What happens on publication day?

If you’re not an author, you must wonder what happens on publication day? I thought I’d give you an insight into what my day looks like.

The Liar’s Daughter is my seventh book and I’ve got into a nice rhythm!

I should start by saying I LOVE publication day. It’s like Christmas and birthday and having a baby all at the same time. There is so much goodwill flowing your way, you’re swept up in a tide of excitement and nerves. Excitement that your book is finally out in the world and nerves wondering if readers will like it!

Let me give you a run down of how the day pans out…

Social Media

I’ll be honest, a lot of the day is spent dipping in and out of social media!!! It’s fun and exciting – creating and sharing posts and seeing the reaction to a new book.

Bookouture, my publisher, starts social media at 7am and they do an amazing job, along with my fellow authors, of creating a buzz throughout the day. I like to be up and ready at my keyboard with a coffee by then to support their stirling efforts. They will have already sent me a bundle of publication day graphics, including Facebook and Twitter headers and a few with reader quotes for me to use. I also have a blog tour schedule. I spend a bit of time up-dating my pages and checking my author bios to make sure everything is refreshed. Then I’ll do my publication day posts, share those around, respond to follower comments etc. Hours can tick by without me realising!

Eventually, I’ll realise I’m hungry and need some breakfast!

Celebration with book buddies

Late morning, I usually meet up with members of the bookclub I belong to for a celebratory coffee and cake at the local cafe. It’s always a lot of fun, loads of chat and a chance to thank them for their support. A couple of them are beta readers for me and their input is invaluable in shaping my stories.

Then it’s home to… more social media!

Publication Day Gifts

It’s a lovely tradition for publishers and literary agents to send publication day gifts. I usually get a lovely bouquet of flowers from my agent. My editor sends me a personalised gift – I’ve had a book-shaped locket with a quote from my book hidden inside (that was for One Mistake). For The Ex Boyfriend I received a print depicting dog walkers on the beach as she knows this is where I go to think about storylines! What will it be this time…? Exciting to find out!

My husband also sends me flowers – he excelled himself when One Mistake came out – the bouquet was all blue and yellow to match my cover!

Dog Walk

After lunch we’ll take the dogs out, so I can calm down a bit. We’re so lucky on the Isle of Man to have so many wonderful places to enjoy. One of my favourites is Glen Helen and even now my husband can’t walk so far after a serious illness, we can enjoy a stroll along the paths here. My dog, Freddie, loves the river, so he tires me out throwing the ball for him. Our other dog, Molly, loves to snuffle in the undergrowth.

Checking Rankings

By the evening, publication day sales will start to be reflected in the Amazon rankings, so I’ll be checking those and that will become an obsession for the next few weeks… Oh okay, I’ll be honest… checking rankings is an ongoing obsession. Can I get in the top 100? That’s my goal and I’ve been lucky to achieve that with most of my books so far. Will it happen this time, though? I’m sure there must be a support group somewhere to help with this affliction!

Reading Reviews

I get a lot of pleasure from reading reviews posted on Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Goodreads and in FB groups. It’s so lovely to know that the book you have written has given people pleasure. For me, this is what writing’s all about – producing stories that people love to read.

Publication Day Treat

Nobody should cook on publication day, right? Of course not. By evening, my fingers are aching from typing responses to comments on social media, my cheeks are aching from smiling and I’m ready for a takeaway!

So that’s what happens on publication day – it’s a special moment to enjoy the product of more than 6 months of hard labour and an awful lot of anguishing over sentences. All those words, coming together into a story which I hope people will enjoy. My work is done and I can go to bed feeling satisfied that my book is born!