other people, too. Like a lot. The book has, nicely enough, been featured on a few “most anticipated” lists like those from Zibby Owens, Renee’s Reading Club, and BookTrib, as well as on Bookbub’s list of Best Historical Fiction for 2023. Booklist gave DAUGHTERS a starred review (!!!) and said, “Gerstenblatt's distinctive tale, a triumph in storytelling, celebrates the courage and tenacity of women.” Go, women!
There are giveaways and more giveaways and also Barnes & Noble promos (which are sort of giveaways because my book is being offered at 25% off through Friday, Jan 27). There are posts on social media that I have been encouraged to share and people I have to tag and stuff I have to like.
This initial PR is amazing and helpful and necessary - especially to get the word out for a debut author - but it’s also a bit overwhelming. I’m an outgoing and social person, but even so, all of this attention on me as a writer feels weird.
And then I realized why. Because, with a book coming out from a big five publisher, I am no longer a writer. I am now…wait for it…an author.
A writer sits at home in her pajamas, snacking on pretzels while talking to characters in her head, diligently typing out what they say to her and to one another. She goes to cocktail parties where friends ask about the novel, and she feels foolish updating them on her progress, because how do you explain to someone who isn’t a writer that cutting the first 100 pages and re-organizing the remaining chapters is “progress?” Talking to strangers is worse. Once the writer admits that she’s actually working on a novel, she feels compelled to prove it to them, like, here, come meet my imaginary friend! She’s really terrific! I know you can’t see her, but she’s totally there!
But an author? Now that everyone in the world can see her imaginary friends, she has different things to prove. She’s still at home in her pajamas eating pretzels, only now she’s creating a more engaging social media presence and interacting with people called bookstagramers and booktok-ers. She has created a glossy new website that you should all check out right now, because it’s really pretty and has tons of info, including a discussion kit for book clubs and a collage of old family photos. She still wastes a good deal of the day on the Internet, but instead of reading about the craft of fiction, now she’s looking at what to wear while discussing the craft of fiction with an audience.
I’m the she in this story, by the way.
My head is buzzing with checklists of things to do for upcoming launch events and Zooms and essay-tie-ins that I can’t find the peaceful calm I need to generate pages for a new project. I’m so busy being an author that I have no time to be a writer.
At first, that worried me. I have done a lot of research for my next novel and could tell you all about it (at a cocktail party, let’s just say), but in terms of actual pages, I’ve got…three. A solid prologue! And, you know what? That’s actually…fine. Better than fine! I’ve been writing every day for literal and figurative years without anyone throwing me a party or asking for my signature, and now here I am, throwing myself parties and buying just-right pens. (And dresses that match my book cover. More on that in another newsletter!)
More than anything, I want people to read and then gather and discuss my work (at a cocktail party, maybe?!) and talk about these characters as the multi-dimensional people I imagine them to be. Because above all, an author needs readers.
Goodbye, Julie the writer at home alone in her pajamas. Hello, Julie Gerstenblatt the author in a dress and heels. Thanks for your support! See you soon.
xo
Julie