Julia Spencer-Fleming: I'm at a weird point in the process of seeing a new book into the world (and you'll have to pardon any birthing metaphors I make; my oldest, Victoria, is having a baby this fall, and it's taking up a ridiculous amount of my brain space, considering I don't have anything to do with it.)
At any rate, the words-on-paper portion of my work is done. AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY has been edited, and copy-edited, and galley-edited. (This is why authors will often say they never want to think about their current title ever again.) I'll kick into high gear again sometime in October and through November, with, I'm sure, some events in December, because we all know books make the best holiday gifts, don't we?
In the meantime, I'm left working on my To-Do list. It starts like this:
1. Have website rebuilt
1.a Research current best practices for author websites. What to include vs. what's too much?
1.b Get recommendations of web designers
1.c Contact and interview web designers
But then I start thinking, wait - what do I want the new website to look like? Remember that discussion on author branding we had a couple weeks ago? Should I use the same fonts as my book covers? (and what are they, anyway?) Do I use pictures of moody Adirondack landscapes? Maybe small towns? Shoot, should I have something that reference the military in there?
So then I go back and start:
1. Determine branding - what message to I want to send to my readers?
1. a Who are my readers?
1. b What are the three/four words they use for my work?
1.c Do I need a tag line? Is that old fashioned? Oh, crap, I'm going to have to do more research, aren't I?
And of course, if I have a brand new website, I want my social media - Instagram and FB - to reflect the same look. Also, I'm terrible with posting regularly, and that's not going to fly with a new book coming out. I promised Steve the Marketing Guy I'd do a better job. So if I renumber the website stuff to 2...
3. Update social media with new headers, etc.
3. a Come up with a posting schedule
3. b Don't forget to schedule time to answer readers, comments!
3. c What the heck to I post about?
Now I'm thinking I'd better go back to 1. b and add in
1. b. 1 Determine topics based on description words for books
1. b. 2 Figure out what kind of photos and graphic work with the brand
At this point, I'm getting increasingly overwhelmed, and I haven't even touched on everything I need to do to revamp and relaunch my newsletter. That's probably going to be points 4 through 6 all by itself.
Honestly, dear readers, this is not what I thought I would be doing when I became a published author. (I also didn't think I'd still be changing the cat pan and mopping the kitchen floor after becoming a NYTimes bestseller, but the life of an author is much less glamorous than advertised.)
Do you ever get overwhelmed by the unexciting but necessary part of your work? And does writing out your to-do list ever make you want to recline with a cold drink, as it does me?
Congratulations to Victoria . . .baby news is always exciting!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had a perfect answer for the dilemma you're facing, Julia, but work often feels overwhelming [I try to ignore it] . . . and for exactly the reasons you've mentioned, I never write out my to-do list because it's far too frustrating [and ignoring it with a cold drink sounds like a perfect plan!]
Oooh, waiting for Victoria's baby is exciting!
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked at Environment Canada on multiple climate change projects and later as a strategic directorate planner, I was DROWNING in bureaucratic paperwork and procedures.
Ironically, this became progressively worse during the last few years when the Canadian government was implementing "efficiencies"! Maybe the financial balance sheet looked better to the bean counters but they dumped a load of extra process work on us minions.
Make sure you leave enough time to continue writing about Miller’s Kill 😀
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing about the birth of Victoria's baby.
ReplyDeleteI used to do a to-do-list but then I forget where I put it so now I just wing it.
I knew I wanted to be more like Dru!
DeleteI absolutely get overwhelmed by the non-writing parts of the authorly life. The only thing that helps me is to chip away at the list, one thing at a time. And to hire help beyond the web person - I have an assistant (whom I've never met in person) who helps with graphics and social media.
ReplyDeleteI'm also waiting for a grandbaby (due January 2nd!), and now QUILT has been added to my longer-term to-do list. Baby-sniffing time is so joyful.
Congrats on new grandbaby coming Edith!
DeleteJulia, do something simple and don't overthink it or you'll get frozen:). I have a list and I love to check off the boxes if I do them. I agree with anonymous--leave lots of time to write new book!
ReplyDeleteI'm like you, Lucy: I LOVE checking off the boxes on my to-do list!
DeleteJulia, the 2011 column you linked to was hilarious, and I'm sure it is nostalgic for you now. As for your lists, I have been called the Queen of Lists. I am an anxious person and I keep it under control, barely, by Writing Everything Down. I have seasonal lists, monthly lists, and daily lists. Sometimes I have weekly lists. Before I retired I had weekend lists and "vacation" lists (vacations from my teaching job were naturally time for more work on the farm).
ReplyDeleteTwo secrets in list-making I have discovered help me move forward when the overall task seems too huge. First: break it down to small tasks. (The classic newbie mistake in list-making for a home renovation, for example, would read: "#1. sheetrock house.") You've started doing this, but for myself, easily overwhelmed, I would break each task down even further, to a granular level. Right now I need to build a screen porch. So far all I've crossed off is: "carry chop saw to the porch." The next one will be "measure and cut 1 dog barrier" (there will be 4). Next will be "build 1 dog barrier," then "paint," then "install." And over and over throughout the project. The goal for me is to be able to CROSS THINGS OFF. This gives me a little rush of satisfaction. It also reminds me that I am making progress.
Second, I try to be as specific as possible. I recently scored 24 perennials on deep sale. Instead of listing "plant perennials" on my July list, I have written "plant 6 daylilies," "plant 3 rudbeckia," etc. Then each morning I put 3 plants on my daily list. It's slow but I'll keep everything watered and in 8 days they'll all be planted and I won't have been diverted from the main tasks of the day. Thus for me, your "Get recommendations of web designers" would work better if I wrote "Ask xx, xx, and xx (however many) for a recommendation for a web designer." Then if I was feeling frail one day, I'd just list one of those asks on my daily list. "Contact and interview web designers" for me would become on my monthly list "Contact 6 web designers" and, separate task, "interview 3 web designers." Or whatever, then to be further broken down on my daily list. You get the idea. I always have paper for longer lists and I know I need that rush when I can cross something off. It seems childish but it works for me. Good luck!
(By the way, did you see the terrible story last month of the ADK forest ranger found dead in the backcountry? It was tragic, and horrifying for those who found him after 8 days. I was immediately reminded of A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD. https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2025/07/commentary-an-open-letter-to-dec-commissioner-amanda-lefton-regarding-death-of-afr-brendan-jackson.html )
Oops, that was me, Selden.
DeleteMy talented daughter did my original website, so when I hired a website designer for an upgrade, I had a basic idea of what I wanted. Simple, informative, easy to read, beautiful photos. One professional author photo later, it was done. I try to add and delete feature articles every few months. Take some good pet shots and go for it.
ReplyDeleteWhat Margaret said: "simple, informative, easy to read, beautiful photos -- including pet shots". That's what I want in an author website. I go there to find the books (in what order should I read them?), to learn when the next one will be published, to learn a bit about the author, and to see photos related to the author and their books. That's all. Oh. I suppose if there's swag to sell, tell me about that, but, truly, I don't want swag. I want another book, Julia!
ReplyDelete