So Karma worked on her post for five days. And I forgot that today was my FINAL Thursday here on the Ball. I am hanging my head in shame. But honestly, I think that the whole idea of saying goodbye to this debut journey and all the lovelies I’ve met here was just too much. So much that I kicked that pesky little thought right out of my head. It’s…
Like my fellow Deb Amy, I sort of put off reading COME AWAY WITH ME for a while. I knew, with the inciting incident, that it would weigh heavily on me, and, of course, that crying was inevitable. I also knew that once I started reading it, the book would consume me. I wouldn’t be able to put it down. And of course I was right there, too. This is…
We’ve talked so much this past year about the ups and downs of the publishing journey — it’s a wild ride for sure. But this week on the Ball, as we come to the end of our debut years, we’re talking about what it was that made it so amazing. Because amidst the craziness, it’s often hard to remember just how truly privileged we are to share our stories with…
YAY for second books! It’s so fun hearing about everyone’s sophomore efforts — and seeing how different the process has been for each of us. For Dhonielle and I, our contract was a two-book set up — but we didn’t know until after our first editorial meeting whether the second book would be a companion novel, sequel or something else altogether. Luckily, it was a sequel, and that’s what D…
This week on the Deb Ball, we’re talking about what we’d do differently the second time around. And honestly, I might as well just direct you to Amy’s post from Tuesday, because she nailed it. So many things were chaos on this debut journey. So many things were out of my (and Dhonielle’s control). And being they Type A that I am, I fretted and fretted and then occasionally fretted…
Editor’s Note: Here at The Debutante Ball, we strive to give an insider look at our experiences with the publishing industry. But we also like to contribute to the dialogue on important topics in publishing, which is why this week we’ve decided to focus on diversity— and have each asked a guest author to discuss their experiences in the industry. We know we can’t solve the issues with a few…
At long last, my amazing friend Amy’s delish debut, THE COINCIDENCE OF COCONUT CAKE, is on shelves. And if you haven’t ordered your copy yet, you’re truly missing out. Here are five reasons you need to order you some CAKE right now. THE TWISTINESS. Oh man, this book is like You’ve Got Mail except a gazillion times better. THE FOOD. This book will make you hungry. Amy’s a fun dinner date — she…
With one book on shelves and another headed toward copyedits, I’d like to say this whole publishing thing is all starting to make sense now. I mean, there are definitely myths I’ve seen debunked in my time in the trenches. Like the idea that any agent is better than no agent. (So not true!) Or the idea that the big agent is always the one to go with. (Again, not…
Okay, so this week’s topic is marketing. As the other Debs have confessed, as writers, its one arena that really leaves us flummoxed. What works? What doesn’t? Who knows? One of the most confusing aspects of all this is that marketing is defined differently than publicity. Marketing usually entails paid, guaranteed efforts (like ad placement or co-op at the bookstore), while publicity is the stuff you see show up randomly…
One of my favorite things to do is share book recommendations! In fact, when we decided that this week would be summer reading recs, I was super-excited. But when I sat down to write the post, I froze. How do I even begin to narrow down this list? THERE ARE SO MANY AWESOME BOOKS TO READ. But here are a few of my recent favorites. (And note, I’m not including THE…
