Buckle Up

It's Pub Week, Betches

Via

Friends,

It’s Pub Week. My book comes out tomorrow, Tuesday, June 10th. You’re going to hear a little more from me this week because I have a lot to say. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It’s my party and I’ll post if I want to.

Saturday we launched my book at P&T Knitwear in NYC and it was honestly the best time ever. Emily Gould was the most fantastic conversation partner. The crowd was full of lovely people, familiar and not. We sold out of books. Two thumbs up, would launch again.

In conversation with Emily, whose books I love and you should go buy and read, I found that a lot of my answers to her questions were ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. No surprise to long-time readers. But not ¯\_(ツ)_/¯as in I don’t know the answer and/or there is no answer but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ in terms of I am giving this worry/question/event/outcome up to the universe. It’s on his little hands there, and he’s letting it fly away. In life, in person, day to day, I do think I’m pretty zen about things. In answering Emily’s questions, I really noticed that.

So I asked myself why. Well, for starters I have incredible privilege to be zen about shit. I am financially secure, in good health, able-bodied, well-fed, white, cis, married, housing-secure, supported in love and life, professionally fulfilled, can buy clothes off the rack, have a two book deals, was once verified for real on Twitter, and can basically get any of my needs met at any time. That is so much. That is a big, fluffy pillow on which to sit and say just roll with it! Whatever happens will happen! And don’t I know it.

If the above is not where you are, it can be hard to be zen about anything. You are, uh, too busy worrying about paying rent, tbh, tyvm. I get it. I still zen is the right approach to take in regards to the writing and publishing process if you don’t have one-tenth of my privilege (and I welcome you telling me to fuck off here—that’s fine) because writing and publishing do not deserve the energy it takes you to worry about it, and you don’t have that to spare. Worrying about queries or how long it takes or what the market is doing or not doing will not fix any of those problems for you. If you are housing-insecure or discriminated against because of who you love, the publishing industry isn’t A: going to fix those things for you and B: doesn’t deserve your scant resources. You know what deserves your the time and attention you can spare? Your work. Give that energy and effort to the page, and the page, not publishing, will love you back.

If you want to be traditionally published, however, you have to spend energy on it. It takes time and energy to write and send query letters etc etc etc. But once those letters are out there, do not chase them with fretting and catastrophzing and anxiety. It won’t make them come back faster or with better news. Go back to what needs your attention, your family, your work, yourself, and let the publishing process do what it’s going to do. You cannot control it. You are not going to jinx it. You can’t worry it into being. Do not deplete yourself further at the hands of a retail industry. It’s like worrying Old Navy will be mad you put that dress back on the rack.

When you find success, you will work with people who are part of the industry, and you can invest your emotional resources in the people you are working with. But the New York Times Best Sellers list is not a person. Your Amazon Rank is not a person. Your Goodreads rating is not a person. Want people to buy your book? Go talk to people about it. Have questions? Talk to your agent about it. Need reassurance? Talk to your editor.

Publishing will not fix you. Publishing has not fixed me. My book comes out tomorrow and it is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. That is enough for me. Whatever happens next is gravy and almost completely out of my control. I will talk to you about the book, repeatedly, but I can’t make you buy or borrow it. That part’s up to you.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thank you everyone for your vocal and consistent support. I love talking to you here and I’m not going anywhere. The very best thing you can do to support me or any other author is to tell someone about their book. The very best thing you can do to support yourself is go write your book. Literally nothing else can happen—good or bad—until you do that.

---

Lots of stuff to share this week but first off is a webinar by the great people at The Future Of Agency about what to keep and what to ditch this year in your social media platforms. This isn’t HOW TO GET MORE FOLLOWERS or whatever, but how to make your platform work for and with YOU. Sign up immediately. It runs June 10th at 12:30pm ET. Go go go.

---

OXOXOXO,

Kate