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Catherine McKenzie knows that being a writer isn’t just about writing. “I run a business called "Catherine McKenzie”, and I’m the CEO and Chief Content Producer,” she says. “I’m also the accountant, the head of marketing. I involve myself in all parts of the publishing process.” The Canadian author has written several works of bestselling contemporary fiction, including Hidden, Fractured, and Arranged. Her latest novel, The Good Liar, is a mystery/thriller set in Chicago.
We asked Catherine to share some of her insights into the process of getting an agent, holding on to her stories, and staying active in her group on Goodreads.
Tell us a little about your writing career. When did you start writing, and how did you first get published?
I always wrote; poetry mostly, but I never considered a career in writing. Instead, I became a lawyer, which I still am today. I recall a few aborted efforts at writing novels in my twenties—after I read Foucault’s Pendulum, for instance, I sat down to write the next Foucault’s Pendulum, then discovered five pages later that I knew nothing and would have to do years of research.
Then, in 2006, I had an idea that would not leave me alone. I didn’t know what it was, but I had to write down. I did and it eventually transformed into my first (practice, lives-in-a-drawer) novel. I queried briefly with that work, but then decided it was too autobiographical to have out in the world. In the meantime, I’d had the idea for what became Arranged and decided to write that. I queried for months on that novel and eventually got an agent. She then queried for eighteen months without success.
In the meantime, I wrote the novels that became Spin and The Murder Game (which I published under a pseudonym in 2016). We decided to submit in Canada and got a “if you make some changes I might be willing to publish Arranged” from HarperCollins Canada. My agent submitted Spin to her instead, and it was accepted in a two-book deal for publication in January 2010. It took an agent change and until late 2011 to get a US book deal.
How did you find an agent?
I found my first agent in the traditional way—researching agents who were representing people in my genre and querying them. I must have queried hundreds of agents. It was certainly part of the toughening up process that all writers need to go through. I also had an experience where a “big” agent was interested in taking the book on if I made a significant change that I ultimately did not think worked for the book. I declined, deciding to believe in the story as I had conceived it.
How have your marketing and promotional efforts changed over the years? What things worked then vs. now?
One thing I have noticed is a shift from Twitter to Facebook and, more recently, Instagram. Netgalley and BookBub are also more recent players in the publicity market. With Goodreads, I’ve placed a lot of emphasis in the last couple of years with running giveaways to increase my to-reads both pre-pub and afterwards. It’s helped in various ways, including when there has been a deal email that’s gone out and getting placement in the monthly newsletter.
What marketing activities do you believe have been the most worthwhile in helping you reach a large audience?
Placement is so important. I really don’t think there is any substitute for it—in stores, being on the front tables or walls; online, being advertised on Kindle screens or the various other ways that Amazon has to promote a title. The biggest placement for me was getting into the Kindle First (now FirstReads) program on Amazon; Hidden was free for a month to Prime members and this generated thousands of reviews and other metrics that have kept that book selling now, four years later.
What’s been your approach to using Goodreads? How much time do you spend on Goodreads, and what activities do you mostly do?
I use it in two main ways: I run a group called 52 Weeks, 52 Books where I pick a book each week for the group to read and people post their comments on a discussion thread once they’ve read it. I also have used it to run continuing giveaways of my books to increase my visibility on the site. And of course, I read my reviews, particularly pre-publication. It’s a good way to take the pulse of a book. I do learn from both positive and negative reviews.
What advice would you give to other authors aspiring to a successful writing career?
Read, read, read. Once you write a book, keep going. Too many authors get “stuck” on their first novel instead of moving on once it’s done. Figure out one or two online venues that you are comfortable working with and learn how to best maximize that venue.
Got a question for Catherine McKenzie about her publishing career or marketing? Leave a question in the comments and the author will respond to them the week of May 14. Be sure to follow her on Goodreads to see all her updates.
Next: The Business of Being a Writer: Turning Attention Into Sales
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posted by Cynthia on May, 11