Hello, dear readers!
I’ll start by saying that it is a sleepless night for me. I’m sitting at my desk instead of continuing to toss and turn because my mind demands that I work through the problems that are circulating within me. However, that’s much easier said than done.
Now that I have decided that I want to self-publish my book, everything falls entirely on my lap. Looking outside the manuscript for a moment, there are a lot of things that an author who is choosing to self-publish needs to consider that center around the book launch.
As much as I would love to have a book launch held at a local indie bookstore, it’s not in the budget at this time, and I’m not going to put my book on the back burner until I do. So, I’ve decided that I’ll host a book launch with my family and friends at my home and post about it on social media because that is my only option at this time.
However, what I am missing, which indie authors (and trad authors) find important and usually have is ARC readers and a street team to maximize release week.
For those who don’t know, ARC stands for Advanced Reader Copies. These go out to groups of readers who will hopefully provide reviews prior to the book’s official release in exchange for a free copy of the book (typically either an eBook or sometimes a paperback). They will typically also spread the word about the book through social media to their followers. ARCs are a fantastic tool that I’m not going to partake in for a few reasons.
First, I don’t have physical books yet to send out, and I can’t turn loose of that kind of capital even if it would benefit me. Second, there have been copyright and ethical boundaries crossed recently by ARC readers where they have fed the eBook versions of their ARCs into AI. I, along with most authors, am firmly against any use of generative AI and AI use of any sort beyond spell check. It’s absolutely unacceptable. It is morally and ethically wrong. Therefore, I will not be sending out eBook ARCs like I could because I will not open myself up to that level of risk before my book is even available for purchase.
Another strategy authors use to promote their book is street teams. This is often a group of author/reader friends who help spread the world of your book. I would absolutely love to put together a street team, but I have literally zero friends of my own. I rely solely on my husband’s family and their friends to exist in a world where I’m not alone. So, I’d have to recruit a street team, but then those individuals want compensation for their time and effort which I understand, but I don’t see how that would be money well spent. It’s too similar to paying for reviews.
The author community tends to be very uplifting and welcoming, but that’s face value. For all the accounts on social media where I have seen a reel while doom scrolling that says something to the effect of, follow from this reel and I’ll follow you back…I have yet to receive a follow back. Similarly, many author posts or bookish posts pose some sort of question encouraging viewers to comment to have a conversation about whatever topic they presented. But they don’t engage with you, so why bother? They want you to comment so that it boosts their visibility. I understand the reason they do it, but it seems like deceptive marketing to me.
Followers don’t equal support, but followers are the goal in this day and age. The more followers you have, the more “important” you are. More than that though, the more followers you have the more credible you are. Within the confines of online existence, that is the only thing that indicates whether you are worth while to a potential audience.
But how do you build an audience that goes onto your profile and sees that you only have x number of followers which tells them, “Yep, I’m small potatoes,” and immediately click out without engaging with you or your content? How do you turn that potential audience into followers that then want to purchase your specific book?
I’ve even wondered whether that only works for fantasy, romance, or romantasy authors because there are tighter circles around them. Larger, more dedicated fan bases that want to consume all media. If there is a similar enthusiasm for literary fiction, it hasn’t come across my feed despite my searching for keywords.
Maybe the algorithm hates me. I’ve had my current Instagram account since about June 2025, and I have 75 followers. I post a few times a week because that’s sustainable for me, and my followers are largely apprised of my husband’s family/friends and my cousins, who I scarcely know. I appreciate each and every one of them, but it’s intimidating that the only people seeing my content are people I know in real life.
I can’t post a video showing myself (my face) on camera such as a talking head video because I’m embarrassed of what I assume they will think of me if I did. It would be much easier if it were 75 strangers, but I’d still be just as hesitant.
So, how does someone who has zero friends, no interested followers, no author/reader network, and no throw-away money promote their book? That’s one of many problems I’m trying to work out in my head right now.
Here’s what I’m planning on doing: Book launch party to privately celebrate this accomplishment because at the end of the day, I wrote for my own enjoyment, and I am proud of what I have produced. That alone is worth celebrating.
And that’s another thing; I have a newsletter with one subscriber…my husband who signed up for my newsletter because I wanted to see what it looked like on his end. Pathetic, I know. But that’s life, I suppose. My life, anyway.
I’ve been secluded for as long as I can remember. Fun fact about me, I had lunch with the same group of people every day in front of the auditorium during my freshman year of high school. These were all people I thought of as my friends at the time. On the very last day of school, I was having a conversation with the theater tech teacher in front of the auditorium during lunch. After the teacher walked away, everyone was looking at me, and a few of them said in unison, “That’s the first time I’ve heard you speak.” They knew me, knew of me anyway, but I’ve always been that person in the background observing and not participating.
The real problem I’m facing is how does someone who has never actively participated in anything remotely social transform themselves into a social butterfly overnight to ensure that their dream of having at least one stranger purchase their book isn’t forgotten?
Is my book destined to fade into the background, beneath the trad pub authors and AI slop? How do I stand out when I have worked my entire life toward the goal of being invisible? I’m not particularly eloquent. I’m definitely awkward, and I get nervous when speaking to people (like trying to give an elevator pitch for my book – I know what to say, but I forget it, every time!) I’ve never been able to make and keep a friend, despite my best efforts and despite my absolute longing for it.
So I ask you, what do I do?
The only advice I can find is to post to social media. Follow the trends. 30% my book. 30% the process. 30% who I am. 10% fun/creative stuff. Mirror viral reels to get more views and drive engagement. Post across all platforms.
I’ve read all the advice columns. I’ve watched all the advice videos. They all say the same things, and none offer unique perspectives likely because that’s the path that works for most authors or creators. But I’ve been doing it and nothing. Zilch.
All that I can come up with is the fact that I haven’t done a talking head video, but what am I supposed to say? And who is going to see it that won’t look at me funny the next time we are at a Sunday barbeque? Maybe I shouldn’t care about that. I can handle critique and judgement when it comes to work or a work product (in this case, my book). If someone did not lot like it for x, y, or z and posted a bad review, I could handle that. But there is something different about doing that cringy thing where you post a talking head video like you’re someone important.
Maybe I just go for it and see if it helps. And if it doesn’t, then at least I can say I tried.
The other thing I’m going to do is once I have my physical copies, I’m going to start reaching out to bookstores about signing events. It would be really nice to have a local following that would then show up, but I can put myself out there. I’ll just have to remember to put my elevator pitch on an index card and reference it when my brain decides that it doesn’t know words.
I have a few goals for the roughly six weeks until my book, Tomorrow, Oblivion, comes out on 12/01/26.
1st goal: Grow a larger audience on social media.
2nd goal: Grow my newsletter subscribers.
3rd goal: Schedule signing events.
4th goal (but also sort of 1st): Do not give up on myself!
If you are in this boat with me, let me know what you are doing to change the tide. And if you were in this boat in the past, what did you do to promote your book that worked?
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