The single biggest gripe I hear from authors on this publishing journey (myself included) is this: that in order to be an author, you have to be on social media too.

And not just be on it; you have to build it, grow it, nurture it, pay other people money for it, spend your own money to boost posts, or buy bots, or whatever it is that people do.

I have clients who have written kick-ass nonfiction book proposals with nearly 100k followers and they are now being by agents and publishers that their platforms aren’t big enough. (Cue world’s biggest eye roll.)

I have people I have to say no to pitching to agents and editors because I already know what the industry will say: Their author platform just isn’t big enough. Even if they’ve written a really good book. Even if I know for a fact that big numbers don’t move books.

Then I have clients who have huge platforms, land huge deals, and maybe sell 15,000 books.

The expectation to be on social media has become like having a smartphone. It’s universal. Someone, somewhere decided that everyone must play along. Everyone has to have an author platform! You can’t possibly just be a writer. No!

And you know what? I call bullshit.

Let’s look at the actual numbers.

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The industry acts like follower counts equal guaranteed sales, but organic social media conversion rates across the board sit between 0.05% and 0.2%.

That means for the average author with 5,000 to 10,000 followers, a promotional post converts into somewhere between 2.5 and 10 actual sales.

Not to mention, on average, organic reach for unpaid business posts typically spans 1% to 6% of your total follower count per post.

So, while having a big platform is considered king, unless you’re constantly paying to boost posts (which also doesn’t usually convert to sales, just reach), most of your audience isn’t even seeing your content!

To see how absurd traditional platform demands are, look at pop star Billie Eilish. When she released her hardcover book, she had 97 million Instagram followers. NPD BookScan tracked her initial sales at roughly 64,000 copies—a 0.06% conversion rate. Which means that more than 99.9% of her followers didn’t buy the book.

Now, this is obviously an extreme example. Most people don’t want a Billie Eilish book. They want her music.

What about everyone else though? Because it certainly seems like social media MUST be selling a ton of books if everyone—and I mean everyone—is expected to be on it, right?

Well, buckle up, friends. Here’s the actual reality.

Oh, what’s that? Word of mouth and reviews are the highest on this list?

Shocker.

Can social media lead to word of mouth? Of course it can.

But when you break down what social media actually is—low intent, passive scrolling—you’re not actually capturing readers’ attention, and certainly not catching them long enough to say, “Oh man, I have to buy this book right now or else.”

That’s because scrolling social media is a free, passive behavior. But buying a book takes money, time, and focus.

These two habits live in completely different worlds.

Instead, in my mind, to the average author, social media has become this necessary evil that has nothing to do with selling books. It’s where we’re supposed to flaunt all of our events and achievements. It’s where, instead of being ALLOWED to disappear for months at a time while we WRITE OUR BOOKS IN PEACE, we have to come up with something to post daily. Look at me, we all say with every smiling post. I’m SO important! Like me! Comment! Share! I’m having the time of my life! And if we don’t, the algorithm punishes us.

Do you see how ridiculous this all is?!

IT’S NOT REAL LIFE.

So why are we all doing it then?

Especially if it’s not selling books!

When it comes to marketing, as I always say, figure out where you want to be and spend your time there.

Ask yourself these three questions:

• How do I naturally communicate? If you love long-form writing, write a newsletter. If you like long conversations, pitch podcast interviews. If you love video, do YouTube. If you like short, sharp thoughts, write Notes.

• Where do my actual readers hang out? Fiction readers aren’t looking for writing tips on LinkedIn. Nonfiction readers aren’t looking for deep industry analysis in 15-second TikTok soundbites. Go where the conversation is already happening naturally.

• Can I sustain this without resenting it? If a platform makes you dread opening your phone, leave it. A forced, burnt-out presence sells nothing. Authenticity and consistency in one channel beat half-hearted posting across five apps every single time. (For example, I literally tried TikTok for two weeks and am about to delete my account. It is not a place I want to spend any time, and while it works for some people, I know for a fact this isn’t the path for me.)

So what actually sells books then?

Let’s look back at the data and what seems to work the best: word of mouth.

What I love about this tactic is you are connecting with humans, not algorithms. That’s where the publishing industry has gone so very wrong. Books have always sold.

A-L-W-A-Y-S.

Do you think all the classics needed social media to have them still published a hundred years later??? Uh, no. Think about every great book you’ve ever read. I mean truly great. The type of book that touched you, changed you. The type of book you remember.

Did you hear about it on social media?

Probably not.

Why, then, has the publishing industry shifted such a beautiful process—of books finding their readers organically—and made social media such a huge, sticky, time-sucking part of it all?

What if we all just said no?

What if we all just decided to pivot?

What if we all started to lean into our human connections over our digital ones?

What if we can get back to what’s SIMPLE, what’s tried and true, and what actually works? I’ve talked a lot on my other posts about unique ways to market your books in person and ways to think outside the box. But online, there’s so much more we can do outside of posting a reel too.

4 Obvious Ways Books Move

• Amazon / Retail Search Optimization: Making your book discoverable via standard category tags and search keywords so existing buyers find it on their own.

• Direct-from-Author Sales: Putting a simple buy button on your website or Substack so core readers pay you directly.

• In-Person Events & Signings: Bringing physical inventory to places where your specific target audience gathers.

• Email Broadcasts: Sending a straightforward email to people, telling them the book is out and dropping the link. (Make sure buy links are in your email signature too!)

Pick the one space that feels natural to your life, build honest connections there, and put the rest of your energy back into writing a book that speaks for itself.

And I’d love to know: what is the absolute most effective way you’ve sold books? And also let me know your thoughts on social media: necessary evil or unnecessary waste of time?

Rea

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P.S. One of my time slip women’s fiction e-book is on sale for the entire month of September for just $0.99! Get your copy or share with someone who might enjoy.

GET YOUR COPY!

Or, honestly, not asking ANY questions at all.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched a client jump to say yes to an agent or a book deal, only to get ghosted, feel radically disappointed that their marketing team did nothing to promote, or, during the publication process, the author becomes full-on avoidant with their sales numbers, or doesn’t even know how to check those numbers in the first place. (For all of you who don’t know: Create an Amazon Author Central account, add your book to it, and then you can roughly see about 85% of your sales each week.)

Whether you are hoping to land an agent, have a book deal in hand, or even have your book out and feel like your publisher has gone radio silent, it is CRITICAL to know the right questions to ask!

And here’s why.

When I coach clients on pitching, we start with the obvious: It’s not an agent choosing you. It’s YOU choosing the agent. Same thing with a publisher. (Yes, really.)

It’s your work. And it needs to be the right fit FOR YOU, regardless of how badly you want to get published.

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QUESTIONS TO ASK AGENTS:

If you have an agent interested, great! But that doesn’t mean you’re a great fit for said agent. While an agent should really be selling you on why they love your book so much, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• First of all, what kind of agent do you want? Do you want a shark? Do you want someone to hold your hand? Do you want an agent with an editorial eye? Do you want to be able to text your agent whenever you need something? Think about what type of relationship you want ahead of time, then ask them directly:

  • What’s your communication style?

    • This is the SINGLE most important thing to know. If they are impossible to get a hold of or take forever to return your messages, then you clearly will not feel like a priority.

  • Do you see me needing to make extensive edits before we pitch to editors?

    • A lot of us think once we land an agent, we’re ready to pitch, but sometimes this isn’t the case. Make sure you are aligned on proposed agent changes.

  • What’s the pitch process like?

    • It’s important to know how/when an agent will pitch and what to expect during the process.

  • How do you see helping me grow my author career book by book?

    • Usually, agents are there for the long haul, but you want to make sure you’re aligned for any subsequent books (especially if you’d like to write in a different genre).

  • What does your agency contract look like regarding termination clauses and subsidiary rights?

    • Typically, an author and agent can terminate an agency agreement with a 30-day written notice. But make sure you know your rights.

  • How quickly do you process and pay out royalties after receiving them from publishers?

    • Better yet, ask to be directly paid from a publisher. This is what I do. The publisher pays 15% to my agent and then direct deposits my chunk to me, so I don’t have to wait.

  • Will I get to see the editor submission list and read raw rejection feedback?

    • With every book pitched, my agent sends a spreadsheet and then rejection feedback, so I don’t constantly have to ask her about it. (Okay, I still ask her about it, but I know exactly where we stand while I obsessively refresh the document every thirty seconds.)

  • What is our action plan if this first book doesn’t sell?

    • Definitely have a backup plan if the book on submission doesn’t sell. Do you have another project waiting in the wings? How many rounds of pitches will your agent try before moving on?

  • Do you handle film, TV, and foreign rights in-house or through co-agents?

    • Vital to know who is handling what and what resources the agency will supply.

I’ve had some nightmarish experiences with agents where I could only communicate through email and even then it took three weeks for a single response. With my agent, Rachel Beck, who I’ve been with since 2017, I can literally text her right now and get a response. I don’t just respect her as my agent, I like her as a human. While this may sound woo, I think, above all else, you need to feel comfortable with your agent. This is the most intimate relationship you’ll have in your publishing journey, so make sure it’s someone you like and are willing to give up 15% for.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR EDITOR:

Okay, let’s say you’ve landed an agent or maybe bypassed the agent and you’ve been offered a book deal. Congrats! But, before you EVER sign on the dotted line, ask these questions first:

• What drew you to my book, and what excites you most about it?

  • This helps you understand the publisher’s vision for your book. For my first book, it went to auction, and I was wavering between two editors I really liked. The editor I ended up going with told me that it was her husband’s birthday when she received my submission. She sat down to read it and hours later, her husband asked, “Are we going to celebrate my birthday or are you going to read that book?” She looked at him and said, “I’m going to read this book.” That’s how I knew she was my person.

• What is your editorial approach? How hands-on do you like to be?

  • Some editors are deeply involved in revisions, while others take a lighter approach.

• What are the biggest changes you envision for the manuscript?

  • Get clarity on major structural, stylistic, or thematic revisions early.

• Will I be working solely with you, or will other team members be involved?

  • Some editors pass revisions to junior editors or freelancers.

• How many rounds of edits do you typically go through with an author?

  • This gives insight into how much revision time will be expected.

• What is the projected release date? What deadlines should I be aware of?

  • Helps you plan for edits, marketing, and launch prep.

• What are the next steps after I turn in my final manuscript?

  • Understanding copyediting, proofreading, and production phases prevents surprises.

• How involved will I be in the cover design process?

  • Some publishers offer minimal input, while others collaborate closely.

• Will I get to review copyedits, page proofs, and jacket copy?

  • Ensures you have input on final details before publication.

• Who is my main point of contact throughout production?

  • Know whether you’ll continue working with your editor or transition to a managing editor.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR MARKETING TEAM:

If I were you, I’d request to talk to someone from the marketing team BEFORE you sign a book deal. Though marketing efforts don’t start until much closer to the book’s launch, it’s critical to know some of these answers going in. If you can’t, have your agent send in the following questions.

• What marketing and publicity efforts will the publisher handle?

  • This determines how much you’ll need to do on your own. (Spoiler alert: It’s usually a lot.)

• Will I have a dedicated publicist, and if so, when will I be introduced?

  • Knowing your publicist helps you coordinate interviews, events, and outreach or lets you know if you need to hire outside help.

• What type of media outreach do you expect to secure?

  • Ask whether they plan to pitch to major outlets, book reviewers, or niche publications.

• What bookstore and library distribution do you anticipate?

  • Will your book be placed in big retailers like Barnes & Noble and indie bookstores? This is one of the most important pieces to get publisher support.

• Will the publisher invest in paid advertising (e.g., Amazon, BookBub, social media)?

  • Clarifies whether they will fund any ad campaigns or if it’s up to you.

• Do you support author-led marketing efforts (e.g., newsletters, events, partnerships)?

  • Some publishers offer guidance and co-marketing opportunities.

• What is the expected print run for the first edition?

  • Helps gauge how aggressively they’re pushing the book.

• What formats will my book be available in (hardcover, paperback, audiobook, eBook)?

  • Confirm whether they plan to invest in multiple formats.

• Will my book be stocked in physical bookstores or primarily sold online?

  • Important for authors who want bookstore placement.

• What are your expectations for foreign rights, film/TV adaptations, and audiobooks?

  • Some publishers actively sell subsidiary rights, while others leave it up to agents.

And in my mind, THESE THE TIPPY TOP MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK!

• What promotional expectations do you have for me as the author and do you pay for any travel, book tours, or events?

  • Will you be expected to do book tours, social media campaigns, or live events?

• What does a successful launch look like? How many books would you like me to sell the first year?

  • Know the numbers going in, so you don’t have to do any guesswork and don’t feel blindsided.

• Do you offer marketing or publicity training for debut authors?

  • Some publishers provide guidance, while others assume you’ll figure it out.

• Will you connect me with other authors on your list for cross-promotion?

  • Building relationships with other authors can help expand your reach.

• How do you handle long-term support for backlist titles?

  • Some publishers drop books after launch, while others continue promoting.

• What is the best way to communicate with you throughout this process?

  • Know whether they prefer emails, scheduled calls, or in-person meetings.

And before you ever, ever, ever sign on the dotted line, ask to speak to a few recent authors (whether you are fielding an agent or a publisher), because authors don’t lie!

Look. I know it can feel uncomfortable to ask such direct questions, but publishing is a business. Would you ever take a job without knowing how anything worked? How you get paid? What’s expected of you? What’s expected of them?

When you do ask the right questions, you advocate for yourself, you go in with eyes wide open, and you can even say no to what doesn’t feel aligned, so you make more space for what feels right.

I’d love to know if you’ve ever asked any of the above questions or even have some of your own you think are important to ask.

Please share below!

Rea

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It’s easy to understand why we are so obsessed with getting our books published. Walk into any bookstore and see the rows and rows of books gracing the shelves. The legacy authors. The greats. The books that are still getting published hundreds of years later. The BookTok stars. The lead tittles. The mega hits. If they can do it, you can do it too, right?

Whether you already have a book deal, you’re in the querying trenches, or you just landed an agent (or hope to), a very specific, very romantic fantasy often sets in.

You think that once you get the book deal, you will have a team of experts to help you sell that book.

Because that is the ENTIRE point of having a team, right?

If you’ve read any of my previous Substacks (or talked to any authors who are actually honest), then you know this is a complete lie.

Landing a traditional contract or securing a shiny six-figure advance does not mean the industry is going to champion your work. In fact, for about 90% of authors on any given seasonal catalog, publisher marketing consists mostly of blasts to overworked media lists and a whole lot of crossing fingers, luck, and timing.

I’ve spent years in this business—as a bestselling author with Big Five publishers, an author of nonfiction books that (somewhat) crashed and burned, and as a book doula helping hundreds of writers navigate this wild landscape.

If there is one lesson I want EVERY SINGLE PERSON TO KNOW, it’s this: if you don’t learn how to market your own book, nobody else is going to do it for you.

From the author’s lens, this makes zero sense though. We’re not marketers! We’re WRITERS! Of course a publisher should market our books! That’s the whole damn point of having a publisher! And up until a good twenty or thirty years ago, publishers did their jobs (and sometimes—gasp!—they even did them well).

But things have changed: social media has crept in, authors now have massive followings, voracious readers, and we are all expected to have this “work around the clock” mentality that was once reserved for story.

Now, we must wear all the hats.

If you love wearing those hats, great. Good for you! Keep doing what you’re doing. If you don’t (hello, have we met?), here are a few important things you need to know about traditional publishing and some cool things you can do to actually market and sell your book.

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The two-tiered system you don’t know about

Before we get into the cool stuff, it’s important to understand how a few things work when it comes to publisher marketing. Instead of publishers splitting their marketing dollars down the middle, they operate on a brutal power-law distribution:

1. The lead titles (top 10%): These are the mega-advances, the massive celebrity memoirs, and the proven bestsellers. They get the billboard in Times Square, the prime front-table placement in bookstores, national TV bookings, paid book tours, and a dedicated team breathing life into the campaign every day.

2. The midlist (everyone else): Your marketing and publicity budget is practically non-existent, and your assigned publicist is likely an overworked pro or entry-level assistant trying to manage 20 other titles that exact same month.

When a midlist book doesn’t immediately blow up in week one, the publisher usually doesn’t pivot or double down. They cut their losses, shift their focus to the next season’s heavy hitters, and move on.

Which can leave you beyond devastated that the book you just spent years of your life writing, querying, and finally getting published is forgotten JUST A WEEK after launch!

Unless you keep it alive, that is.

Remember: If you view a publisher as a savior instead of a distribution machine, your book is a sitting duck before it even hits shelves.

I have been so, so guilty of this. I still do it. I tell myself that maybe this next book, maybe this next publisher, maybe THIS TIME IT WILL ALL BE DIFFERENT! Guess what? On the fiction side, with 3 publishers and 9 books, it’s never been different. A hard dose of reality, but it’s the truth.

So what are we supposed to do if we still want a traditional book deal even though we know that the marketing is most likely going to fall completely on our shoulders?

3 unconventional tactics that actually move books

Forget the usual advice about street teams and launch week discounts. (I HAVE suggested those and they DO work, but it’s also what everyone else is doing.) If you want to build genuine momentum without begging algorithms for attention, try these instead:

• Pitch non-book Substack recommendations: Stop chasing traditional media reviewers. Instead, find 5 to 10 popular Substack newsletters whose themes or general vibe match your book. If you write fiction, look for lifestyle, pop culture, travel, or essayist newsletters that cater to your target reader profile; if you write nonfiction, look for niche newsletters in your specific field. Pitch the creator on featuring your book in their “What I’m Reading/Loving This Month” digest. Newsletter readers actually buy books because the trust factor is built directly into their inbox.

• Pitch bulk sales to non-traditional groups: Retail readers buy one copy at a time, but organizations buy in bulk. For nonfiction authors, this means pitching corporate teams or professional associations aligned with your topic. For fiction authors, think bigger than standard book clubs: pitch local women’s networks, alumni groups, regional arts foundations, or lifestyle societies. Offer to host an exclusive private virtual Q&A, character-deep-dive, or craft workshop for their members (provided the organizer buys a copy of your novel for every single attendee).

• Master the micro-location drop (and host non-traditional events): Instead of competing with dozens of other authors for a low-attendance bookstore reading, meet readers where they already hang out. Leave signed copies at boutique hotels, independent coffee shops, wellness spaces, or high-end waiting rooms with a custom bookmark inside that invites them to take it home. Better yet, host your launch events in those exact spaces, such as a cozy wine bar, a local clothing boutique, a flower shop, or a plant nursery. If you write thrillers, host an event in a moody speakeasy; if you write romance, partner with a local bakery or bridal shop. When you host an event where people aren’t expecting to find books, you eliminate the competition of readers browsing other books and create a far more memorable experience. (True story: One of my most successful events EVER was at a Costco. As people drifted by, I would ask: “Would you like a book with your 48 rolls of toilet paper?” And almost EVERYONE said yes.)

The silver lining

A traditional publisher is great for several things: distribution, editorial polish, and trade credibility. However, they are not an instant audience generator!

Once you stop expecting a publisher to hand you a career on a silver platter, something incredible happens: you get your power back. You stop waiting on an overworked marketing department (that simply doesn’t have the bandwidth) to care, and you start building a career that YOU own. That YOU control. That YOU can dictate book by book.

Is it a lot of work? Yes, of course it is.

But when you turn that work into doable, actionable tasks that feel fun and aligned with who you are, everything shifts.

I’d love to hear from you: What’s the biggest lie you’ve uncovered about the business side of publishing?

Rea

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It is my biggest childhood wound, something I have carried with me my entire life. It’s what pushed me as both an athlete and a student. To be the best. To graduate at the top of my class, both in high school and college. To prove my worth!

Though my parents never put that pressure on me, it came from somewhere, and though I wanted desperately to be seen, I also ironically disliked the spotlight once I was in it.

I think what I really wanted was for my work to be seen, for my words to matter, for my presence to make an impact.

Basically, I wanted to make a difference.

So, when I seriously started thinking about becoming a writer, it just felt right. I could write stories or essays and connect with people across the globe, all from the comfort of my own home.

What could be better than that?

Then, when I really stepped into the author world full force, I was FLOORED with how visible I had to become. For my fiction debut in 2018, I did fifty events. Podcasts. Interviews. 45-minute solo speeches. Conferences. Panels. TV shows. Radio interviews. I was not a public speaker, nor someone who was comfortable “winging” it in front of large crowds (though I am now). These are all great skills to have, of course, but they weren’t skills I thought I needed to be a published author.

No one told me that I would have to be charming, and funny, and quippy, and phenomenal at making eye contact, and make people laugh, and drive from city to city peddling books, and pretend to be happy if I showed up to a bookstore full of only five people, and be intelligent, and oh! Don’t forget to talk passionately about your book that you wrote two years ago!

What did any of that have to do with writing?

I kept coming back to the book. Why did I need to talk about the book so much, online and offline?

I mean… am I right?!

But somewhere along the line, the publishing industry decided that writing a great book was only half the job.

The other half?

Becoming a content creator, acting on TikTok (sigh), and running around on tour like a human billboard for your book just to move a few dozen copies.

If doing all that makes you panic, you are so not alone.

Most of us got into this business because we love words. We love sitting in a quiet room, wearing sweatpants, and building stories out of thin air. Yet every single week, I talk to brilliant aspiring authors who tell me they want to be published but they don’t want to dance for an algorithm or spend all their time marketing their books or stand in rooms full of strangers every night for two weeks, putting on a show.

And I am here to say: You can build an incredible writing career without ever acting like an entertainer.

If you want a long, profitable writing career without burning out or faking a personality, you can do that. Really you can. And you should. You just have to think outside the box a bit. Here are four effective pathways that let you lean into your craft while staying out of the spotlight.

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1. Audio-first deals

If you hate traditional book tours and social media pushes (AHEM!), audio-first deals are a total game-changer. In this model, an audio publisher buys the rights to produce and distribute your story first, usually pairing with digital print distributors along the way.

Why is this great for more introverted writers? Because audio listeners do not care if you are doing a Q&A at an indie store three states over. They listen while driving to work, walking the dog, or folding laundry. They buy the book on a device and start consuming immediately.

Audio publishers rely on app placement and professional narration instead of physical author appearances. When a well-known narrator reads your story, their existing fanbase comes along for the ride. You stay home while a professional voice actor handles the heavy lifting of bringing your characters to life. (Basically, it’s the stuff of dreams.) AND, if the book does well enough, then sometimes you can sell the print rights to a publisher (or publish it yourself).

Where to pitch:

• Direct-to-author audio publishers: Submitting directly to audio houses like Podium Audio, Tantor Media, Blackstone Publishing, or Recorded Books (RBmedia) lets you bypass traditional agents and secure audio production while keeping control of your print rights.

• Audible Originals & Big Five Audio divisions: Major players like Audible Studios or dedicated audio arms (such as Hachette Audio or HarperAudio) actively look for high-concept manuscripts that translate exceptionally well to a listening experience.

When reaching out, skip the talk about your social media follower count. Lead with a high-concept hook, sharp dialogue, audio-friendly pacing, and suggested narrator archetypes. Audio editors evaluate manuscript voice and story velocity (not your comfort level on camera).

And speaking of, I have just signed an audiobook first deal with Hachette Audio with my fellow Nashville Authors (follow our journey on IG to learn more!) for our genre-bending book, Plot Twist! (I have wanted to break into this space forever!!!!!!!) We are so, so excited for this book. It should be coming out late March 2027!

2. Screenwriting and optioning

If you love story structure but hate being the public face of a product, step into film and television.

When you write a screenplay or option a story for the screen, your manuscript is a blueprint instead of the finished consumer product. Screenwriters spend their time writing behind closed doors, working in small pitch rooms, or collaborating via email.

Once a project moves forward, the studio, director, and cast carry the burden of press junkets, media interviews, and campaigns. You get paid for your plot and dialogue skills while someone else handles the rest.

Where to get started:

• Script hosting platforms: Upload polished screenplays or book adaptation synopses to The Black List (blcklst.com) or Coverfly. These industry databases are actively searched by managers, indie producers, and studio reps looking for new material.

• Specialized screenwriting competitions: Enter targeted, industry-vetted contests like The Nicholl Fellowships (run by the Academy), Script Pipeline, or Austin Film Festival. Placing as a finalist is a proven fast-track to getting read by literary managers.

• Indie producers & adaptation agents: Use IMDbPro to research boutique production companies that have produced indie films or TV series similar to your book’s tone. Target mid-level producers or dedicated film/TV agents who love optioning books before they hit the major trade publications.

3. Script doctoring and ghostwriting

Want good money with zero public exposure? Fix other people’s stories or write them behind the scenes.

Script doctors fix plot holes, polish dialogue, or tighten pacing on existing scripts. Ghostwriters write full-length books for public figures, experts, or busy executives who have big ideas but lack the time or skill to write them down.

In both cases, you trade public credit for a solid paycheck and complete privacy. You exercise your writing skills, solve creative puzzles, and collect your fee without ever posting a single promotional graphic.

I have made some of my best money as a ghostwriter. I love the crafting, writing, interviewing, and editing, but I don’t have to launch the book! It’s a match made in heaven.

Where to get started:

• Boutique ghostwriting agencies: Apply to write for high-end book packaging and ghostwriting firms like Reedsy, Scribe Media, or Gotham Ghostwriters. They screen clients, handle billing, and match you with paid projects based on your background and genre expertise.

• Literary agencies & editorial networks: Reach out directly to literary agents or independent book editors. Agents frequently have non-fiction or memoir clients who need a co-writer or ghost, and independent editors constantly need reliable script doctors and manuscript polishers to recommend to their clients. (This is how I got my very first ghostwriting client. A literary agency flew me to SWITZERLAND TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT CHOCOLATE! It was incredible.)

• Producer and director networks: If you are targeting screenplays, build relationships with indie directors, coverage readers, and line producers. Filmmakers often have an optioned script with a great concept that suffers from bad dialogue or weak third-act pacing, and they will pay privately for a fast 48-hour polish before taking it to financiers.

4. Serialized fiction

The traditional book launch creates a certain sense of panic because it relies on speed. You have seven days to create enough buzz to wake up retailer algorithms before physical stores relegate your book to a back shelf.

Serialized fiction throws that high-stress model out the window.

Whether you publish chapter by chapter on Substack, an audio feed, or a reader platform, serialization rewards consistency instead of visibility. Your readers build a direct relationship with your written words on a regular schedule. There are no high-stakes launch weeks, awkward video promos, or begging for media coverage. Just you, your story, and an audience that loves to read.

Where to get started:

• Direct reader newsletters (Substack/Beehiiv): Publish serial chapters behind a paywall, building a paid subscriber base directly through your writing without ever relying on an algorithm or social media feed.

• Web serialization platforms: Depending on your genre, launch on platforms like Royal Road (best for sci-fi, fantasy, and litRPG), Wattpad (romance, YA, and thrillers), or Radish (serialized fiction designed for mobile reading).

• Serialized audio podcasts: Narrate your own chapters or hire a voice actor to release your book as a free or subscriber-only serial audio podcast on platforms like Patreon or Apple Podcasts Subscriptions.

You have options!

Despite what we see online, you don’t have to become an influencer to become a successful author.

Once you allow yourself to step away from the launch circus, you can focus on what matters most to you: building a career around your craft. Focus on your storytelling, explore avenues that fit your personality, and remember that a great story can move more hearts than an author dancing on TikTok.

I’d love to hear from you: Are you an introvert who dreads the traditional marketing circus? Which of these quiet paths calls to you most?

Drop a comment below and let’s chat!

Rea

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With constant access to information, every author, coach, and online publishing guru has a giant list of rules to follow. Send fifty queries a week! Pitch your ms in person! Post three times a day on TikTok! Write a fantasy romance because everyone else is doing it! Hire an editor! Don’t hire an editor! Get an agent! Don’t get an agent! Self-publish! Don’t self-publish! Just write a good book!

The advice is endless.

Most of it, in my opinion, is exhausting, overly complicated, years out of date, or simply doesn’t apply to you.

Having published thirteen books over the years—in both fiction and nonfiction—and working with writers every single day of my life, I can tell you that this industry does not work the way most people think it does.

And while I definitely don’t know everything, I do love to share what I have learned, what shifts I’m seeing, and what you can do when you feel like you’re stuck.

If I had to start all over from scratch, here is what I would skip, and where I would actually put my energy instead.

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What I’d skip

1. Treating social media like a digital billboard Real talk: social media does matter, especially if you’re writing nonfiction where platform is king, or fiction, where BookTok can now make a breakout hit. But what I would skip is the mindless “content creation” trap: posting generic quotes, unboxing videos, or dancing with a manuscript. Making content about your book doesn’t sell books. Connection sells books. In my experience, people buy more than a book; they buy a piece of you, your world, or a perspective they can't get anywhere else.

2. Pitching cold before testing the narrative in the wild Sending blind queries into a slush pile of 5,000 unread emails is the hardest, lowest-converting way to get published today. FULL STOP. Expecting a complete stranger to read 90,000 words without any prior signal that your voice, premise, or concept lands with actual humans is playing this game on ultra-hard mode. Proof of concept gets deals. Give agents a reason to pay attention by showing them your story already moves real people before it ever hits their inbox. (More on that below.)

3. Waiting for an agent or publisher to validate your story’s value Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, waiting for a green light from an industry gatekeeper before you start building momentum around your work is a mistake. An agent doesn’t create your momentum—they leverage the momentum you’re already building. Action creates opportunity. The moment you stop twiddling your thumbs, waiting for someone to say yes, and start gathering your own audience, you shift from a hopeful applicant to a valuable partner.

What I’d do instead

1. Borrow existing audiences through micro-partnerships If you don’t have a massive follower count, stop trying to build one from scratch one reel at a time. Go borrow someone else’s. If you write nonfiction, pitch guest posts or host joint webinars with creators who already serve your target reader. If you write fiction, partner with three adjacent authors or book bloggers in your genre to cross-promote short stories, character teasers, or digital ARC swaps. An editor cares far more that you have direct access to 2,000 hyper-engaged genre nerds than 20,000 random, disengaged social media followers.

2. Reverse-engineer your Competitive Titles using 1-star reviews Instead of just listing mega-bestsellers like Gone Girl or Atomic Habits in your pitch, find three recent books in your exact lane that underperformed. Go straight to their 1-star reviews. Figure out what readers felt was missing, rushed, or disappointing. Then, build your pitch around solving that gap.

• If it’s fiction: “Readers loved the dark dark academia setting of [Book X], but hated the slow pacing in Act II—my novel delivers that same atmospheric setting with a relentless, fast-paced thriller structure.”

• If it’s nonfiction: “Readers bought [Book Y] for the premise, but complained it lacked practical exercises—my proposal directly solves that by...”

When you do this, you instantly look like a sharp market partner, not just a hopeful writer.

3. Use short-form storytelling as a proof of concept Before pitching a full book, test the core engine of your writing on a smaller scale. If you write nonfiction, publish the central argument as a single, punchy 1,500-word essay. If you write fiction, write a tight 2,000-word prequel short story or character origin scene. Put it on Substack, pitch it to a digital magazine, or drop it on a reader forum. If that piece gets shared, commented on, and passed around, that is your query leverage. Dropping a line into your pitch that says, “The prequel short story for this novel generated 1,500 reads and 300 email sign-ups last month” makes an agent sit up real fast.

The bottom line

Getting published today is all about being smart with your time, testing your voice in real-time, and positioning your work so clearly that an agent or editor can instantly see how it connects with human beings.

Despite what it sometimes feels like, we aren’t helpless writers waiting to be discovered.

If you’re currently in the trenches trying to get published, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, what’s the single biggest hurdle you’re hitting right now?

And if you’re already an author, what would you do differently if you were just starting out???

Tell me.

Rea

P.S. My Thomas & Mercer thriller e-books are all on sale for the month of August!! Send to a reader who loves a good page turner! 🙏

DEAR MOTHER: $1.99 US | $1.49 AU | $0.99 UK

WHEN SHE’S GONE: $2.49 US

DON’T FORGET ME: $2.49 US

P.P.S.

I’m being honored at Nashville Lifestyle Magazine’s Women in Business event, here in Nashville! I’d love if it you’d grab a ticket for August 20th and join!

Grab your ticket!

“I just didn’t fall in love with the voice.”

“I’m just not sure how to break this one out; for that reason, I’m going to step aside.”

“I’m afraid in the end I just didn’t have that extra special feeling this book so deserves.”

After bleeding onto the page, polishing every scene, and sending your work out into the void, hoping an editor or agent will actually read it, see your heart, and give you something—anything—constructive to work with…

You wait six months to get hit with those generic lines.

And it sucks. It feels like a slap in the face.

How are you supposed to know what to do or how to make the book better if all we get is a few measly lines?

The cool thing about being a writer is that WE CAN FIX THE PROBLEMS.

We can make the characters more interesting, change the ending, up the stakes. We just have to find that advocate who’s willing to help us shape the clay.

But how do we shape that clay if we never receive constructive feedback from the very people who will one day hold our careers in their hands?

A few weeks ago, something happened that took this whole thing from frustrating to completely surreal.

I have been out on submission for FIVE MONTHS for a book that I am so wild about, What Happens Next. Despite my enthusiasm and my agent’s enthusiasm, no one has taken a bite. YET. 🤞

Recently, I got a lovely rejection from an editor who said this:

Thank you so much for your patience while the team read and discussed Rea Frey's novel, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. While we were really excited by this premise, we did find that it felt a bit too predictable and young for the fiction list we are trying to build. We are going to step aside on it, but we are big fans of Rea's writing and if she has anything else up her sleeve we'd love to be considered for it.

I scratched my head at this feedback. Predictable? This is a time travel book! And young??? My protagonist is in her late thirties! While I am open to feedback (always have been), these two pieces definitely didn’t land.

And my rule of thumb is: if feedback doesn’t resonate, ditch it. But if three or four or five people start to say the same thing, then it might be worth a look.

So, I shelved this feedback.

Then, a few weeks ago, I submitted one of my fiction clients to this same editor and she requested the full ms. About a week later, this is the rejection she got. (I am scrubbing her name and book to protect her privacy.)

Thanks so much for sharing XXXXX novel, XXXXXX. And we appreciate your patience as the team read and discussed. XXXX is such a lovely writer and you can tell how much fun she had writing this entertaining novel. While we were engaged, we unfortunately felt the voice was a bit too young for the type of novels we are currently seeking. We are going to pass on it, but we wish XXXX the best of luck finding a home for it elsewhere. Thank you again for allowing us the opportunity to read it!

Now, these are two entirely different books. Different genres, different storylines, and completely different voices.

And yet, they both had similar, specific feedback.

Which begs the question: Are editors reading with a fine-tooth comb anymore? Are they feeding manuscripts through AI to spit out a quick summary, or are they just sitting on a master Word doc of copy-pasted rejection templates?

(Honestly, at this point, does it even matter which one it is?)

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As I’ve learned over the years, agents (and editors) do not have time to become your writing coaches.

They are drowning in queries, overworked, underpaid, and trying to manage impossible workloads. A canned rejection just comes with the territory. It’s designed to close the door as fast and politely as possible so you don’t write back asking questions, like, JUST TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO DO SO YOU WILL BUY THIS DAMN BOOK!!!!!

The problem is that writers take these form rejections to heart.

If I had taken that rejection to heart, for instance, I might have tried to make my characters seem “older” or the voice different. Or added some sensational plot line so it didn’t feel predictable. But deep down, that feedback did not resonate for this book at all, so I’m not taking it. (And now, I’m wondering if it was even specialized to my book, or if it’s just something they say to all authors they reject?)

For other feedback, you might read a copy-pasted “the pacing felt off” note, panic, and completely gut your second act. Is that the right choice or not???

And how the hell are we supposed to grow as writers if the feedback loop is the same?

We have to learn how to translate corporate rejection code into actual, practical craft mechanics.

When an agent or editor hits you with a canned response, here is usually what’s actually happening under the hood:

• When they say: “I couldn’t connect with the character.”

  • What it usually means: Your character’s core desire or stakes aren’t clear enough in the first 20 pages.

  • How to fix it: Stop tweaking the voice. Go back to page one. What does your protagonist desperately want right away? What is standing in their way? If the reader doesn’t know what’s at risk immediately, they disconnect.

• When they say: “The pacing slowed down.”

  • What it usually means: You took too long to get to the main conflict, or your middle scenes lack internal tension.

  • How to fix it: Look at every single scene in Act Two. Does it either reveal something crucial about the character OR move the plot forward? If it’s just standing around delivering backstory or mood, cut it or combine it with more active scenes to move the plot forward.

• When they say: “The market is too crowded… I have too many similar titles on my list.”

  • What it usually means: Your hook isn’t sharp enough or high concept enough for them to pitch to their marketing team in a two-sentence email.

  • How to fix it: The book itself might be fine, but your elevator pitch lacks punch. Sharpen your premise until it’s so crystal clear and intriguing that people can’t look away.

If you want to survive this industry without losing your mind (or your passion for writing), you have to change the way you look at rejection.

I know, after a dozen books and numerous highs and lows, I’ve had to reframe my relationship with it entirely. Now, I brush it off because it truly is the biggest part of this industry. While that doesn’t make it easier, it does make it manageable when it comes to learning how to take those form rejections and make your book better.

1. Never rewrite based on a single form rejection. A single pass really doesn’t mean much. Do not change your manuscript because one person sent you a form rejection.

2. Look for macro-patterns, not individual notes. If you send out 20 queries and get 20 immediate passes on your sample pages with similar notes about character or plot, then those might be issues to look at.

3. Get real feedback from real people. Stop relying on acquisitions staff to teach you how to write. Build a trusted circle of critique partners before you pitch, hire an editor who actually has skin in the game, or work with a coach who will give you real, raw, honest feedback before you pitch. (I’m here for this very reason!!)

A canned rejection is almost never a reflection of your talent or your potential. It’s instead a reflection on a very saturated market with a highly flawed feedback system.

Don’t let a copy-pasted auto-reply make you feel like a failure. They gave you a form rejection because they simply didn’t have the time to offer anything else.

But you have the time. Go back to the page and make the work so good it’s impossible to ignore.

Tell me: Have you ever gotten a rejection that felt totally copy-pasted? How do you handle form passes without letting them derail your writing?

Would love to hear from you.

Rea

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For those who don’t know, before I pivoted to fiction, I got my start in writing nonfiction, mainly in the health and wellness space. (Before I was an author, I was a personal trainer, nutrition specialist, health writer, and gym owner!)

Agate published one of my earlier books, Power Vegan. Formerly plant-based for 15 years, I used to be wildly passionate about this subject. (Today, I am no longer plant-based, in case anyone cares.)

To this day, I learned THE MOST about publishing from Doug, was treated like absolute gold, and have always admired his attitude about longevity in this business.

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Wherever you are in your publishing journey, I hope this conversation brings you some insight, a little laughter, and clarity about the options you have, the state of publishing today, and just what a good book can do in the world.

Please share with anyone you think might need some encouragement on their writing journey!

Happy Tuesday.

Yesterday, this essay got published on the incredible Kathleen Schmidt’s Substack, Publishing Confidential, so I wanted to share it with you here. I’ve alluded to some of this in previous posts, but hopefully you can find some good nuggets of wisdom!

Happy reading…

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Raise your hand if you want to land a seven-figure book deal, sell your movie rights, get picked for every major book club, and see your name at the top of that coveted New York Times bestseller list?

As an author of nine books, I know I do.

While miracles like this are possible (because we see them gracing our social media feeds what feels like every five seconds), for the typical writer, the road can feel a lot… bumpier, to say the least.

Maybe you’re someone who pours three years into a manuscript, signs with a great agent, and gets hyped up for submission. You have an agent! The rest is cake, right? The emails go out, and then you wait. And wait. And wait. The rejections roll in until there are only one or two editors left, and you are hinging your entire life’s purpose on just one person saying yes.

Or maybe you are an author who already has a book, but corporate consolidation happened, your editor left, your book didn’t sell enough, and suddenly your second book is getting rejected by the same house that was so excited to publish you in the first place.

Or, perhaps you are a first-time author hungry to see your books lining the bookshelves, preferably inside this decade. You know your book is different, that you were made for this.

All you need is a chance!

Wherever you are on your publishing journey, what do you do if the deal simply doesn’t come?

Even veteran authors are facing this issue right now. (Hi, it’s me! I was just dropped by my publisher for not having enough sales, despite 9 books under my belt and selling over 15,000 books in less than two months. Read all about it HERE.) Many publishers are consolidating into monoliths, AI is edging its way into most creative spaces, and authors are shaking awake to ask themselves:

“Is traditional publishing what I even want anymore?”

As a book doula guiding other authors through this hellish landscape, I hear one universal wish among all my clients: publication. But what so many of us fail to realize is this: As an author, you are in the driver’s seat. You are the one saying yes. It is your IP. Your career.

Yours, not theirs.

The legacy industry teaches us to treat a dead submission cycle like a funeral. We are expected to crawl into a corner, feel embarrassed, or start a completely new manuscript from scratch. If you weren’t chosen, then you must simply not be good enough, right?

Oh, so wrong.

This destructive mindset is costing writers their careers (sometimes before they even begin).

When a traditional book deal does not materialize, it means a corporation made a spreadsheet decision. It often has nothing to do with your talent or the viability of your story. This is a business after all, and all the stars have to align just so in order for everyone to say yes.

The good news?

When you’re “rejected,” you still own your intellectual property. You can still publish your book, even if the thought of indie publishing makes you quiver with overwhelm.

So if you find yourself facing the head-scratching decision of figuring out what to do next (and you’re not quite yet ready to indie publish), here are 7 incredible ways to pivot where you can actually make more money, have more say so, and own every part of your career.

1. Execute an IP Repossession

Most authors assume that a dead submission means the book is dead. If your agent ran a standard round of submissions and hit a wall, your professional relationship with that specific manuscript needs a formal end date. Ask your agent for the full submission log, including the specific editor feedback. Formally agree to take that book off their plate. In doing so, you are taking back full control of your intellectual property so you can unbundle it, slice it into pieces, or sell it elsewhere without owing a commission on work they could not sell.

What to do next: Look closely at the feedback from those rejections. If editors loved the writing but hated the market viability of a 90,000-word novel, pull out your absolute best standalone chapter. Polish it as a self-contained piece of short fiction and target top-tier literary magazines like The Paris Review, Granta, or Tin House. If your novel addresses a specific cultural moment or niche subculture, write a compelling personal essay or op-ed, using your real life as the hook and mentioning your broader work.

2. Pitch the Platform-Adjacent Micro-Presses

Writers often focus on the Big Five and the top indie presses. Yet there is a whole ecosystem of highly specialized, niche micro-presses run by corporate entities, tech companies, or major trade associations. These places do not care about the standard New York bookstore distribution models. They buy books because the content matches their specific corporate or organizational mission. They often pay flat, high-dollar fees rather than advances, and they have built-in distribution networks that rival legacy publishers.

What to do next: Look beyond traditional publishing catalogs. For example, if you wrote a sci-fi novel dealing with climate tech, look at tech companies or environmental advocacy brands that fund creative projects. If you wrote historical fiction set during a specific medical breakthrough, look at major historical societies or foundation presses. Digital platforms like Radish or Wattpad Studios also act as non-traditional publishers, actively buying commercial fiction directly for their apps, bypassing the traditional brick-and-mortar pipeline entirely.

3. Build a Paid Prototype Community

Instead of locking your manuscript in a digital drawer, put the first three chapters behind a paid tier on a platform like Substack. Frame it to your audience as a behind-the-scenes look at an unreleased project. Use the subscription revenue to fund your own professional copyeditor and cover designer. By doing this, you’re treating your book like a tech startup treats a software prototype. If two hundred people pay you five dollars a month to read your work in progress, you just bypassed the acquisition board entirely.

What to do next: Launch a serialized fiction section on your Substack. Post one chapter every two weeks specifically for your paid subscribers, turning the reading experience into a live, interactive book club. Invite your founding members to vote on minor plot points, character names, or cover designs in the comments. By the time the book is finished, you will have a highly engaged street team that is already financially and emotionally invested in helping you launch the full book to the public.

4. License the Ancillary Rights First

Everyone tries to sell the print book first, hoping for a movie or audio deal later. Flip the order. Pitch your manuscript directly to audio-first production companies or narrative podcast studios. The cost of producing a high-quality audio project is significantly lower than printing and shipping thousands of physical books. An audio-first deal gets your story into the market, generates immediate cash flow, and creates the exact platform data that traditional publishers require before they will take a risk on a physical printing press.

What to do next: Query audio-first publishers like Audible Originals, Podium Audio, or Realm. These companies specifically look for high-concept fiction that translates beautifully into voice performances. Adapt your first few chapters into an audio script format, hire a local voice actor on a platform like ACX or Fiverr to cut a stunning ten-minute sample, and pitch it as a multi-part narrative podcast series or an exclusive audio-first launch.

5. Pivot to the Collaborative Enterprise Model

Find two or three authors in your exact genre who are also sitting on high-quality, unpublished manuscripts. Instead of self-publishing in total isolation, pool your resources to create a shared boutique imprint. Share the costs of a professional publicist, cross-promote to each other’s email lists, and launch your books as a curated seasonal catalog. You get the operational scale of a small traditional house while retaining 100% of your creative ownership.

What to do next: Reach out to your writing group or mutuals on social media who write in your exact sub-genre, whether that is cozy fantasy, psychological thrillers, or dark academia. Form a legal partnership or collective. Together, you can hire one top-tier freelance editor and a single high-end cover designer, split the cost of a comprehensive PR push, and approach book influencers on TikTok and Instagram as a cohesive, curated indie collective rather than a single lonely voice in the wilderness.

6. Strip the Book for Parts

If the book’s narrative arc is what kept editors from buying it, break the manuscript down into individual assets. An unpublished 80,000-word nonfiction book, for example, can easily become a high-ticket six-week cohort course, a twenty-part paid newsletter series, or individual podcast concepts. An unpublished novel can be serialized or adapted into short fiction pieces for paid literary journals. Your manuscript is more than a single block of text. It can be a bundle of assets waiting to be monetized individually.

What to do next: Pull out the strongest narrative threads or character backstories. You can spin off a compelling side character’s journey into a self-contained novella to sell on Kindle Unlimited or give away as a reader magnet to build your newsletter. If your fiction involves deep worldbuilding or specialized historical research, package that research into premium educational content, craft workshops, or worldbuilding toolkits for other writers on platforms like Maven or Gumroad.

7. Force a Reverse Acquisition

Take your book to the market entirely on your own terms using print-on-demand services. Study what successful indie authors are doing. Where do they sell? How do they show up? Where are their readers? Focus your entire energy on selling just one thousand copies to a highly concentrated, deeply passionate niche audience. Track your conversion rates, your open rates, and your reader reviews meticulously. See where and how you can sell consistently. Once you have hard, undeniable data proving that real humans are spending money on your work, take that data back to an agent or editor. (Or, in some cases, if your numbers are exceptional, publishers might come to you.) Because publishers are terrified of taking risks, they love buying proven revenue streams.

What to do next: Publish your book via Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and IngramSpark to get it listed online. Instead of trying to market to the whole world, find the specific digital watering holes where your exact readers hang out, like specific subreddits, Discord servers, or Facebook groups. Run a highly targeted Kickstarter campaign to fund a gorgeous, limited-edition hardcover print run. Once you can show an agent or an editor that you sold out a physical print run and have a 4.8-star rating with hundreds of reviews, you can re-pitch the book for a traditional paperback distribution deal.

Wherever you are on your publishing journey, it is worth asking what you are actually chasing. Is it the validation of an executive in Manhattan, or is it the chance to get your story into the hands of a reader who really needs it? Traditional publishing doesn’t own a monopoly on connection anymore. The tools are right here, the paths are completely open, and the only person who gets to decide how your career moves forward is you.

Also, I’m going to be doing a fun podcast next week on my Substack with publishing superstar, Doug Seibold of Agate Publishing. Please send me any and all questions you’d love to ask a publisher—nothing is off limits! 👇👇👇

After my debut, Not Her Daughter, came out back in 2018, I checked those lists religiously. I just knew I would be on them. My book was buzzy, I was a debut, and my publishers were confident! When I heard that I’d only sold around 1500 copies that first week (which my publishers were thrilled about), I was crushed. Yes, we sold out of our first print run almost immediately and continued to sell so well that they created a special edition book, followed by a mass market edition, but all of those sales didn’t come within the first week.

They came over time.

To hit these coveted lists, you need to sell between 5,000-7,000 copies (sometimes more, sometimes less) from certain reporting bookstores and online sales during one week. (And contrary to popular belief, you can hit these lists outside of the first week or two of sales.)

I remember about a week after my book came out, almost everyone I ran into would ask: “Have you hit the bestseller list yet?”

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Now, I do consider myself a bestselling author. I’ve hit #1 in numerous categories, local bookstores, Apple bestseller lists, Amazon, Target bestseller, Barnes & Noble…

But after nine novels and eight years down this path, I still have not hit USA Today or New York Times.

Even after selling 25,000 copies of a book in the first month. Or 30,000… It’s like the stars just haven’t lined up for all those sales to magically happen within seven days from the proper reporting bookstores.

And if I’m being honest, this makes me feel like shit. Or a failure. Or a little bit of both.

How can I possibly help people become bestsellers if I haven’t done it myself?

Even though if I google myself, it says otherwise.

Is it possible I could have hit the list and my publishers not known? Sure, I guess. This actually happened to a friend of mine. Her book, years later, hit the list randomly, and her publisher didn’t even know! A random person reached out to share the news.

But I have no way of going back to search through all the archives back when I started.

What is my point here?

While I don’t chase lists, when you hit one, it’s proof that you are recognized enough to feel legitimate as a writer.

It’s validation. It opens doors. It matters… right?

I’ve watched nearly all my author friends hit these coveted lists. I’ve helped countless nonfiction authors become New York Times and USA Today bestsellers… on their first book! When they’ve never written anything before!

Does this sting?

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT REALLY, REALLY DOES!!!!!!!!

And you know what’s funny?

I have outsold a lot of them.

But no matter how much I sell, if all the magical math stars don’t line up, I’m not included on those lists. Used to, hitting those lists really mattered. Now I know authors who hit them and they literally cannot get another book deal because publishers say they haven’t “sold” enough.

What?!

Let me explain.

Let’s say you hit USA Today and you sold 5,000 copies in that first week… That’s amazing! But then? You might go on to hardly sell any more copies after that first week or two. Sales fizzle, your publisher support evaporates, and you move on to the next book. Other authors have longer sales tails and continue to sell steadily but don’t hit those lists. (Yep. Hi. It’s me again.)

I know so many authors in my exact same camp. So are we less than because we haven’t hit a list?

In my opinion, I wish we’d stop waving around these accolades as if they are truly the only benchmark of a great book or why you should even buy a book in the first place. (Raise your hand if you’ve read a bestseller and thought, "OMG, my book is so much better than this!”) ✋✋✋

Or is that just me?

Perhaps I haven’t hit the list because I feel like it eludes me. Every book I write, I think, “Okay, this will be the one!” Though for my last three books with Amazon, it’s very hard to hit any list because so many of your sales come from Kindle. And you cannot hit the NYT.

But you know what I just found out?

Indie published authors are now hitting NYT and USA Today lists all the time. And people are actually buying their way onto these lists, paying anywhere from $60,000-$200,000 just to say they are bestsellers.

Why are we so obsessed with hitting these lists?

An industry expert recently told me that your Amazon ranking is now more important than hitting any bestseller list—because your Amazon rank truly shows you how many books you’re selling.

While the industry might say otherwise, I tend to agree.

Would it be nice to hit a list? Fuck yes. I have imagined it so many times and WHEN it happens, I will appreciate it so much more now than I would have at any other time in my career.

Because now I realize it’s just a moment. It will come and go, just like every big win. It’s not the destination. It’s just part of this wild ride.

I’ve also realized that it’s just not my time yet. If everything always worked out perfectly for me, I’d have nothing to teach my clients. Nothing to share.

Nothing to truly appreciate, because I’d have nothing to compare it against.

(This is my story and I’m sticking to it.)

Right at this moment, it’s more about growing my readership than hitting a list. (More on that soon, for all of us who loathe social media.) I just want as many books in as many hands as I possibly can.

So tell me: What really matters to you as an author? (Or even a reader?) Is it hitting a list or is it something else? Do you buy your books based on who is a bestseller and who isn’t?

Let’s chat.

Rea

Lately, the advice given to frustrated writers has become incredibly polarized. On one side, you have the traditional publishing purists telling you to just keep querying, keep collecting rejections, and write a completely new manuscript from scratch while the industry consolidates around you!!! It’s fine! Just wait it out and something big will happen!

Meanwhile, the months tick by, and the cycle continues. Query. Wait. Rejection. Move on. Query. Wait. Rejection.

Repeat.

On the other side, you have the indie publishing evangelists yelling at you to just upload your damn book to Kindle Direct Publishing tomorrow, design your own covers, and become a marketing guru overnight!

It’s so easy, right?!

But what if you are stuck somewhere in the middle?

What if traditional publishing is breaking your heart, but the sheer volume of work required to successfully indie publish makes you want to crawl under your desk?

What then?

Indie publishing is a beautiful, viable path, but it is still a business. It requires capital, technical know-how, and a total shift in mindset from artist to CEO. If you are not ready to take on that mountain just yet, that is completely okay.

But staying in the traditional submission vortex while expecting a different result is a very swift recipe for burnout too.

If you are caught in this specific in-between season, here are four powerful ways to keep moving forward, protect your peace, and build momentum without launching a full-scale publishing house (which I threaten to do literally every other day).

1. Shift to the Slow Query and Treat It Like a Side Hustle

When we are on submission or querying, it consumes our entire emotional bandwidth. We refresh our inbox every eleven seconds. (Or is that just me?) Instead of letting the industry dictate your daily mood, put your traditional publishing goals on a low-latency cycle. Limit your querying or agent outreach to exactly one day a month. Send out three to five highly intentional, hyper-targeted pitches, close the spreadsheet, and do not look at it again until the same date next month. By lowering the stakes and slowing the cadence, you take back your creative energy and stop letting an empty inbox control your life.

2. Enter High-Value, Blind-Reviewed Fiction Contests

If you are tired of your queries disappearing into the black hole of an assistant’s slush pile, look for reputable literary contests that offer blind judging. Contests like the Flannery O’Connor Award, the Iowa Short Fiction Award, or genre-specific prizes run by established organizations judge the work entirely on the prose, not your social media follower count. ven better, look at Book Pipeline—their contests are run by some of my favorite humans on the planet, and they are brilliant at evaluating unpublished manuscripts purely on the strength of the concept and story arc. Winning or even placing as a finalist in a prestigious contest instantly changes your leverage. It gives you a credential that forces traditional agents and editors to actually read your manuscript rather than skimming your platform stats.

3. Build Your Minimum Viable Audience on Substack

Guess what? You don’t necessarily have to launch an entire book to start gathering your people. Use this in-between time to build the one asset that will protect you regardless of which publishing path you eventually choose: a direct line to readers. Start sharing your writing journey, your character sketches, or the historical research behind your book right here. Instead of focusing only on the book, you’re sharing more of yourself. If you can gather five hundred people who love how your mind works, you will have the confidence to either walk back into a traditional pitch meeting with real leverage, or finally make the leap to indie publishing with a built-in audience waiting for you.

4. Invest in an Independent Developmental Edit

When a book does not sell traditionally, we often internalize it as a personal failure of talent. But often, the book is just missing a sharp, objective external eye that isn’t trapped in the New York marketing echo chamber. Take some of the emotional energy you are wasting on the submission cycle and invest it in hiring a high-quality, independent developmental editor. (This is a service I offer, and it is one of my favorite things to do!) Work with someone who can help you push the boundaries of your story and make it salable, not just readable. Polishing your craft in a safe, non-commercial space reminds you why you started writing in the first place: because you love the story.

5. Pitch Op-Eds or Essays to Online Publications

Instead of letting your manuscript gather digital dust while you wait on agents, use its core concepts to build your public footprint. If you are writing nonfiction, look at what is trending in the news right now or look at the specific topics you are an expert in, and pitch a timely take to online outlets. If you write fiction, dissect your book’s primary themes to see if you can write an essay that ties directly back to the heart of the story. If your novel deals with a complicated family dynamic, an intense subculture, or a specific historical event, write a personal essay or commentary piece about that theme for places like Salon, HuffPost, or The Rumpus. You get a quick publishing win, and you can include a bio at the bottom that points thousands of new readers straight back to your platform.

Remember: You are still in the driver’s seat of your career, even when you’re parked. Stepping back to figure out your next move is an incredibly powerful business strategy.

Let me know in the comments: Are you currently sitting in this in-between space? What is your biggest fear about staying or making the leap?

Let’s talk about it.

With you, every step of the rocky way.

Rea

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There was the brief email my editor sent to my agent, which signaled the abrupt (and impersonal) end of a three-year relationship, and the sudden reality of being without a publisher for the first time since 2018.

Now, while I love being honest, it’s always super vulnerable to share news like this.

It’s embarrassing to admit that you didn’t sell enough books for your publisher to keep you.

But once I hit publish on last week’s post?

I was floored by the response.

As the comments and messages flooded my inbox, Instagram, and the post itself, my jaw hit the floor. In a matter of days, eight other authors reached out to me privately to tell me the same thing had happened to them.

With my exact same editor.

Say what?!

I listened to so many similar stories outside of those eight authors too. And I realized there is this sense of helpless “waiting” that tends to occur with traditional publishing. Or the promise of something great… only to later be dropped or ignored.

Now, I’m not saying this is everyone’s experience with traditional publishing. I have literally been treated like gold by different teams for individual books during the course of my career. However, when you write more books and have more expectations, your team can sometimes be less enthusiastic than they were when they signed you.

Because for them, there’s always a shiny new author waiting in the wings. If you don’t “perform” the way they want you to, someone else can pick up the slack. If you’re not a lead title, you fall into that midlist slump, and it can feel impossible to figure your way out. And up.

So.

Whenever you enter this world—whether on submission for an agent or waiting for a book deal—the questions abound.

Will I be chosen?

When will I be chosen?

My book is good enough… so why am I not hearing back?

Wait… is my book good enough?

How much money will I get?

Will my book blow up?

What if I don’t get chosen… THEN WHAT?!?

If you decide you want to be an author, SO VERY MUCH is up in the air. Almost nothing is guaranteed. (What a great business we’re in… amirite?)

Which is why it is VITAL to know just how long you are willing to wait “to hear back” and what you will do if no one chooses your book. Or, in my case, if a publisher decides they want to move on.

Because a publisher walking away has real ramifications. When you are looking for a new publishing home, that team will review your most recent sales, and if they deem it didn’t sell well enough either?

Well, then they might just say, no thank you.

The past few days I’ve wondered what it would feel like to not wait for months on end for an editor to read my book, to not wait for a publisher to tell me what my book is worth, to not wait 12 to 18 months to see that book hit the shelves.

But if we don’t wait, then what can we do?

This system is built to literally keep us waiting in isolation and self-doubt, without much say so in how our work is received.

Herein lies the conundrum. We want to take control of our destiny, but so many of us think that destiny must come through a bad ass literary agent or a humongous book deal.

The alternative (self-publishing) just feels like a whole mountain of work, and either way, you have to connect with your readers right? You still have to market your book. You still have to build an author platform. How do you even do that if you’ve never published a single book?

I’ve been on all sides of this business.

I see dreams come true every single day. I’ve helped hundreds and hundreds of first-time authors make their goals a reality. I’ve also seen really great books NOT get picked up. I’ve seen authors give up, or pivot, or try something else out of frustration—seemingly forced to try a new path.

The publishing industry is built on dichotomies. Your wildest dreams can come true… or not. You can be chosen… and then dumped. You can be a great success… until your next book. You feel so important… until you’re not.

Like anything, dreams have a reality, and a flip side, which can leave you feeling confused.

And yet…

There is always going to be a next book, a next decision, and a next step in your career.

I know so many authors right now who are getting dropped, or can’t get a deal, or are leaving their agents, or getting offered less money, or pivoting to a more hybrid approach of both traditional and indie publishing.

So, what’s the right answer for you?

Just as I guide my book doula clients, I always ask these few questions up front:

1. Do I need/want to see my book in bookstores? (And the deeper question: Where are readers actually buying books? Does my ego want my book in a bookstore, or do I just want my books available where readers are buying them?)

2. When do I want my book to come out? (Are you willing to wait up to 2 years to see your book on a shelf or do you want it out in six months?)

3. Am I willing for my book to change? (Traditional publishing means many hands touch your book. Your book will change, often dramatically, so if you love your story as is, then the traditional path is most definitely not for you.)

The answers to these questions can help guide your path.

And if you’re still unsure, let’s have a chat. I’m here to help.

All I know is that, for me, this breakup is a total gift. Because of it, I am branching out and trying something completely new while still keeping my foot in the traditional world too.

I am simply no longer willing to have ZERO control around the outcome of my books. So I’m stepping up in a new way… and will be sharing that journey along the way. (More to come soon.)

I’d love to hear where you are in your creative process and what your biggest struggle might be.

Because chances are, you are most definitely not alone.

I know I’m not, thanks to all of you.

Rea

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If anyone has been following my author journey, you know I am a perpetual truth teller. I don’t sugarcoat anything, E-V-E-R, and I’m always fighting for the first-time author who still wants to make their author dreams come true on their own terms.

I’ve been forthright about needing my latest thriller, Dear Mother, to have HUGE sales numbers in order for me to get another book contract with my publisher. I’ve had two one-book deals with them and they have the official option to take another book.

Truth be told, I have a killer idea (no pun intended) for a comedic thriller, and they don’t do comedic thrillers.

And despite hiring a publicist AGAIN for Dear Mother, doing events (on my own dime), and really pushing this book every way I can think of, selling thousands and thousands of books in the first month is simply not enough. When I asked what sales numbers they’d like to see, they wouldn’t tell me a number.

So?

They dropped me.

After three books and three years, here is my breakup email my editor sent to my agent (not me).

And that’s that.

No direct communication with me. No further discussion.

Simply moving on! Next!

Now, I knew going to Amazon Publishing from the Big 5 meant that I was a cog in the wheel. They don’t really care about building you as an author (at least in my experience). They care about sales. They are really great at what they do and really push for digital sales. But if my book isn’t selling enough, then isn’t that their job?

To help me sell more books?

Is it entirely my fault that my book sales aren’t strong enough (according to them)?

Despite doing every last thing I know how to do?

Herein lies the conundrum of the traditionally published author. Every book could be your last. Every contract means if you don’t perform “well enough,” then you’re out. Or you get another deal, but it’s for less money. Or they drop the option and wish you well.

It is a constant roller coaster of anxiety and uncertainty.

But I know one thing to be true: I am super proud of every single book sold.

And I won’t allow anyone make me feel bad about that.

Typically, I am a long sales tail author. It takes time for my books to steadily sell. Are they selling millions of copies?

No, not yet.

But they do sell.

And in a fun twist of fate, on the same day I received that news, I received some other potentially super exciting news (that I can’t share just yet).

And I found that when I got that breakup email, I wasn’t sad.

Like, at all.

I really sat with that and realized that over the course of my publishing journey (1 shitty novel when I was 22, 4 nonfiction books, and 9 novels), I have really and truly learned how to be resilient.

Not just feel resilient.

But to be resilient.

Rejection doesn’t sting or even phase me much anymore, because I don’t look at it as rejection. I look at it as redirection for a better opportunity. A new open door. A new story or idea or home or opportunity. A new, better way to get my stories out into the world.

For the first time since 2017, I am without a publisher.

I have been on submission for a new novel since February… but no one has made an offer yet. And I am writing a new comedic thriller I am so excited about, but it doesn’t have a home either.

Which begs the question: What’s next?

I am working on several collaborative projects. I am trying new things. And I continuously find myself so impatient while I sit back and seem to twiddle my thumbs.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait.

To be validated. To wait on an editor to read my book. To hear a publisher tell me how much money my story is worth. To wait on contracts. To wait 12-18 months for the story to hit readers’ hands. To wait on payment.

Always, always, it seems, I’m waiting.

Which begs the question:

What if the very best publishing partner I have been looking for this entire time… is ME?

I know how hard I’m willing to work. And while I love having a team, what if I could build that team myself? What if I could call all the shots? What if I could employ all of the fabulous creative industry badasses I’ve met and worked with… and figure all of this out myself?

I can’t speak too much about what’s happening, but I’m building something new… for myself, yes, and potentially for other authors who might want a different experience too.

Out of the “bad news” often comes something wildly more aligned.

What if stepping away from the tried-and-true methods allows you to run full-force into the unknown?

I, for one, am staying open to all possibilities.

Because why not?

If something doesn’t feel good anymore, it’s time to pivot, right?

I’d love to hear your experience: whether you are in the querying trenches, uncertain about which direction to take, or have experience with rejection yourself.

Drop me a line!

Here’s to a new direction.

Rea

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If you’re a reader, then you probably have a favorite author. That person who is an auto buy, no matter what. I have numerous auto buys, but when it comes to summer reads, my favorite author, hands down, is Annabel Monaghan.

I have followed her career and marveled at how, book by book, she has continued to reach the pinnacle of success. When I was on vacation recently, browsing the shelves at Sundog Books—which is easily one of my favorite bookstores, even if they never seem to carry my own books—I spotted Annabel’s new book, Dolly All the Time.

I blinked in surprise.

Didn’t she JUST put a book out? How was it time for another one??!

Regardless, I was giddy as I scrambled to buy it and then proceeded to devour it in just two days. And that’s the problem, isn’t it? We speed read our favorite author’s books and then we have to wait AN ENTIRE YEAR for another one???

Most (traditional) authors put out a book a year, and what we, as readers see, is the finished product. But what I can tell you as an author and as someone who helps authors, is that the path to the finish line is anything but streamlined.

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Social media does all aspiring authors—and established authors—a VAST disservice because it mainly only shows you the good stuff. When authors hit it big. When they hit lists. When they get massive seven-figure deals. When they get a book club pick. (Hi, Reese!) When they go on GMA. When their shit is turned into a movie.

What you don’t see is the sometimes chaotic, non-linear journey it took to get there.

When we only look at the polished, curated highlight reels of our favorite writers, it’s easy to internalize a dangerous lie: If writing feels this messy and painful for me, then I must be doing it wrong.

We assume successful authors have some secret map we weren’t given. While I know the truth, because I am an author, even I imagine people like Annabel sitting in some northeast cottage, without a care in the world, staring onto a pebbly beach, a mug of steaming coffee at her side, easily typing out her next masterpiece in one swift go. Meanwhile, I’m scrambling to do a gazillion things and feeling so unorganized, I wonder if I’m not a “real” writer because my process sometimes feels so disjointed.

The myth of the flawless writing process is a big reason good books go unfinished. We spend so much time waiting for a perfect, candle-lit, inspired routine that we paralyze our own creativity. (I have literally done this dozens and dozens of times.)

So, let’s strip away the romance of what we think our favorite authors’ processes look like and get real. If you are currently in the thick of it, let me remind you of the unglamorous truth:

• Your first draft is supposed to be messy/bad/fill-in-the-blank. Its only job is to exist. You cannot fix a blank page, but you can fix a terrible paragraph.

• The “muse” rarely shows up on time. If you only write when you feel inspired, you’ll write about three days a year. Books get finished through consistency. You must actually sit down, again and again, and write. It’s the only way.

• Hating your book at the 50% mark is normal. This doesn’t mean it’s a bad book; it just means the initial excitement wore off and the real work can begin. (I’m notorious for this. I love my idea! I get started and then about midway through, I want to pivot to something shiny and new.)

The authors you see on the tables at Sundog or any bookstore aren’t magical beings who write flawless sentences on their very first try. They’re the ones who find a way to push through and finish.

For Annabel, she didn’t write her first book until she turned 50. A few books in, she hit the New York Times and just went onto Good Morning America for this latest book (which, if you haven’t read it, is so damn good). From the outside, it looks easy. She lucked out! It’s her team! It’s her amazing books! She’s one of the chosen ones!

But if you talked to her, I bet she’d have another story, just like we all do. Annabel’s path is her own, just like yours is your own. If we continue to watch what everyone else is doing ALL THE TIME, then how can we possibly focus on our own stories? Our own careers? Our own journeys?

There’s a reason that I feel paralyzed when I log onto IG and see what everyone else is doing and suddenly feel massively behind. Why haven’t I reached Annabel’s level of success after nine books? Is it my agent? Do I need a new team? Shit, I need a new team! Maybe if I just change THIS or do it like THIS, then I’ll finally, finally, finally get there!

This happens to me with every single book, and I’ve realized that as long as I think I need to do it like other people, then I can’t possibly be IN my own experience.

I must find peace in believing that everything is unfolding right on time. For me.

And for you.

So go write today and don’t scroll mindlessly to see what other people are doing. Prioritize your own creativity and your own path. Don’t worry that it’s not good enough or that you’re not “doing it right,” whatever that means.

Once you get your story down, you can make it beautiful tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.

For now, focus on the only journey you can control: yours.

And if you have a favorite author, reach out to them. Ask them questions. You’d be shocked to find out just how similar we all are.

— Rea

Need some help? Book a call and we can chat about your next masterpiece.

This mindset is a distraction. It keeps you from the only thing that starts a career: the work.

We spend so much time discussing the business of publishing and the mountain of work that comes after the final period. That’s what often makes or breaks you as an author. But none of those business mechanics matter if the product isn’t great.

If you want to finish your book this year, here are the five things I am giving you official permission to stop doing immediately.

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1. Stop trying to go viral on TikTok

Ignore the pressure to do a choreographed dance or spend three hours editing a video of your coffee. Going viral might give you a temporary hit of dopamine. It rarely translates to long-term book sales. Save your energy for your prose. Thousands of views on a reel will not write your second act for you.

• Do this instead: Practice the art of the 15-second hook on paper. If you can’t arrest a reader’s attention in three sentences of prose, no amount of video editing will save your sales. Use that social media energy to sharpen your opening lines until they are impossible to put down.

2. Stop obsessing over your Author Brand

You are a human being. Forget about finding a perfect color palette or a curated Instagram grid. Your voice on the page is what matters most. Everything else is just wallpaper. People buy books because of the story. They do not care about your font choices.

• Do this instead: Build a sensory map for your book. Instead of picking brand colors for your website, pick the distinct smells, textures, and sounds that define your world. Infusing your manuscript with these specific details creates a more recognizable brand than a logo ever will.

3. Stop building a mailing list of strangers

A lot of bad advice exists regarding growth hacking your way to a massive list. Buying leads or doing massive giveaways usually results in a list of people who ignore your writing. A list of ten thousand people who never open your emails is a vanity metric that will only cost you money in hosting fees.

• Do this instead: Create a physical address book of your first five true fans. Send them a handwritten postcard when you hit a milestone. These deep, manual connections create the kind of early ambassadors who actually sell books through word-of-mouth, which is more powerful than a cold email to a stranger.

4. Stop checking your comps every hour

Market research has a limit. Looking at bestseller lists often leads to feeling intimidated or unoriginal. Close the tab. Write your book without looking over your shoulder at what everyone else is doing. You are allowed to exist in a vacuum until the story is told.

• Do this instead: Conduct a forensic audit of a single failed book in your genre. Go to a used bookstore and find a book that didn’t become a classic. Identify exactly where the story lost you. Understanding why a book failed is often more instructive for your own manuscript than obsessing over why a bestseller succeeded.

5. Stop waiting for a platform to start

The platform is the result of the book. For most of us, the platform is the quality of the writing itself. Claim the title of author without waiting for permission from an algorithm. You build authority by finishing things. The bridge to a career is built out of finished pages.

• Do this instead: Draft your own professional author bio as if the book is already a success. Write it for the person you will be once the work is done. Use this bio as your internal compass to finish the manuscript, rather than waiting for external numbers to tell you that you’ve arrived.

The Reality Check

Every minute spent worrying about your reach is a minute lost for your manuscript. The best marketing strategy in the world fails to save a mediocre book. We use these tasks as a form of productive procrastination because they feel safer than the vulnerability of sitting down day after day, minute after minute, hour after hour, to write.

The business side of this industry is massive. It is demanding. But it only works when you have a story worth telling (and selling).

Put the phone down. Close the analytics dashboard. Go back to the page. That is where the actual magic happens.

Which of these must-do tasks has been sucking your soul dry lately? Tell me in the comments so we can all stop doing it together.

Here’s to the craft.

In other news, my brand new book, Dear Mother, has officially been out in the world for a month! We’re creeping our way to 800 reviews, so I’d be so grateful if you’d leave one!

Rea

I am exactly three weeks post-launch for Dear Mother, and I am still recovering. The frantic, adrenaline-fueled rush of publication week is gone, the insane IG posts and fanfare are dying down, and the publisher’s marketing team has shifted their focus to next month’s shiny objects.

It’s a very strange thing… to work on a book for months (or sometimes years) and then for the “fanfare” to be over just a few weeks after your book comes out.

And yet.

My favorite part of book launch is when it’s over. When the book is out, readers are finding it, reading it, connecting with it, and I finally get my time and my brain back to think about what’s next.

Because of course, I want the book to sell. I really do. But I don’t want to be the one who has to constantly sell it, push it, or nurture it. 😬 If I’m being completely honest, that is why my backlist just sits there. I love all of my books, but the energy required to keep dragging old projects into the light is exhausting.

And I think a lot of authors struggle with this too.

Some people will tell you that marketing is the biggest part of a modern author’s job, and you just have to suck it up and do it! Build the platform! Post, post, post! Sell, sell, sell! But in my opinion? That’s really the publisher’s job, despite what everyone says to the contrary. We write the damn books; they are supposed to be the machine that sells them.

Right… right?!

The frustrating reality, though, is that traditional publishing is built on a two-week illusion. They throw a bunch of money and noise at a book during those first few weeks, and if it doesn’t instantly become a runaway hit, they quietly move the spotlight down the assembly line. It’s really just the nature of the beast.

So if you feel the same way I do (and refuse to spend the next year acting like a tireless infomercial host for your own work), how do you keep your book alive without losing your mind?

Here is how I’m navigating that very conundrum right now, without pushing or pleading or begging.

1. Shift from selling to connecting

Publishers chase broad, superficial awareness. They want the flashy billboard or the major review. Since we don’t have their budget (or the desire to yell into the void), our job is depth, not breadth.

Instead of pitching yourself to the masses, find the small pockets of people who actually care about your specific message. Pitch the hyper-focused podcasts where listeners hang on every word. One passionate recommendation from a trusted voice moves more books than a thousand passive impressions on a busy Instagram feed, and it feels a lot less slimy to do.

2. Talk about the ideas, not the product

Nobody likes being told to buy something. The launch phase is all about “Buy my book!” which is why it feels so draining. The post-launch phase should be about “Let’s talk about this specific human experience” (and maybe how it ties into the book).

Use your platform to keep digging into the themes, the arguments, or the behind-the-scenes realities of your work. If you keep the conversation interesting, people will naturally look for the book to get the full story. Instead of it being only about selling or promoting a book, you’re invested in the conversation around it.

3. Build a fence around your readers

If your entire writing career relies on a publisher’s email blast or a fickle social media algorithm, you are renting your audience.

The moment the official launch ends, focus on funneling the readers who did find you into a space you actually control, like a Substack or a personal newsletter. When a publisher moves on, they take their data with them. When you build your own community, those readers stay with you for the next book, and the book after that, without you having to re-win them all over again.

The publisher spotlight is fleeting, and yes, they should be doing more of the heavy lifting. But until the industry changes, the best way to protect your work is to stop playing their short-term game and start building a community that lasts.

It is such a privilege to be a writer, but there’s still such a paradox in it. We build these communities and we share what we’re doing and we hope that people will connect with our books. With us. We subject ourselves to reviews and rejection and uncertainty day after day after day.

Sometimes, I wonder: who would choose this as a career? And why?

Every time I ask myself those questions, I remember the excitement that comes when a new story idea drops in. The way it feels when I’m sitting in my tiny home on my window seat, lost in a sea of words, thinking, “How cool is my job?!” The absolute joy of a reader reaching out to tell me how much they loved my book. The people I meet, the stories I hear, the inspiration I might provide to someone else on their own writing journey.

Does that make this job easy? No.

But does it make it worth it?

Absolutely.

Wherever you are in your journey, whether you’ve yet to publish your first book or you’re a seasoned pro, I’d love to know how you keep the momentum alive: the creative momentum and the sales momentum.

ANNNNNNDDDDD…. If you want to support my latest book baby and help keep its momentum alive while the corporate machine looks elsewhere, you can head over to the Dear Mother page to grab your copy, gift it to a friend, watch the fun book trailer, or share it with your networks.

And if you’ve already read it, please take two minutes to leave a review on Amazon—those stars are the digital breadcrumbs that help other readers find the book when the publisher stops pointing the way. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Here’s to longevity, friends. And feeling good along the way.

Rea

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I made it through book tour! Hallelujah!

With well over 2,000 miles traveled, 11 events completed, and thousands of books sold (yes, I keep checking my numbers), I can honestly say I am so, so glad to be back.

But I’m also beyond grateful for the experience.

My final stop was at FoxTale Book Shoppe in Woodstock, GA. The drive there was a white-knuckled, teeth-gritting nightmare through storms so violent I could barely see the road. Once I arrived, the joke was on me: There was a tornado watch for the area, and while we had a lot of RSVPS, only 6 people showed up.

Yep.

In the past, this would have gutted me. I would have put on a happy face but been withering inside. This time, I decided to just enjoy it. To stay in the moment and not rush to get through the moment. To simply be there. And ironically, those six people and that conversation were some of the most memorable of the tour. (Especially midway through the conversation when the power went out!)

After crashing with my friend and fellow author Emily Carpenter, whose house I ended up writing one of my favorite books about, Secrets of Our House, I hit the road early the next day to more bad weather.

What should have taken 3.5 hours to get home turned into five.

Stuck in a dead standstill on the interstate for over an hour, after two giant cups of coffee, my bladder finally hit the point of no return. With no exits in sight and zero dignity left, I reached for a cup.

I’ll be brief: I missed. 😳

But it took me like 30 seconds to realize it.

So.

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I spent the final hours of my “glamorous” book tour soaking into my own car seat, laughing hysterically, wondering how I went from signing books to... this. Because this is the part they don’t tell you about. The part that isn’t on Instagram. The adrenaline, the exhaustion, getting from place to place, and the literal mess of being a human being in the middle of a book launch.

Since returning, I have been in a state of total decompression. When you spend weeks on the road—talking, networking, navigating literal storms, and living in high-alert mode—your body doesn’t instantly snap back. You have to lead it back to safety. I’ve been very intentional about my re-entry rituals: meditation, journaling, pool time, long walks, silence, reading books, and standing barefoot in the grass to ground myself.

I stand by what I said last week: A book tour isn’t about selling books. It’s about the grit it builds. It’s about the person you become between Mile 1 and Mile 2,000. It’s about the incredible readers and bookstore owners. The memorable conversations. The inspiration. It’s about realizing that you can survive a tornado, a power outage, and a ruined car seat—and still be ready for the next chapter.

The tour is over. The car is mostly dry. (Gross.) My nervous system is finally cooling down.

I have learned so many invaluable lessons this time around. What I will do next time and what I won’t. (For instance, I will never launch a book in spring again, thanks to the unpredictable weather. No. More. Tornadoes.)

In other news, I’ve got some really exciting things in the pipeline that I can’t wait to tell you about, so stay tuned…

And if you’ve finished Dear Mother, I would be so incredibly grateful if you would leave a review on Amazon. Your support is the fuel that keeps me going, and quite frankly, it helps pay for the professional car detailing I now desperately need.

Leave your review!

To the road, and to the rest.

Rea

A week since Dear Mother has officially been out in the world, and I have one more event to go.

For this tour, I organized everything myself. I chose 11 stops (two of which I got paid for). I booked my own hotels. I’ve driven myself 2,000 miles and experienced the full gamut of every human emotion over the last week.

Granted, I came into this book tour absolutely zapped of energy. My daughter had a play production and practices until 8 pm every night in the week prior. I had 4 clients with books due on May 1. My stress levels were through the roof.

But none of that matters when you have a book coming out.

Over these past ten days, I’ve done 10 events (with 1 to go), 3 news segments, and traveled to AL, KY, IN, OH, GA, and more to share my new thriller. I’ve shown up to packed rooms of 75 people and others with only 8. I’ve sold 50 books at a time and 0 books.

In 8 years of doing this, I can tell you just one thing is constant: You can never guarantee how an event will go. Who will show up. Who will buy books. How it will all unfold.

As I settled into the pace of this tour, however, I realized that there is always one thing I know to be true: Meeting people in real life is the very best part of book tour. The booksellers. The readers. The fellow authors. Wherever I go, I always know I’m meant to meet the right people at the right time.

Last night, as I showed up to my favorite event in Sheffield, AL, I saw so many familiar faces from previous years. (I even had one gentleman I adore, who has never used a cell phone or a computer, make me some pen earrings!)

In those moments, when you’re staring into the faces of a packed crowd, there is an ease that happens. But in other moments, when you’re staring into a mostly empty room, it’s very easy to question what you’re even doing there.

Or why.

With every book, I have been wracked with anxiety and then filled with joy. I have loved every moment of sitting on stages and then wished to be off of them.

Being an author, much like being a human, is never constant. You don’t reach a point and go, “Ah! There! I’ve arrived! It’ll be just like this forever.”

It is a moveable, living beast that breathes and rests and ebbs and flows, and on this tour, I have learned to finally, fully, surrender to it all.

Tomorrow, I will venture to Woodstock, GA, to round out my tour at FoxTale Book Shoppe. It’s crazy that some authors “end” their tour just a week after they begin, but such is the cycle of a book’s promotion.

It’s taken me a very long time to realize that book tour isn’t really about selling books.

It’s about the people you meet, the relationships you make, the books that you sign (to be later displayed for readers to grab them in the weeks to follow). It’s about longevity and momentum. It’s about the other writers you meet, the conversations you have, the space from your “real” life to reflect or be uncomfortable.

One of the best things that’s come from this career is knowing that I can now walk into any bookstore or room, sit on any stage, in front of 5 people or 500, and feel confident in what I have to say. I have gained so much from my time as an author… and living with the uncertainty of the “outcome” is simply part of it.

Somewhere along these 2,000 miles, I became less obsessed with how many books I was selling and started to just enjoy the ride.

And isn’t that always the point?

To let go? To be present? To simply be where you are, even when it’s hard?

Whether you have read Dear Mother or not, I would be so very grateful if you would leave a review on Amazon. (Unless you hated it, in which case, please don’t.)

And if you enjoyed the book, please help spread the word!

Here’s to one more fruitful event…

Rea

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Dear Mother is officially out in the world!

If I’m being completely honest (I think we’ve established that’s the only way I know how to be at this point), launching a book gives me complete and utter anxiety.

Like staying up all night, stomach churning, heart racing anxiety.

Yes, I’ve done this nine times. (Really even more, as I have four nonfiction books too.) I should be USED to it all, right??

But for all my control freaks out there, not being able to control what happens next makes me feel unmoored. I start to spin and spiral and get lost in a sea of what-ifs.

Because no matter what I’ve done on my part, like writing the book (and in this case, rewriting it), hiring a publicist, booking a tour, spending money, energy, and time on this little creation…

I still have no clue how it will all end up.

That part is up to the universe. And the publisher. And you.

And I know, I know. So many people say to simply enjoy the ride and not worry about sales, but when it’s your livelihood, when your next book deal depends on sales, it can create a pressure cooker for authors.

So.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller to sink into this Mother’s Day, I hope you’ll give Dear Mother a chance! (See what I’m doing? I’m putting the pressure on YOU now!)

PURCHASE FROM YOUR FAVORITE RETAILER

How You Can Help Me Take Back Control

In an industry where so much is left up to chance, your support is the only “sure thing” I have. Here is how you can help me make this launch a success:

1. Buy the book today. Every sale on launch day is a vote that tells retailers this book matters. (Audio and ebooks are amazing too!)

2. The 60-second review. Post a quick rating on Amazon or Goodreads. It’s the single most effective way to help new readers find me! AMAZON | GOODREADS

3. Spread the word. Send a text to your one friend who loves a dark thriller, or share a quick post on social media. (I still believe word-of-mouth is the most powerful sales tactic we have.)

4. Tag me! I’m heading out on tour, and I want to see you! Tag me @reafreyauthor on Instagram so I can see the book in your hands and say thank you.

And for a SUPER fun surprise, check out this killer book trailer for DEAR MOTHER! (It’s the vibe of the whole book in just 60 seconds.)

I want a book trailer!

Nine books. Eight years. I need a nap.

As I mentioned, this is my ninth novel in eight years. You’d think it would get easier, but the stakes only feel higher. (I’ve literally been told this book has to sell a gazillion copies in order to get another book deal with this publisher. So, you know, no pressure!) Whether this book hits the charts or just hits home for one reader, I am so grateful to be on this journey with you.

Thank you for being the best part of this “out of control” career.

With love and gratitude,

Rea

P.S. Come see me! I started my book tour a bit early last Saturday, but my official launch party is tonight at Parnassus Books at 6:30! If you’re in Nashville, I’d love to see you there.

JOIN ME ON TOUR!

With my first book, Not Her Daughter, I said yes to every single opportunity. Every. Single. One.

I ended up doing a whopping 50 events, all on my own dime, might I add. I hired a publicist for $20,000. I was running on the high of being published, of doing one event after the next, of proving that I belonged in this publishing world.

When it came to my very last event, which was a ticketed event that 250 readers had already paid for, I literally could not get off the couch. I was strapped for cash, exhausted, and could not fathom getting in the car for 10 more hours to do just one event. (My daughter was only five at the time, and I desperately missed her.)

I ended up taking a call with my literary agent and my film and TV agent and told them I just didn’t have anything left in the tank.

I was done.

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While my lit agent understood, my film/TV agent encouraged me to suck it up and go. When people pay for a book, they expect the author to show up. But I just couldn’t imagine myself doing another event. Standing in front of a crowd and talking solo for almost an hour? To strangers! No! All of it was still so new to me.

However, I felt like I still had something to prove, so I went against my body and forced myself to do it anyway. And it truly was a great event. It was my first time speaking in front of a crowd that large for a full 45 minutes. I didn’t have anything prepared. I winged it and found that I could get out of my comfort zone and show up for my book and myself. I even brought my daughter and hubby with me, and we stopped by Asheville on the way back, making some fun winter memories along the way.

But I also learned another hard lesson back then that I still carry with me today: I’m a writer, not a salesperson.

When did we all forget this?

My job requires sitting in a quiet room with imaginary friends. I wake up when I want to, I write when I want to, and my entire day is crafted around having the mental space—and time—to create. The other requires being a “public persona” who stands under bright lights and tries to wittingly convince strangers to buy something they’ve made. They are entirely different skill sets, and frankly, the second one doesn’t always come naturally to me.

While I’m comfortable now, if you’d told me that for every single book, I’d have to public speak, be funny, travel from city to city on my own dime (all while putting money in my publisher’s pocket, not mine), I’m not sure I would have jumped into this profession with both feet.

I’ve had many crash-and-burn moments since that very first book tour. I did less for my second book, Because You’re Mine, and then my third and fourth books launched during COVID, and everyone pivoted to digital events. A few books later, I would hit burnout again, when I did a slew of events and was prepped to hit the second half of my tour for the Northeast leg. When I got to the airport, however, I literally broke down and knew I didn’t want to get on a plane. I didn’t want to stay in random hotels. This natural introvert didn’t have anything left to give! I was exhausted, overworked, and wanted to be home. That time, I listened to my body and canceled the second half of my tour. (I’ve had some dramatic moments, what can I say?)

But for my upcoming book, Dear Mother, I’ve made a new vow.

I’m not doing 50 events. I’m doing 11. And I’m going to enjoy every single second of them.

Of course, when I booked this tour, I didn’t realize it would be my daughter’s last week of school and that she would have a play production and tech practice until 8 pm every night. That my launch would fall on the exact same date and time as her film festival. As a mother, launching books is never easy. There’s never a blank slate where everything magically disappears, and the timing is just right.

But.

I’ve realized that in a world where millions of books are published every year, the fact that I get to share my words at all is a damn miracle. Every book tour stop, every person I meet, and every copy sold is truly a gift.

I’m so grateful and excited to finally share Dear Mother with you one week from today! I’ve stopped trying to be a world-class salesperson and gone back to being a writer who is just really, really lucky to have readers like you.

I hope you’ll come see me on one of my 11 stops! I would love to say hello and thank you in person.

View the 11 Tour Stops & Pre-Order HERE!

See you in seven days,

Rea

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Yes, I know I will get developmental edits back and have to rework certain parts of the novel, but for the most part, the hard work is behind me.

For my upcoming book, Dear Mother, turning it in was anything but a celebration.

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When my editors requested a Zoom call before they gave me editorial notes, I panicked. I was anxious when I logged onto the call, and for good reason. After our short hellos, they proceeded to tell me how much they hated my book.

For. Ten. Full. Minutes.

Just every single thing they hated. One terrible thing after the next. At one point, one of them said, “It was clear you just didn’t know where you were going or what you were doing.”

I’M SORRY. WHAT?!?

I’m usually great with feedback. But I really loved this draft. So did my agent. I was honestly shocked and couldn’t think of anything useful to say.

Not only was I not in a good mental state to hear their critiques, but I’d also just unexpectedly lost a pet a few days before, so what did I do?

I STARTED CRYING.

Yep. The person (hi! It’s me!!!) who never cries, whose husband used to joke that I was soulless (and actually laughed at him the first time he cried), had hot, salty tears sliding down her cheeks. Could they see them? Maybe if I stayed perfectly still, they couldn’t see them? OhGodOhGodOhGod!

To be fair, I had just finished writing another book in another genre and was not in the mood to rewrite this one. There’s a difference between preparing yourself for edits and preparing yourself to begin again.

Yet here we were.

They told me to scrap my entire draft and toss out new ideas. Like, on our Zoom call. What else did I have? What other high-concept ideas? (Meanwhile, I’m thinking of my dead pet and the fact that I just cried on Zoom. Could I maybe write a book about that?)

Seeing as I am a resilient person, I finished the call and came up with an entirely new idea under the same book title. All I kept was my protagonist’s name and the setting. Everything else? DELETE. DELETE. DELETE. 80,000 words in the garbage. I wrote the new version in a Google doc while my editors edited in real time behind me. (Now THIS should make you cry.)

I completed the new, much shorter draft in just two weeks.

They were very kind and told me most authors would have crumbled under that kind of pressure. (So maybe they didn’t see me cry??!?) But it caused an entire new ripple of anxiety: How could a book be any good if it was written so fast?

(While I agonized over readers assuming a third grader wrote my book, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to hear early reader reviews, most of which are positive.)

What’s the lesson here? Is it that nine books in, I still don’t know what I’m doing? Maybe I suck at this?

Or perhaps it’s to prove to myself that sometimes to find the real story, you have to throw out the old one.

Whatever the lesson, my labor of love, Dear Mother, officially enters the world on April 28th, and I am thrilled (no pun intended) to finally share this version of this story with you.

If I’ve learned anything, it’s that no two books are the same. No two processes are the same. And I can’t wait to get on the road and talk all about it with you.

The Dear Mother 2026 Tour Schedule

I’m kicking things off a few days before my official book launch on Independent Bookstore Day and traveling across Alabama, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, and Georgia. Check the dates below to see if I’m hitting your neck of the woods!

Register for all events HERE!

Come see me on tour!

Why Pre-Order? (The Good Stuff)

Pre-orders are the lifeblood of a new book. They tell retailers and libraries that this story matters. To say thank you for supporting Dear Mother early, I’ve put together a little something for those of you who buy an early copy:

1. Forward your receipt to reafreyauthor@gmail.com to be entered to win a signed backlist book of your choosing + a $50 gift card to your favorite indie bookstore.

PRE-ORDER BELOW!

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

PARNASSUS BOOKS (signed copy!!)

INDIE BOUND

BOOKS A MILLION

Help Me Spread the Word!

Can’t make it to a tour stop? You can still help! Substack is all about community, and I would be so grateful if you:

• Share this post to your own Substack Notes or social media.

• Restack this so your book-loving friends can see the tour dates.

• Request it at your local library!

I’ll be sharing some behind-the-scenes fun from the road soon. Thank you for being part of this journey.

Here’s to a fun launch.

Rea

P.S. Have you ever cried in front of your editor? If so, please regale me with your woes!