Forward Motion with an ADHD Brain
It may not look like forward motion on the outside.
Friends, readers, substackers, I am back. I am somewhat rested, and I have plans.
First up, the book. The BOOK.
This might be already be obvious to any of you in publishing, but to the suprise of everyone but me, I'm not publishing my next book. Yet.
Not in 2024.
These are the key reasons why;
I haven't given myself enough time for marketing and a good "run-up" to release. My plan of releasing between the start of September and end of October 2024, when I only commissioned the cover artist in June 2024, is clearly silly and a classic case of my ADHD brain underestimating how long something would take.
I also overestimated how much I'd have done by the end of July (I needed August off) There was just too much other stuff aka life/family/home, that had to take priority.
So thus far, the inside and the outside of the book aren't ready.
How do I do this again??
The final piece of the puzzle was reading something about the fact we are living in an attention economy.
Attention Economy - meaning there are so many things competing for our attention, we have the power to switch off, change channels etc. Yet if something is compelling enough we will stay tuned and give our attention to that thing.
In case you haven't heard there is a huge election in the USA in early November. Everyone's eyes are on that, even if we don't want them to be, the election coverage is shoved down our throats. It's huge. And no wonder, it's Incredibly important for the future of the world, not just America.
Now, imagine me, a tiny voice comparativly, saying, “Hey I've a new book out,” 🤣 Honestly, only someone like Josh Brolin and the marketing weight he has behind him, could pull off releasing a book in autumn this year. Spoiler - he is.
That was the final realisation.
To do it this way; independently publish, where I'm the boss, I have to play to my strengths and understand what's going on in the wider world. Even if things take longer. After all, I am in this for the long game, the legacy. Not the quick wins.
It's also given me time to make some other nebulous plans into something material, something for the future. I shall reveal these soon.
Next week I’ll be answering the questions from the Ask Me Anything post, add yours if you like.
Slay queen mummy👑💖👑🥰❤️
For a writer, the biggest decisions always happen behind the scenes and this is clearly the right thing for you to do for many reasons, Susan.
I really hope I can prove you a little bit wrong about the timing, though, as I am publishing my novel Swimming with Tigers, as you know, in mid-October. So I'll take your comments on a certain election as an extra challenge!
But I have also been having some serious talks with the over-achieving side of my personality because, while word-of-mouth and local interest in my book is mounting nicely, I am having to accept that a national media campaign is beyond me.
As you say, we are in this for the long game and quality, sincerity and preserving our sanity and creative space have to be the priorities.