Today, I’m pleased to welcome debut author Meredith Zeitlin to the blog! Meredith is the author of FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS which came out on March 1.

Remember that episode of “Sex and the City,” the one where Carrie gets a book deal and the book is put together in about two months and then it comes out and the publisher throws her a HUGE fancy party organized by Anthony the fabulous party planner? Samantha gets a facial peel and has to wear a crazy bee-keeper hat? There’s a cupcake tower?

I bet you thought that’s how book publishing works. Or maybe you didn’t, because you don’t believe everything you see on TV.

I totally did.

Then I got a book deal. It took four very long years just to get a release date confirmed, which I hadn’t anticipated. But then I thought: Surely, this is when the PR machine starts up! Soon there will be posters in every bookstore in town! I wonder what theme I should have for my party?

Nope.

The truth is – and I don’t think this was always the truth, but it sure is now – if you want people to hear about your book, you’d better tell them about it yourself. You want a website? Make one. Book trailer? Ditto. Party? I don’t think I have to tell you that a cupcake tower is not par for the course.

And so, you have to figure out what – and how much – to do. There’s no Idiot’s Guide to Book PR, unfortunately (at least, I couldn’t find one). I’m very lucky to have some resourceful and knowledgeable friends. I found a terrific web designer who was willing to work on a limited budget. My amazing friend in LA helped me make an incredible book trailer, which I never could’ve done if she hadn’t called in favors from her fancy Hollywood friends – people I am so, so grateful to for their help.
So then you have stuff to show. Who to show it to?!

I decided… everyone.

That means sending so many emails – to everyone you can think of! – that you think your wrist is going to fall off, and possibly the entire right side of your body. It takes hours and days. I’m fortunate to have the kind of job that afforded me the time to do it, but that didn’t make it any easier.

Then you have to deal with the responses. I got a lot – which was fantastic, and what I wanted. But I had no idea how long it would take to sift through them. And then I had to answer them! (I’m still answering them!) And I’m happy to do it, but if I had known…

The point is, what you need is TIME and TENACITY. The publisher isn’t going to do this stuff for you unless you’re JK Rowling, and if you’re her, you don’t need the help anyway. A fine Catch-22, isn’t it? If you want someone to buy your book, you have to get everyone you know to start talking about it. It’s work. It’s a full-time job. It’s fun and it’s frustrating and boring and exciting and necessary.

You can do it… but you have to want to. You have to REALLY want to. You have to stay home every night and do the work. More work than you put into writing the book, probably. Or at least it seems that way.

Please don’t get me wrong – I am very, very grateful to my publisher for buying the book and giving it a beautiful cover and making it exist. That would not have happened without them, no question about it. But realizing that getting people to buy the beautiful book would be my job… was surprising. A surmountable problem – but not a small one.

Don’t even get me started on the party. So far I’ve got a guest list and a name for a signature cocktail. Wanna come? BRING FOOD!

Thanks so much, Meredith! To learn more about FRESHMAN YEAR & OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS, click here.