90 Or So Things I Did In a Year To Promote My Book

Hi friends!

A year ago tomorrow, June 10th, my first book Write Through It: An Insider's Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life came out from Simon Element. I cannot believe it's been a year! I have learned so so so much about publishing, marketing, and writing from this experience, and I know it's made me a better writer–and agent–in the end. Over the last year, I've done a lot of promoting my book, as you have all seen here (and I'm sorry if you're sick of hearing about it. I only plan to do it more). It never stops, and frankly, that's ok. You don't have to promote your book for the rest of your life, and that's ok, too. But here's how I did it, and what I think it got me.

First, here is what book promotion did not get me. A spot on any best sellers list, except the Rough Draft Bar & Books Non-Fiction Bestsellers List for September, 2025. (I had an event there that month.) Promoting my book did not earn me a million billion dollars either in event fees or book sales (though I was paid for some events I did). It didn't get me on TV or in the New York Times (....yet). It didn't make me famous, but some friends did tell me they saw people reading my book on the subway, and I passed a friend on the street who said she was listening to my audiobook recording at that very moment, which was kinda weird because I read the audiobook and I was standing right there talking to her but it was weird in a lovely way. That's fame enough for me.

What kind of book promo did I do? I did interviews, Ask Me Anythings, zooms, class visits, webinars, readings, panels, conferences, presentations, blog posts, podcasts, and social media takeovers. I'll come to the opening of an envelope, I said to people when they asked if I was willing to do X or would come to Y. I have the great privilege to have connections in the writing world, so a lot of these opportunities came about because I knew someone or they knew me. That's what your platform does and is, and why you need it before your book comes out, especially in non-fiction. But not all of these came through personal connections. My amazing marketing and publicity team reached out and got me some great opportunities, like that Bustle essay, that I wouldn't have gotten on my own. They also did a lot of podcast scheduling and I was very thankful for that. Sometimes I reached out to people I didn't know and said hey, I wrote a book, want to do a thing about it? which was true in the case of the McNally Jackson Bookstore seminar and the MFA For All panel. Sometimes people approached me directly. Sometimes it helps to have a very smart and motivated client like Joy Callaway, who had a book come out the same day as me! (as did two other clients!) and we set up several in-person events together.

Was it hard? Yes and no. There was a point this Spring when I was traveling every weekend for four weekends in a row and it felt like too much. I started saying No to a few things here and there after that, but also, the invitations were slowing anyway. I am lucky to feel comfortable behind a mic or on stage and I don't worry that I'm bothering people when I talk about my books online. How other people feel about me is none of my business. I don't always feel confident and sure about putting myself out there, but I do it anyway, because it hasn't killed me yet. Plus, a lot of these things acted as double duty in promoting my book and me as an agent. They go hand in hand. When I sell a novel one day, I don't expect to have the same doors opened for me. There's just more to talk about related to writing, literary agents, and publishing.

How Many Books Did I Sell? I have to admit, I am a little nervous to tell you the number, because numbers are always hard to talk about, but in all formats, Write Through It has sold about 3,000 copies. Do I wish there was another zero on the end of that number? Yes. Am I proud of that number? Also YES. Because this book has sold roughly the same number of books every week since the end of June, 2025. After the initial rush of preorders and pub-day sales, this little book that could has sold its couple dozen or so copies a week every week (that I can see on Bookscan–I don't see audio or ebook sales) and I am really, really proud of that. I'd take that over selling a bunch for the first few weeks and then have it dribble off to nothing. Most books sell that way and that's ok. But I think my promotional efforts have helped keep the book selling long after initial pub, and I am happy about that. It's like a game of keepy-uppy. You just have to bat the balloon up a little and catch it again before it hits the ground.

What Can You Learn From All This? That you don't have to hit the List to be a success. That you don't have to speak to thousands or get on national TV to find your readers. For most authors, I think it's even more important to speak to those groups of 20 or 30 and really connect with them, than it is to be on a national stage. I mean, I wouldn't say no to NPR (call me) but I also really think my book has been a success from talking to writers groups with 20 or 30 people on a Zoom. I hope you also realize that all your promotional stuff doesn't have to happen in the two weeks after your book comes out. In fact, it shouldn't! Keep that balloon up in the air! And I know this looks exhausting and you have a full time job and a life and family or whatever and you do not have time to research 85 million podcasts to go on. I get it. You don't have to do it. Do what you can and make the absolute best of the resources at your disposal. You're promoting YOUR book, not mine.

And so, here's the list of things I did to promote my book starting with the deal announcement in July, 2023 through my event at Liz's Book Bar Wednesday June 10th, on the one-year anniversary of the book's publication. (Ohhh, I should get a cake!) On this list, too, are a few milestones, like the book's due date and pub day, so you can see the timeline of when I was doing all these things. It starts early and keeps on going! Whether or not you can or should replicate this is up to you and depends on your platform, your book topic, and your temperament. You don't have to do all this to be successful and you get to choose what successful means to you. Click any of the links to see video, hear a podcast, or read an excerpt/article. If you see any typos in this chart no you didn't because it took me forever to put together and typos just prove it was made by a human. Want me to be on your podcast, come to your book club, or attend your conference/event/book festival? Email me at kate@katemckean.com.

 AND DON'T FORGET! Come see me in Brooklyn Wednesday June 10th at 7pm at Liz's Book Bar! RSVP!

XOXOXOXOOX,

Kate

Who am I and what is this? This is Agents & Books, a twice-weekly newsletter about writing, publishing, and the creative life. I've been an agent for almost 20 years, most of it at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, and I'm the author of two books: Write Through It: An Insider's Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life (Simon Element, 2025) and a picture book called Pay Attention to Me!, with illustrations by Rob Justus (Sourcebooks, 2026). If you haven't already, become a subscriber today. $5 a month or $50 a year. Same price since 2019!