So you want to write an education book (part 4)
Photo by Jessica Ruscello on Unsplash
Welcome back to my series on writing an education book! If you’re just joining us, start with part 1 for context or check out part 2 and part 3. Now, let’s look at all the details about the home stretch: you’re done writing, now what?
Final details
When we left off in the previous post, you finished checking your page proofs. Your book is now in production, getting ready to be sent off to the printers. During this phase (or sometimes earlier), you’ll also:
Work with your publisher and their designers to develop your book cover. Give honest feedback, and the more specific you can be about your vision for a cover, the better!
Provide your publisher a list of people who might blurb your book. Ask yourself, “who are the people who my ideal reader would trust to recommend a book?” I asked a variety of folks including other authors, teachers with a trusted presence on social media, and respected school or district leaders.
Connect with your publisher’s marketing team to coordinate any marketing plans including social media, excerpts and reviews, and upcoming appearances or events.
Let’s talk a little more about marketing!
Marketing
Here’s the thing: while your publisher will market your book, the most important member of their marketing team is you. For me, it took some getting used to. I felt weird constantly posting some version of “buy my book!” But let’s put it this way: you worked really hard to create your book, and readers can’t read it unless they hear about it. Be your own cheerleader so that folks can find your work!
Here are some pieces of marketing advice and ideas from my author survey and my own experience:
Update (or create) your professional website. Make it easy for people to find you online.
Make use of your social media channels. Check out the social media of authors you admire for ideas about the type of content you like to see as a reader.
Remember that the various algorithms work in mysterious ways, and all of your followers won’t see every post you make. Don’t be afraid to post about your work many times.
Ask your publisher if they can provide discount codes that you can send to your network, such as your newsletter or friends and family.
Some authors do book release events, such as a webinar or an in-person celebration, close to release day. For my first book, I collaborated with one of the universities where I teach. I’ve seen other authors do a release celebration hosted by their publisher, and other folks host on their own.
Money, money, money
I’ll cut to the chase with a quote from my author survey: “There's a 90% chance you won't make money from your book. Don't write it because you want to make money.” Most of the authors in my survey agreed. Keeping in mind that my survey was only a handful of people and very unscientific, here are some more specific numbers. About half of the authors I surveyed said they made “very little” to “a couple hundred dollars” from their books. Others made a few thousand dollars per book, with one or two outliers earning more than $10,000 per book.
Overall, authors agreed: the book itself is not a significant income-earning activity. You end up investing quite a bit of time and resources with no guarantee of financial return. This is a significant equity issue in publishing, because it means that you need to already have the resources to do this unpaid work. I’d love to see the education publishing industry make some significant changes if they truly want to elevate a range of voices and perspectives.
Despite the overall low dollar amount for the book itself, the majority of authors experienced other money-generating opportunities connected to their books, such as consulting and invitations to give talks or keynotes. To make the most of these potential opportunities, I again encourage you to create or update your professional website and include information on book-related talks or professional development you can provide. Make it easy for people who want to learn from you to hire you!
And of course, money isn’t everything. Here are a few of the thing that authors in my survey said they experienced as a result of writing their books:
Received opportunities/connections they otherwise wouldn’t have
Felt proud of their accomplishment
Increased the amount of speaking, consulting, professional development they provide
Seen evidence of the impact of their work
Had their book used in education courses and book studies
Created meaningful friendships with readers of their books
Were inspired to write another one
Release day and the long haul
You’ve made it to release day! Soak up the congratulations, enjoy seeing people with your book in their hands, and celebrate! This is a huge achievement. Huge!
After the excitement of your book release, don’t be surprised if you feel kind of weird or disappointed in the coming days or weeks. I never saw anyone talk about this, but I experienced it with both books. You have SO much energy leading up to this giant accomplishment, and so you might feel a little tired after all that energy dissipates. You also might be excited to hear what readers think about your book, but it’s going to take time for people to, you know, actually read the book.
I was talking to a friend who’s a filmmaker and I told her I was jealous that she gets to immediately experience the audience’s reaction to her work. For authors, we need to wait. Some people might start reading your book immediately on release day, but be honest: how many books are sitting on your to-read pile and how long ago did you buy them? It can take months or even years for people to get to reading your book. So settle in for the long haul, and recognize that you may not really see the impact of your book for a while. The fun side of that? New people can discover your book any time. My first book came out three years ago and I often hear from folks who just picked it up. Books are forever! Embrace the long haul.
Now get started!
I hope that throughout this series, I’ve been able to shed some light on the mysteries of education publishing and help you feel ready to get started on your book. If you still have questions, reach out to an author! I’ve found that generally speaking, education authors are incredibly generous with their time and more than happy to provide mentorship to new authors (although, please respect people’s boundaries if they are not able to engage in these conversations - we sometimes don’t have room on our plates!). Please let me know if this series has been helpful to you, and I can’t wait to read your book!
