By Catherine McNamara
One of the best things about being a writer in Italy is that the
English language becomes a private zone, a special written thing that makes
each word sing out louder, speaking to you as you walk, go to the supermarket,
collect your kids from school. But then the worst thing about being an
English-speaking writer in Italy is that once your book is written, edited and
published, your readers and your book market will always be at an arm’s length.
You will be walking around on an island, knowing that you are far away from
your readership, that only if your publisher sells your novel to an Italian
press, will the people around you ever have true, linguistic access to your
words.
When my first novel was accepted by an independent English publisher
I immediately set up a blog and realised I would have to work hard to build up
a readership. I haven’t discounted Italy as a market base, as the country is
full of tourists, international bookshops and people craving to learn the
English language, but I know that the bulk of my target market live in the UK,
or North America, or Australia where I am from. For a long while I have been
worrying, will the internet – which is such a personalised warren – be enough to
place my novel in my readers’ hands?
After a year, my blog has a small but loyal following. I read and
comment on sites regarding women’s fiction, small publishers, book promotion,
book reviews. I read one blogger attributes her Amazon success to writing seventy
comments a day. I just can’t do that time-wise, plus blogging tends to do my
head in after a while. But I try. Over the year I began to propose guest posts
or interviews on sites where I thought my contribution would be appreciated.
This process proved useful in helping me learn how to write briefly about my
novel and extract events from my own life which might interest a reader. When I
was younger I travelled widely, so I realise there are keen English readers the
world over – I’ve had interviews in Australia ,
the Caribbean, the US
on topics such as editing, working with a small press, being a woman writer. In
this way I’ve learnt to brand my thoughts and rattle off, gaining new blog
visitors and potential readers, and learning to develop an ‘ear’ for the
publishing game.
A couple of months ago I began to organise my 15-strong blog tour
around my UK release date, April 16th. My book is women’s
commercial, aimed at the neglected over-40 niche, a sort of Bridget Jones with
teenagers after the divorce. I wrote to all the major chicklit sites, both UK and US, some
women’s fiction sites, some book reviewers, some writers. Given the book has
various elements – travel, language, mothers’ issues, a little erotica – I
‘repackaged’ the book each time I made a proposal, aiming to tease out features
of the story and maximise its various facets. For one erotic blogger, we have
planned a post about the steamy incidents in the book; another blogger is
interviewing me about the expat life; another literary writer is questioning me
about finding writing success as a forty-plus year old, and the issues of a
creative life while attending to a family. In this way I have tried to expand
the appeal of the book, introducing it to as many readers as possible over the
broad internet spectrum.
Over a month ago our ARC copies were printed and I ordered extra books
to offer to certain blogger contacts for reviews or giveaways. They are all
faraway people who have treated me with kindness and interest. But I continue
to worry – will this be enough? What if I sell twenty copies? Fifty at best?
There is some astounding generosity out there but is my online network too
personal, not sweeping enough to allow a book to lift into the air and fly?
I read on Betsy Lerner’s blog that most book publication ends in
disappointment. Hundreds of books are released every day in the UK , and though
my publisher has sent review copies to newspapers, no debut independent author
is assured of an inch of column space while there are books from major
publishing houses to shoulder you away. In this sense I am in the same boat as
all small press authors, whether based in Italy not. Lately I have been
harping on at English friends for contacts. I read the newspapers online, and
have appealed to several writer/journalists who cover the same material, or
whose writing tone I like. Some have replied to my emails, even asked for a
copy of my book. I haven’t had the same luck with women’s magazines, where I
think that author-empathy doesn’t feature in the same way, though I haven’t
given up trying. And yet I was lucky enough – after hours of scouring London independent
bookshop sites – to find a store that is keen to promote debut novelists. A
phone call. A book launch. Thankfully I have a small stash of London friends who will turn up and help me
through my bottles of prosecco.
Right now, in the lead-up to publication, I feel less of a writer
than the marketing manager of a new, calibrated product I think the English-speaking
ladies of the world should have on their bedside tables, with husbands or
boyfriends or daughters sneaking a look. However I do wish I were spending this
stretch before UK
publication in England ,
where I could at least flip through magazines or leave bookmarks on bus seats, or
reach out to local newspaper editors or source book clubs and listen to local
radio shows. It’s hard not to feel anxious about not doing enough. But this
will have to do. Guest posts and interviews on as many sites as possible, and
an invitation to my London mates and local bloggers to my book launch. Virginia
Woolf said that publishing a book was like sending a child into traffic. And so
it shall be. My poor innocent book out there in the madness.
Visit Catherine at her website http://thedivorcedladyscompaniontoitaly.blogspot.com/
I have a couple of female relatives who are in Italy right now. I'll be sending them your link. You never know!
ReplyDeleteGrazie Petrea! And thanks for having me Sarah! ciao ciao catherine
Deletenice posting.. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete