The Chemo Promo Conundrum

Jeff Cohen

E.J. Copperman

In movies, when an author finishes writing a book, s/he submits it to her/his publisher and after it's accepted the author sits back and waits for 1. critical acclaim and 2. a couple of truckfuls of money. Like virtually everything else in the movies, this is not how things happen in real life, which will come as no surprise to any reader with even a passing interest in the process.

What actually happens is that the manuscript (now usually a computer file) is submitted via email to the acquiring editor (hi, Terri!) and then a series of editorial notes and revisions begins. That's part of the deal. When the work gets close to being an actual published book like EDITED OUT (due May 7, 9 or 16 depending on whom one believes), the focus shifts to the part of the process I find most stressful: Promotion.

It's not that I dislike talking to readers, interviewers or anybody who might show some interest in my book. To be honest, I love that stuff. But I am given--my friends will tell you this if you ask them--to a stubborn streak of modesty. I hate bragging in others and I especially hate to brag. I'll tell you forever when a friend of mine does something I think is extraordinary, but I'm way too close to my own work and much too embarrassed by sounding like a boastful oaf to push my writing in your face.

And yet, that's exactly what I have to do every time a book is about to be published. I get that; it's an important part of the process, absolutely essential to helping me keep my job. Erin can tell us how to do it more effectively (hi, Erin!). If nobody knows there's a book called EDITED OUT, it doesn't matter how high the quality was at the time I wrote it. If a book falls in the forest and nobody reads it, is it a real book?

So I gear up for the job as I will three times in the coming five months. That's fair and that's fine. I SHOULD be the face of the project; it came from my head and I am proud of having written it. I'll be all over social media, writing for this blog and others, wondering if any of this is doing any particular good or not.

But there's a wrinkle in this particular case: EDITED OUT will be published while I'm still in the midst of chemotherapy. And that does drain one's energy pretty seriously. It also wreaks a degree of havoc with the clarity of one's mind. It's hard to concentrate on anything that isn't either sleeping or baseball. Sometimes even baseball. The book I'm writing now will undergo far more revision than I'm used to because--and I haven't gone back to read it from the beginning so I'm just guessing--I'm lucky if it's actually coherent. It'll be fine when the rewriting is done, but there'll be more of it than usual and that's going to take some, um, energy.

The promotion, then, is something I'm concerned about. If people don't buy enough copies of EDITED OUT, there's no guarantee there'll be a third in the Mysterious Detective series. If I don't get the word out about the book, who knows how sales will be affected? (And I mean that: Who knows?)

I'm gearing up as best I can. But the next chemo is Wednesday and that means the following week to 10 days will be an especially woozy time. I'll be able to rally for parts of every day but my reliability will be a little questionable. So if you're reading this and can get the word out about EDITED OUT (here are a couple of reviews), please tell your friends. Tell your enemies. Tell complete and total strangers. I'll be grateful.

After all, I'd like to keep this job.

Comments

[Jenny Milchman]

You take care of getting better, Jeff. Your friends and readers will help with the rest. EDITED OUT sounds like my kind of book!

[Jeff Cohen]

Love ya, Jenny.

[Barb Goffman]

The Fairfax County, Virginia, library system has purchased eight copies of Edited Out. Woo hoo! Can't wait till your all better.

[Barb Goffman]

You're! You're! Dumb autocorrect.

[Jeff Cohen]

Thanks, Barb! (And neither can I!)

[Jeff Cohen]

I never doubted you, Barb.

[Deb Romano]

I don't need to read a review to know that I should buy one of your books. I'm looking forward to Edited Out and to any others coming from you!

Deb Romano

[Elaine Charton]

Its already listed in the catalog at my local library here in Tucson(Pima County) I've reserved a copy.

[Shannon]

Looking forward to reading your book. Just so you know, you've reached International Status. Your books are all found at the Stuttgart Army Base Library in Germany, and the catalogue says there are several more copies in other Army Bases all over Europe.

[Jeff Cohen]

Thanks, Elaine!

[Jeff Cohen]

Wow! Cool, Shannon! Thanks for letting me know!

[Lynne Patrick]

One of these days, Jeff, a British publisher will see the light about E J Copperman, and that other fella as well. Then it won't be so difficult to get your books over here without resorting to the dreaded A*%$>n. On that day I'll give three hearty cheers and crack open the champagne.

[Lynne Patrick]

PS Hang in there. Everything passes, even chemo.

[Jeff Cohen]

I know but it’s a slog.