Your Breakout Book

All month, we’ve been learning about what it takes to become a full-time author. Here are the two big takeaways: there’s no one way to do it and success does not equate to writing full time. You can be successful and still work a 9-5, as long as that 9-5 supports the growth you want to see in your writing career.

A couple weeks ago, we took a deep dive into this topic during our bi-annual Your Breakout Book virtual conference. We heard from authors and publishing pros about what it takes to become a full time author. In this episode, I'm sharing my favorite clips from the conference.

If you understand the importance of securing book reviews and interviews, but unsure of how to get started, or just need a little nudge, I am giving you a challenge. Specifically, the 28-Day PR challenge.

The 28-Day PR Challenge is the guidance and accountability you need to finally launch your own PR campaign. In just one month, you’ll create your media list, craft your pitch email, and secure important media coverage for you and your book. The challenge will include weekly trainings to guide you through each step of the process, as well as accountability emails to ensure you stay on track.

This month, we’re focusing on what it takes to quit your day job and become a full-time author. We learned how Rachael Herron used Patreon to fill in the financial gap left by her day job. We heard how Keir Graff write both his own books, as well as the books of others by ghostwriting.

It’s clear, there’s no wrong way to be a full-time writer. But it’s also that having a successful author career doesn’t mean you have to do it full time.

Today, I’m speaking with bestselling author, Gigi Pandian, who had the opportunity to take a sabbatical from her day job and fulfill a dream of being a full-time author. But, as you’ll here in this interview, Gigi learned that she actually missed her day job, and decided to return to her 9-5.

Gigi Pandian is a USA Today bestselling and Anthony, Agatha, Derringer, and Lefty Award-winning mystery author. The child of cultural anthropologists from New Mexico and the southern tip of India, she spent her childhood traveling around the world on their research trips, and now lives in Northern California. Gigi writes lighthearted traditional mysteries including the Accidental Alchemist mysteries, Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries, and locked-room mystery stories. She has served on the national board of Sisters in Crime, currently sits on the board of her local Mystery Writers of America chapter, and is one of the co-founders of Crime Writers of Color.

If you’d like to continue the conversation around what it takes to write full time, I encourage you to become a member of Your Breakout Book. All month, we’re trading ideas, answering questions, and sharing experiences to help you launch your own breakout book and move closer to the full-time writer dream. Visit KayePublicity.com/yourbreakoutbook for more information. 

When you think about life as a full-time writer, it might seem like a solitary practice. But for today’s guest, it was actually his extensive network of publishing people that helped him smoothly transition out of the 9-5.

Keir Graff writes thrillers, mysteries, and contemporary fiction for adults, and adventure novels for younger readers. Recent works include THE THREE MRS WRIGHTS and DROWNING WITH OTHERS, both of which were coauthored with Linda Joffe Hull under the name Linda Keir. He is also the author of middle-grade novels including THE TINY MANSION, THE PHANTOM TOWER (a Chicago Tribune Best Children’s Book) and THE MATCHSTICK CASTLE (an Illinois Reads official selection). The former executive editor of Booklist, he lives in Chicago, where he is the cofounder and cohost of the much-loved literary gathering Publishing Cocktails.

But his novels aren’t the only thing under contract; he supplements his income through ghost writing. In today’s interview, Keir shares how he balances his creative writing with his contract writing, how he navigated the transition to full-time authorship, and how he worked his way up the publishing ladder.

If you’d like to continue the conversation around what it takes to write full time, I encourage you to become a member of Your Breakout Book. All month, we’re trading ideas, answering questions, and sharing experiences to help you launch your own breakout book and move closer to the full-time writer dream. Visit KayePublicity.com/yourbreakoutbook for more information. 

Connect with Keir:
Website
The Graff Paper

Other Resources Mentioned:
Reedsy
Publishing Cocktails

This month, we’re focusing on what it takes to quit your day job and become a full-time author. For most, the transition to full time means writing more and finding new and creative ways to monetize your writing.

When Rachael Herron was ready to leave her day job as a 911 dispatcher, she turned to Patreon. Patreon helps creatives receive monthly recurring revenue from their top fans, and Rachael has used this platform to grow a readership for her essays and other nonfiction writing. It’s because of this monthly recurring revenue that she was able to leave her day job and write full time.

About Rachael:
Rachael Herron is the internationally bestselling author of more than two dozen books, including thriller (under R.H. Herron), mainstream fiction, feminist romance, memoir, and nonfiction about writing. She received her MFA in writing from Mills College, Oakland, and she teaches writing extension workshops at both UC Berkeley and Stanford. She is a proud member of the NaNoWriMo Writer’s Board.

• More about Rachael's books
• More about Rachael's Patreon

Welcome to Season 2 of Your Breakout Book, the podcast that helps authors like you write, publish and prosper. I’m Dana Kaye, the founder of Kaye Publicity, and I’ve dedicated the majority of my life to helping authors establish their brands and reach more readers. I believe that every author, regardless of genre and publishing path, has the ability to cultivate an engaged community of readers, increase their sales, and have a thriving writing career.

This month, we’re focusing on what it takes to become a full-time author. Here’s a hint; it takes more than writing one, even two books a year. The authors I interviewed have figured out creative ways to create larger and more consistent revenue streams so they can leave their day jobs and write full time.

If you enjoy these conversations, I encourage you to join my membership community. As a member of Your Breakout Book, you’ll gain access to live trainings, roundtable discussions, plus plenty of templates and tutorials to help you launch your breakout book. You also have the opportunity to be paired with an accountability partner to ensure you stay on track. Visit http://kayepublicity.com/yourbreakoutbook for more info.

This is our final bonus episode of Your Breakout Book, where I’m revisiting interviews with some of the most knowledgeable and encouraging publishing pros. Here to round out our replays is none other than Kaye Publicity’s marketing and events coordinator, Hailey Dezort.

Hailey received her B.A. in English and a minor in Anthropology from Loyola University of Chicago. Before joining Kaye Publicity, she was a digital content creator for two interior design companies, as well as a marketing intern with Chicago Humanities Festival and Open Letter Books. When she’s not helping our clients grow their online following or pitching social influeners, she posts on her own bookstagram account @hayhails.

Earlier this year, Hailey delivered a workshop to Your Breakout Book members to help them improve (or just get started on) their influencer outreach. After the workshop, several members successfully secured #bookstragram and book-tube features for their books.

If you’re ready to take action with the help of a trusted guide and savvy community of authors, I encourage you to join us in Your Breakout Book. Book promotion can feel frustrating, confusing, and overwhelming. As a book publicist, I know first-hand how challenging it can be to keep up with industry trends, the latest social media platform, not to mention carving out time to create content. That’s why I created Your Breakout Book; to provide a one-stop-shop for everything you need to successfully launch your book. Your membership includes a library of trainings, tutorials, and templates, monthly live trainings and roundtable discussions, the opportunity to be paired with an accountability, and most importantly, a community of savvy authors ready to share their knowledge and experience.

Visit kayepublicity.com/yourbreakoutbook to get started.

\This is our second bonus episode of Your Breakout Book, where I’m revisiting interviews with some of the most knowledgeable and encouraging publishing pros. Today, I’m thrilled to re-introduce Jane Friedman. If you were to ask Jane to introduce herself, she’d tell you, “She’s just someone who knows WAY too much about publishing.” Which is true! But Jane is also the author of THE BUSINESS OF BEING A WRITER*, now available form University of Chicago press, the co-creator of The Hot Sheet, a publishing newsletter aimed at professional authors, and a longtime blogger at JaneFriedman.com.

This interview was conducted a couple years ago, so some of the stats may no longer be accurate, but many of the trends Jane describes are ones we’re still seeing today.

If you enjoyed this interview, you have to join us in Your Breakout Book, where conversations like these are happening every day. As a member of Your Breakout Book, you’ll gain access to live trainings, roundtable discussions, plus plenty of templates and tutorials to help you launch your breakout book. You also have the opportunity to be paired with an accountability partner to ensure you stay on track. Visit http://kayepublicity.com/yourbreakoutbook for more info.

Welcome to our first bonus episode of Your Breakout Book! These bonus episodes are previously recorded and will hopefully tide you over until the season two premiere in January.

First up, is an interview I did with Joanna Penn. She is an Award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers under J.F.Penn and also writes non-fiction for authors. She’s an award-winning entrepreneur, podcaster, and YouTuber. Her site, TheCreativePenn.com has been voted in the Top 100 sites for writers by Writer's Digest.

In this interview, Joanna shares how she created brands for both her thrillers and her non-fiction titles, and why she’s launching a new podcast for books and travel. She shares what she’s learned from years of podcasting, and what she’s doing differently this time around. She also shares how she monetizes through “soft marketing” and how her content marketing serves a dual purpose.

If you enjoyed this interview, you have to join us in Your Breakout Book, where conversations like these are happening every day. As a member of Your Breakout Book, you’ll gain access to live trainings, roundtable discussions, plus plenty of templates and tutorials to help you launch your breakout book. You also have the opportunity to be paired with an accountability partner to ensure you stay on track. Visit kayepublicity.com/yourbreakoutbook for more info.

If you've listened to all six episodes, congratulations! You now have an understanding of what it takes to launch your breakout book. But knowledge is meaningless without action. So this week, I’m sharing techniques to help you take quick and consistent action. You’ll also hear from a couple Your Breakout Book members on how they’re implementing what they’ve learned in the program.

If you're looking to launch your own book PR campaign without the guesswork, I encourage you to check out Your Breakout Book. Your monthly membership will give you access to trainings and templates that provide a step-by-step process to securing media coverage and executing a marketing campaign. Plus, you'll have access to a veteran publicist (that's me!) and a community of savvy authors. Visit http://kayepublicity.com/yourbreakoutbook for more info!

In the last episode, we discussed two crucial pillars in a successful PR campaign: publicity and marketing. Today’s focus is on the third pillar: community outreach. When it comes to generating word of mouth sales, community outreach is your most powerful tool. Today, we’re exploring different ways you can reach a wider audience with the help of community partners, and how to best incorporate this outreach into your greater PR plan.

Because I’m recording this episode in the middle of a pandemic, I will be focusing on initiatives that can be done safely; meaning, online or with social distancing guidelines in place. Hopefully, I will need to re-record this in the near future to incorporate in-person events, but right now, we’re working with what we’ve got.

Ready to launch your own breakout book with the help of a veteran publicist and community of savvy authors? Visit https://kayepublicity.com/yourbreakoutbook  to become a member.