A Seasonal Model for Publishing

approaching a more sustainable way

Friends,

Here we are (finally!) to the last part of the Is Publishing Sustainable? series.

I’ve been looking forward to this part where I suggest some ideas for us to make publishing more sustainable in whatever way we can.

I’m not giving us all the answers, but I hope to help us find better, healthier rhythms along the way.

Really quickly, let’s recap so we know where we are:

We focused the last few posts on author exhaustion, the publisher’s responsibility, the relationship between authors and readers, and this idea of luck.

A few key things (click each link to read the full piece):

1. We must build community outside of our publishers

2. Let’s honor the fact that author burnout is real and we need networks of community and support with and for one another

3. The relationship between readers and authors is really sacred and reciprocal

4. The idea of luck and “exposure” should cause us to stop and re-examine our relationship to social media

How can I plan ahead for my own work in a sustainable way?

With all of that, let’s turn to good stuff, the stuff I’m really excited about: a sustainable, seasonal model of publishing!

Photo by Studio Dekorasyon on Unsplash

Of course I’m bringing us back to the seasonal, the cyclical. That’s the way things should be, the most sustainable way, the way of Mother Earth.

For the first year of a book’s release, think of your work as an author in four seasons. Usually when we launch a book, it’s this huge pre-order and launch push, a few weeks of excitement, and then we hit this hard wall emotionally, mentally, spiritually, even physically, and we have no idea what’s supposed to come next.

Even the book is doing “well” we hit the wall of exhaustion because it’s all unsustainable.

I think of this like the whole calendar new year dilemma for me—instead of one giant, unsustainable push for goals, we work our way through the year in seasons instead.

We make plans!

In a journal every month, I write out my work priorities.

Here is a snapshot for April for me:

1. prep for a poem a day in the month of may (woohoo are you ready!?)

2. share about my new children’s book Summer’s Magic on social media and prep for launch

3. work on a few book endorsements

4. writing my new book

5. prep for future speaking events

I need to see what’s ahead. We can’t plan for everything, but we can make plans for what we know. This helps us down the road fight that burnout and exhaustion.

Plan for rest. Plan for care. Plan for hard work days. Plan for play. Plan ritual to help you get through it. Plan for community.

Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash

Now let me be clear: this isn’t a plan for marketing and publicity, and what I’m suggesting probably won’t change anything in that sense, not really— I care about YOU and ME, about the ways we show up to this work and to our own rest. We cannot do it all. We are cyclical people. I want us to keep embracing that.

Now, obviously we can’t just ignore the system and do what we want. But we can take care of ourselves and make this whole thing a little more sustainable. We can.

Do the work. Take the breaks. Honor the cycles.

And when that voice says you can’t take time away from social media, remind yourself that you will show up better if you do. Take just 2 days off, see what you need, because a lot of the burnout is this unrequited love we get from followers who are NOT that loyal audience we long for.

So, let’s dive into what this looks like!

Photo by Robert Lukeman on Unsplash

The four seasons of a sustainable book launch:

1. Spring: Launch the book, celebrate a new life out in the world! Celebrate, send it out, let it go, choose the work you do to help it find its way. Personally pay attention to emotional care for the first few months of your launch, perhaps holding a few rituals to honor where you are. Rest a little at a time, and keep leaning into this idea of spring, of growth and bloom. Share, share, share! Get the word out! Keep celebrating! But also, set boundaries around social media and checking numbers as you need to. Again, don’t be afraid to share about your book! Feel it deep down, hold the gratitude for this moment. Treat yourself with tenderness. Practically: share on social media, send emails, do the things, but allow yourself time to breathe too. This season lasts a few weeks to a few months and about halfway in you’re going to hit a wall have some emotional struggles. Know you’re not alone. Honor the journey. Hold rituals to hold yourself close.

   

   Photo by Anton Darius on Unsplash

2. Summer: The book has been out for a few months, so things have probably slowed down a bit. But there are still moments and teachings from your work that matter, so consider this a little boost-launch, or maybe you’re doing events online or in person. What can you share from the heart? Practically: visit bookshops and ask them to order copies of your book, maybe hold a zoom call with a few friends and share what this moment means to your spirit, keep practicing rituals that ground you. Choose one or two ways to share about your book in these few months. Less about numbers, more about intention and care.

   

   Photo by Vicko Mozara on Unsplash

3. Autumn: This is a time of harvest, of adulthood, time to focus on your body’s needs. Is there a way you can be more tender with your body in this season? Your book has been out in the world for about six months now, which is amazing! Continue to celebrate that and ask what your book and your body need in this season. Practically: check in with you body and see if you lost any healthy rhythms during book launch that you want to get back to so you can keep doing your work sustainably. Make a document where you keep encouraging notes from readers, gathering in the good stuff, the kindnesses. Remind yourself that writing a book is work that affects all of you, so your care matters. Share with others (or on social media with followers) what you’ve learned about yourself through the launch process and where you hope to go from here.

   

   Photo by Olivia Hutcherson on Unsplash

4. Winter: You are wrapping up the first year of your book being out in the world. Let the book and your mind and heart make their way to a tender and quiet place. Ask yourself a few questions: What’s this book doing in the world? Who needs it? Who has shared about it? Practically: Make a plan to celebrate the one-year mark for the book in the coming months. What a milestone! Check in with yourself, your community, and share some wisdom from the book with them—you’re not oversharing, you’re reminding yourself and the world that your words matter. Ask what rest looks like for you in the coming months.

Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash

I hope that this way of thinking about a book launch helps you find ways to space things out, to take time to rest, to prepare however it fits your life. The medicine wheel that we follow in our Anishinaabe culture helps us hold space for the seasons, for life change, for wherever we find ourselves.

I want that for our sacred work, too.

Show up in sustainable ways, friends. May we do this work well, caring for ourselves and one another along the way.