8: Balancing a Brand

It's our finale episode. What's it feel like to have people reading your book? Why are all authors bugging people for reviews?  Thanks for listening to MAKING A MIDDLE GRADE, a podcast on publishing middle grade books. 

In today's episode, I'm talking about the difficulties of releasing a book during the coronavirus pandemic. I also chat with Tara K. Ross about her experience.

Christian books AND secular books? Kids books AND adult books? If you want to write in multiple genres, how do you brand yourself as an author? That's what we're talking about in today's episode of MAKING A MIDDLE GRADE.   PS: Don't forget you can preorder WHAT HAPPENS NEXT wherever books are sold!

In this episode, we interview a school librarian to learn what makes kids pick up a book, how librarians decide which books to purchase, and what trends are blossoming in children's books. 

When it comes to marketing, how much is on the author vs. the publisher? What are some things authors can do to get their books into the hands of kids? Why do some authors get HUGE marketing pushes while others...don't? Plus, my agent delivers some tough love. 

How can we reframe "debut year" from something full of anxiety, stress, and broken hopes to something full of joy, gratitude, and fulfillment? I interview Janae Marks and share my own feelings on "debut year" as we step forward into 2020. Don't forget--WHAT HAPPENS NEXT is available for preorder right now wherever books are sold!

How much say do authors get in their book cover? As an aspiring author, I always dreamed about how the cover of my middle grade book would look. Illustrator Pascal Campion did amazing work. Here's a behind the scenes sneak peek into how a publisher, illustrator, and author work together to create an outstanding book cover.  Apologies that last month, an episode of the Catholic Feminist was uploaded into this feed! My bad. That's my other podcast/day job. I tried to delete it but if you're subscribed, it automatically downloaded. So, feel free to check out my other show, ha!

What's a copyeditor? What's a sensitivity reader? What's a way to go through this process without losing your mind? 😂 These are the questions we answer in episode 3 of MAKING A MIDDLE GRADE. We go over what an editor does with a manuscript, what some of the key changes in WHAT HAPPENS NEXT were, and how copyeditors handle a text. We also talk about the sensitivity reader process + first pass pages. This episode is perfect for anyone who's wondering how a book goes from project to product. 

The first book I signed with my agent for didn't sell. It felt totally, undeniably horrible. But I shook the dust from my feet and wrote another, which ended up selling at auction in a 2-book deal. In this episode, I'm interviewing my agent + editor to learn what the process was like from their POV! They answer questions like what happens at an acquisitions meeting, what an auction feels like on the editor's end, and what parts of a contract are the most important to focus on. 

The first step to getting a middle grade book traditionally published? Write it.  The second step? Finding a literary agent.  On the first episode of MAKING A MIDDLE GRADE, we're breaking down how to get a literary agent. What's a query letter? How long does the process take? How many Twitter followers do you need to have to snag an agent? We're talking all this and more with two fellow authors, as well as my own agent, Alex Slater.  MAKING A MIDDLE GRADE is a podcast series that takes you through how a children's book goes from a daydream to the hands of readers. I'm talking to publishing insiders, fellow authors, and all of the people who are making my book, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, happen. Add What Happens Next on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43071372-what-happens-next Follow me on Twitter @claireswinarski.