Author Sarah Stone on Her Book Publicity Story
Sarah Stone is not only a brilliant and original writer —she’s also one of the most generous literary citizens we know! She’s part of our 6-Month Strategy + Support program, and in all the workshops, we’ve been blown away by the way she champions other authors, offering supportive insights and incisive feedback. So it felt only right to feature her for our very first author profile.
Love and Ghosts in the Age of Climate Anxiety
Sarah’s forthcoming book, MARRIAGE TO THE SEA, is a collection of linked novellas that explores the joys and dangers of family intimacy and impulsive relationships, both straight and queer, while navigating the eco-crisis, political upheaval, and the mysteries of the afterlife.
Author Lillian Howan calls it a “sumptuous literary tapestry” and Book Publicity School (BPS) Director Emma McGlashen described it as “urgent, contemporary, compassionate and quick-witted; the best depiction of close sisterly ties I’ve read in a long time, a perfect encapsulation of the anxieties of trying to be capital-G Good in a capital-B Bad time.” (And she would like it known that she devoured the manuscript on just a couple of subway rides to and from the office.)
Sarah’s previous book, HUNGRY GHOST THEATER, was a finalist for the Northern California Book Award. You can explore more of her work at www.sarahstoneauthor.com.
A Q&A with Sarah Stone
Your new book, MARRIAGE TO THE SEA, intertwines climate anxiety, familial devotion, religion, and the supernatural. How are you presenting such layered themes in your press materials and preparing to talk about them in interviews, especially for an audience who may not know your work yet?
Because of Book Publicity School, I have a head start on understanding what I’m writing about in this book, and why, and even who it’s for. In writing, I’m just telling my characters’ stories and don’t want to analyze too much. So in the past I’ve only understood my books long after publication, through the experience of interviews, book talks, and companion essays. Now I can connect the themes even for people who’ve never before read my books: I’m writing speculative but realistic ghost stories about love and family dynamics, in which artists and activists are trying to find the match between what they can do and what they think the world needs.
You’ve been publishing and teaching for many years. Looking back, what do you wish you had understood about book publicity earlier in your career? Are there strategies you would now share with your students or fellow writers?
I wish I’d known this process can be fun. Our BPS instructors taught us how to create an individual plan for getting our books to their readers while not taking setbacks personally. It requires some work and skills, but book publicity is not magic: writers need to know how to write a pitch that (intriguingly) represents our books and then to figure out exactly where to send it. Also, we need to practice our interviews ahead of time. A lot! And here’s one among many tips from Leah: apart from book festivals or other venues with a built-in audience, it only makes sense to plan events in places where we know enough people to throw a birthday party.
Every writer faces different hurdles when it comes to visibility. What aspect of book promotion has been most challenging for you personally, and how have you navigated that part of the process?
One of my favorite drag queens calls herself Heidi in Closet. (She has a huge following.) Writers tend to be the people hiding in a corner at the party, watching and secretly taking notes, maybe speculating with a friend about the lives around us. Women, especially, have been taught not to take up space. I prefer to talk about other people’s books and expect to continue putting most of my energy into my writing and my teaching, but now I have an idea of where my priorities are and know that it’s okay to admit that I wrote a book and would like its natural readers to know it exists.