RELEASE DAY RUN UP
Oh it is busy, busy in my house! I've trying to get everything sorted and ready for the coming week as I hurry towards the release of Dying Thoughts - Sixth Change (which you can pre-order here for 99p!) I'm also working hard on getting the edits done, the cover reveal planned and all that jazz for Walk A Mile, which is coming soon too! I thought I would take a moment to both breathe and give you some tips for the run up to release day. This isn't my first rodeo and yet it still stresses me out every time. As I've said before, it gets easier, but the anxiety never goes away completely.
So, what can you do to help keep yourself both on target and still remain calm enough to enjoy the release day buzz? As you know I am a big big big believer in to-do lists, in organisation and in having a week at a glance in regards to my work load. And yet still, I find that the release day rush still can't always be accounted for. So here are five tips for keeping your cool during that busy period.
#1. HAVE BREAKS PLANNED
I know I just said that time is limited, but this is a big big thing. You can't keep going at full steam for the eight or so weeks between your cover reveal and your release. You need to have some time off. Even if that time off consists of a book before bed, a bubble bath or a thirty minute chat with a good friend. You need you time, and no matter who you are, that's just not negotiable. Otherwise you're going to be ending up burnt out and drained by the end of it all. While not everyone plans two releases close together, you will be, probably, working on other projects alongside the release. That's going to eat into your time, and that's another reason to have breaks planned. It doesn't have to be days off, but it does have to be some time when you're able to breathe.
#2. MAKE A TO-DO LIST.
I know this doesn't work for everyone, and I get that not all people will plan things the way I do, but these are what works for me. I have my monthly goals, but I also have a breakdown of everything that needs to be done (and by when) so that I can check them off once they're completed. This allows me to plan my time better and make sure that as well as being on schedule with my release, I'm also able to get writing done, bits and pieces of admin work, and still remain in control of my emotions. I do this with sticky notes, and my monthly list on my private blog, but I also have it all down in a notebook because I do love drawing a line through everything once I'm finished with it. It also allows me to see ahead of myself as to whether there are things that aren't going to get done in time. And if so, rearrange things accordingly.
#3. SCHEDULE POSTS
I know that it may seem like a simple thing, but I'll be honest with you, it took me a while to realise just how useful scheduled posts were. It meant that I no longer needed to cross-post or be on each social media at the exact same time. While I do use some cross-post websites (like ifttt.com) being able to write a post, schedule it and just let it go live on its own, made me life so much easier! I've played around with the best ones that work for me and have found things like Tweetdeck which allow you to schedule as much and as often as you like at no charge, and other such sites that give you the chance to post in groups, have been SO helpful. When you're releasing a book, you have so much admin work to do that sometimes it's better to schedule and deal with the interaction as it happens.
#4. MAKE USE OF CONNECTIONS
I know we're talked about this before, but author friends are great during the run up to release. I have people who are happy to be my cheering squad, have people ready to help promote if needed. I have groups that will help me spread the word and all of that stuff. Having those connections is vital to writing life because you never know when you'll need them, and you'll never know when you're needed. During a release it's always better to be able to ask people to help spread the word rather than paying for Facebook ads or the like, which are usually hit and miss as to whether they hit the target or not.
#5. MAKE USE OF SUPPORT OFFLINE
This is a big one. While my author friends are great and while I have made friends with bloggers and all of that in the past few years, disconnecting and still getting that support from my friends is amazing. It's a great way to boost your energy when you feel like you're flagging. It's a great way to talk through any issues with scheduling and it makes life just so much easier. I know I've very lucky to have a supportive family, in regards to writing and I know that a lot of people don't have that, so if you don't have it offline, it's okay to find these people online as well. I know there are some great circles on Tumblr in the #writeblr tag and have found a bunch of people on Instagram there as well with the #amwriting tag. We're all working towards the same goals, just at different times. Make use of your friends and be ready to ask for help, there's no shame in that!
So there you have it, my five tips for getting through the run up to release day. I've now got to go and send out a bunch of emails about ARCs so I'm gonna leave this here and ask that if you have any tips, feel free to share them in the comments!
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