A televangelist, a wellness influencer, and an English major walk into a bar ...

On publicity and publishing with the brilliant author of BE WELL, Sarah Flocken

Last summer, I left my one-year-old daughter for the first time to enjoy a restorative weekend away with the West Viginia Creative Network literary arts fellows in Princeton, West Virginia.

Though our agenda was full of workshops, mentoring sessions, and open mic nights (not to mention the pumping schedule I was still fitting in), I did have several hour-long pockets of free time for my own writing.

And it was during one of these slots that I stumbled upon Leigh Stein’s brilliant promo push: for the price of preordering 10 copies of her book If You’re Seeing This It’s Meant For You, I would receive access to her class Hype House (all about building an online author platform).

I’d long been a follower of Leigh’s commentary on the publishing industry (her take on memoir having a harder time in the market because so many personal essays were being “published” in the captions of social media photos was, I thought, just so smart).

With my own book launching later that year, I knew I needed to figure out how to use social media as a marketing tool.

I didn’t want to become an influencer. I didn’t want to parade my entire personal life on the internet.

(I wrote a memoir about really vulnerable topics, sure, but believe it or not, the narratives in my memoir are only a very particular slice of my life).

Leigh’s class promised to teach reluctant social media users how to use online platforms to advance their authorship. Her offering absolutely spoke to my own pain points — and that of many writers. The class sold out quickly. Her book hit the USA Today bestseller list (likely, in some part, due to this brilliant preorder strategy). And taking Hype House was one of the highlights of my season.

I met the brilliant Sarah Flocken in that class.

We “found” one another in a spreadsheet where we each filled out information about our personal/writing interests. Sarah and I (along with the wonderful Elizabeth Kaye Cook and Melanie Jennings) all had evangelical backgrounds, and we soon developed a pod where we discuss writing, publishing, and publicity. We call ourselves the “Church Goirls.”

Sarah and I have both written books that discuss the intersection of religion and wellness. Be Well follows a character fleeing from a high-control system, only to find themselves drawn to the supposed-sanctuary of a new one.

The entire book rings so true as it explores the idea that what we run away from is often precisely what we find (except, perhaps, with different dressing or a new flavor).

Be Well has major Melissa Broder vibes (that is to say it is absurd! audacious! bold! with plenty of heart!)

And the main character (a recently graduated English major) spends much of the book looking for employment just after the Great Recession — the perfect time in history to graduate as an English major! (ask me how I know).

The 2010, recession-core aesthetic was so nostalgic, and it made me remember my early 20s so viscerally (American Beauty, afternoon dorm room showings of the Devil Wears Prada, sock buns)

Sarah’s day job is in publicity. I asked her if she’d be willing to share how she’s using her expertise to market her own book — and she graciously agreed!

So without further ado — here’s some publicity wisdom from Sarah Flocken 👏👏👏

Anna: There was so much I related to in Be Well. The part I connected with most personally was that the narrator is an English major who can’t find a job. I, too, was an English major, graduating right after the Great Recession, and I remember my own job search desperation. I would assume that part of the story is based, at least a bit, on personal experience. And today, you’re a traditionally published author and a publicist. How did you finally break into the career you have today?

Sarah: Oh man, on the one hand I am so glad you found my protagonist relatable. On the other hand, I’m so sorry that you find my protagonist relatable! It’s definitely a massive shock to learn that the path you’ve been told leads to a successful adulthood includes a ton of scrambling–even more so for those of us who came of age after an economy we barely understood completely tanked.

The career I have today can be best described as “an ongoing project,” since life has taught me that there is no finish line. This isn’t a doomerist view of the world, actually. It’s one of the more hopeful lessons I’ve picked up since graduating college. Everybody is constantly figuring it out as they go, and anyone who seems to have truly “made it” is probably paddling furiously underneath the surface.

I broke into being a publicist with my own company (SLH Communications) when I was forced to figure out my next career move after relocating back to California in 2017. I’d always known I wanted to run my own business, but up until that point, I hadn’t had the courage to ask the questions, do the awkward networking, and learn the skills required to keep one going.

I broke into being a traditionally published author by:

1.) giving up perfectionism and being patient, i.e. sticking with my book project even through the times I felt like it was terrible and I should give up, and

2.) being extremely tenacious and stubborn when it came time to query agents.

All this to say: write whenever you can, don’t be afraid to let the first draft suck, and if I haven’t said it clearly enough already, be stubborn. You are going to hear the words “no” a lot. All it takes is one “yes” to open doors and start the process of getting a book out into the world.

A: Your day job is in publicity. How has that background informed your promotional decisions for Be Well? Are there things you are absolutely, without a doubt doing to promote your book? Are there things that you’re skipping because you know there isn’t much ROI?

S: I will be the first to admit that my background as a PR professional has propelled me to put an enormous amount of pressure on myself when it comes to promoting my book. At the same time, I have to remind myself that while I know a lot about communications strategy for a number of industries, I am my first book publicity client.

The things that I am really leaning into are earned media, promoting myself for podcast interviews, Q&As like this, and guest essays. I’m obviously doing everything I can on the social media front, but there’s so much noise out there. Through my experience promoting the comedy pun contest show I host, San Diego Pundemonium, I know that actually telling people about it one-on-one is what actually gets people in the door/sells more reliably. That’s why I’m taking every opportunity I can to do in-person book events, whether that’s at a bookstore, a festival, or talking to a book club.

I’m also leveraging my improv/comedy network, and working on fun new ways to promote my book as a guest in various friends’ improv shows. Stay tuned for that! I’ll obviously post about those things on my TikTok and Instagram.

Finally, I have my launch team, which is a list of amazing, wonderful people who have agreed to take on a series of tasks to hype Be Well to their own networks and communities. I cannot thank them enough.

One thing I’m avoiding–and this might be kind of controversial–is paid book influencer partnerships. These people, as lovely as they might be, don’t know me, and might not have the creative flavor I can provide while talking about my book. Plus, like I said before, social media is noisy, and I just can’t see a ton of ROI in paid social media partnerships just yet.

A: Now that your book is almost out, what is something that has pleasantly surprised you about the publication process? What is something you would warn other emerging writers to watch out for?

S: Honestly, what pleasantly surprised me the most is how much input I got on the cover design, being with a small publisher. People are also very kind when I ask thousands of dumb questions about how this whole thing works because this is my first time doing this!

Something I would warn other emerging writers to watch out for is comparing yourself upward. Yes, someone else might have gotten a bigger deal with a bigger imprint, but they’re not you.

They will likely face different challenges! Instead, compare yourself to you before your book became reality. I try to tell myself that every book I sell is one more book than I ever would have thought I’d have sold six years ago.

A: Do you have any practical advice for a writer who is hoping to publish their first book?

S: Write and let the first draft suck. Rewrite. Don’t be afraid of feedback or revision. Know that you will always be able to come up with new ideas, and you can always make a manuscript better in ways that you never thought possible before you tried.

Also, take an improv class. It’s a fantastic way to train your brain in “if this, then what?” thinking that helps you outline a coherent plot.

Finally, don’t stop. The world needs more people creating things with their own brains and hands. Be one of those people.

Now, go preorder Sarah’s smart and absurdly funny novel, BE WELL

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