Happy New Year!
In 2024, I saw a decade-long dream come true: the publication of a book-length translation of mine. My translation of The Book of Affects, a short story collection by Brazilian author Marilia Arnaud, was published by Sundial House this past November. I am thrilled to introduce Arnaud’s poignant stories and beautiful voice to an English-language audience and am having a blast promoting the book. It is a lot of work, of course, and I have learned a few lessons along the way.
Before The Book of Affects was accepted for publication, I thought that the calendars of book-promoting events I had seen on authors’ and translators’ websites were standard practice. I thought that every publisher arranged book tours, in-person or virtual, for every book title they put out. But I learned that was not the case, especially among independent publishing houses. Sundial House is a small (though mighty!) press, with a limited budget for book promotion. They have been very supportive of The Book of Affects and its launch, and we have a few events still planned around it, but they aren’t in a position to help out their translators beyond such key events.
Ultimately, though, whether a book is published by a small or a large press, authors and translators alike are expected to help promote their book. Some hire publicists—I didn't— but with or without professional help, we must rely on our networks, especially on social media, to get the word out. And get the word out I did. But that was just the beginning. Here are the actions I have taken to promote The Book of Affects and more lessons I have learned along the way.
Online presence
Over the past few years, my participation in social media platforms has allowed me to connect and interact with many writers and translators I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I felt these writers and translators knew me and was comfortable reaching out to them when my book came out. When I learned that I was one of the recipients of the 2024 Sundial House Literary Translation Award and that The Book of Affects was going to be published, I started posting about it immediately. Every week for a couple of months, I posted a short excerpt from a different story in the collection. And when I had blurbs for the book (see next section), I posted a new blurb each week. My fellow writers and translators liked and reposted my posts, which was tremendously helpful and for which I am very grateful.
In my posts, I also included a link to my website, where prospective readers could find a lot more information about The Book of Affects than a social media post could offer. On my homepage, you will see the book cover, a short excerpt from one of the stories, a list of booksellers where the book can be purchased or ordered, and blurbs. As the publishing process progressed, I kept updating the page. For example, at first I announced preorders, and after the book came out, of course I changed that to orders. I also added to the booksellers list as I learned of more places that were carrying the book or accepting orders.
Blurbs and Reviews
Because I had been interacting consistently with a number of authors and translators I admired, I didn’t hesitate to ask a few of them if they would like to read the book I had translated and would consider writing a blurb for it. Out of the six people I contacted—five writers and one translator—five were able to read the manuscript. This worked out beautifully because these writers were very gracious and generous with their time and possibly because the manuscript was short—the published book is slightly over one hundred pages. It was clear I should have allowed my colleagues more time to read the manuscript and write the blurb. Next time I will be sure to ask potential blurbers at least three months ahead of the book's publication date.
I was a bit shy about asking for a review, which of course would take a lot more time to write than a blurb and would require that the reviewer find a venue for it. I haven’t asked as many writers and translators, and so far no reviews of The Book of Affects have come out. One may be forthcoming in the next couple of months, and I am thrilled that Tobias Carroll recommended the book as part of his December list on Words Without Borders. For my next translation, I plan to be more proactive and ask writers and translators for a review about six months ahead of time. Reviewers need to contact venues about three months in advance of the possible publication of the review because issues are planned at least three months ahead of time. It is fine for a review to come out a few months after the book was published, but it is best for reviews to coincide roughly with the book’s publication date.
An important detail from my pre-publication experience: I didn't have advanced copies to send to potential blurbers and reviewers. I asked a colleague if that was a problem, and she told me it was acceptable and quite common for writers and translators to send out PDF files of the manuscript. That is what I did.
Other venues for book promotion
In the past few months, colleagues have reminded me of a number of opportunities and venues beyond reviews and social media posts that I could pursue to promote a book. I knew about book previews, but they hadn’t occurred to me as a vehicle for the promotion of my own book. Following up on a suggestion by my editor at Sundial House, I contacted Denise Kripper, translation editor at Latin American Literature Today about a review. She said she couldn't write the review but would be happy to feature an excerpt from The Book of Affects in LALT's book previews section a few months later. And to my delight, a few weeks ago a substantial excerpt from the story Açucena was featured in LALT.
And, of course, reading-and-signing events at bookstores are essential. In early December, I had an event at a bookstore near my home. I knew it was common for authors and translators to have a conversation partner during a reading event and had invited author and Stegner Fellow Kathleen Wheaton to be in conversation with me. Kathleen is a short story writer, who spent several years in Brazil and speaks Portuguese. She had read the stories in the original Portuguese and in my translation and had excellent questions for me. We had a fun conversation, which attendees told me was interesting and informative.
The event wasn't as well attended as I had hoped, despite my advertising it far and wide on social media and sending out invitations. I had chosen the bookstore where I shop rather than one closer to most of my friends' homes, and it seems that the venue was just too far for most of them. I am now trying to schedule an event at a bookstore closer to where they live.
After the book came out, colleagues encouraged me to request events at bookstores in San Francisco, which is about an hour's drive from where I live. It hadn't occurred to me to do so, probably because I didn't feel confident that any of those famous stores would agree. But I ended up contacting two San Francisco bookstores and learned that they only consider requests received six months ahead of the book's publication date. From this experience, I have also learned that writers and translators need to be assertive. We have a book to promote—to sell—and should try every venue, even the ones we think are a long shot. And do so in a timely manner.
As a side note, this past year I attended book reading/signing events at a bar and a café. The event at the bar was held in a private room, and once the door was closed, the noise from the main room was barely audible. The café was quieter. I thought both types of venues worked well for the author and the audience. Something to consider.
Colleagues have also suggested book festivals, library events, and podcasts. I have submitted a proposal to a local book festival and plan to talk to the local libraries about possible events. And podcasts aren’t out of the question. It may be too late for this book, but I will keep that in mind for the next one. As always, I will announce on social media all events I am able to schedule.
In short
In future, I will: 1) plan my book promotion campaign earlier and start contacting potential blurbers, reviewers, and venues three to six months ahead of the publication date, and 2) talk to lot a people, especially colleagues who have gone through book launches and are willing to share with me what they have learned. In my experience, writers and translators are always willing to share what they know!
If you have any comments or questions about this or any of my blog posts, please send me a message on my contact page.
Comentarios