In This Issue
- New Author Signed: Shayla Dugan
- Status of Current Books
- Shutting Down TikTok and Amazon Book Club
- What I’m Doing Instead: Research, Research, Research
- Reorganizing my Bookshelves
New Author Signed: Shayla Dugan (Women’s Fiction)
Here’s a photograph of Shayla signing her first publishing contract with Egret Lake Books!
Shayla is very excited to be making her fiction novel debut Learning to Swim, a story about the many facets of the mother-daughter relationship, told from the viewpoint of three generations of women. Shayla is a native Arizonan and a former social worker. She loves to write Erma Bombeck-style essays and other forms of creative nonfiction. Her website is https://shayladugan.com.
Status of Books in Progress
I’m hard at work getting books ready for publication for you, dear readers! Here’s a quick rundown of books in progress. There are two other novels that may possibly join this list in the coming months.
- How to Align the Stars (Women’s Fiction) – Currently in editing and revisions
- Learning to Swim (Women’s Fiction) – Currently in editing and revisions
- Love Across the Stars (Poetry) – Currently in final copywriting and cover design
- Gravitational Pull (Poetry) – Currently in copywriting
Shutting Down Book Club and TikTok
I’m learning that publishing is a busy job and that I need to be razor-focused on where I spend my time. If something isn’t working I need to pivot and move on, and keep trying different things until I find what does work. TikTok and Amazon Book Club both have a host of issues that are too long to write about in this post. For the time being I’m shutting both of them down.
What I’m Doing Instead – Research, Research, Research
I’ve pivoted instead to researching and testing new avenues for visibility for these four upcoming books. I’ve opened a new insta account and linked it to a new facebook company page. I’m investing more time learning ad platforms, am researching the feasibility of direct sales on my website, and learning about running promotions and other things like newsletter swaps. I’ve created a multitude of spreadsheets comparing different scenarios. It will be important to make sure we don’t overspend on production and go into the red. The profit margin of a print book especially is fairly narrow, but the aim is to create a high-quality end product despite that constraint.
Reorganizing My Bookshelves
This is how far I got, you guys. There are no “after” photos because I got tired. Lol. I’m considering giving half of these away so I can have more shelf space. Sidenote: my husband built these bookshelves and I love them! Do you still buy physical books? Do you keep them or donate them after you read them? I posted these questions on my new insta, and I would love it if you would comment with your thoughts!
That’s all for now.
Thanks for reading my newsletter and being part of the Egret Lake Books community.
Also I’m still open to submissions! Learn how to submit here.
Talk to you soon!
Tess Jones, Editor, Egret Lake Books
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