What are friends to writers?
When we were still in the writing process, we thought producing a story we could be happy with was the hardest part.
Then we moved on to the querying trenches, and we decided that this was a lot more difficult than just writing a story.
Finally, we got to publish the book, and then we assumed everything was over.
In reality, this was only the beginning. Writing a book is one thing, but getting people to discover and read it is another. There is only so much a publisher can do to support you. So, after the querying trenches, we stepped uncertainly onto the path of communication and marketing… the longest and most treacherous journey a writer needs to take.
You don’t want to take this long and winding road alone. This is precisely where having friends makes a difference.
Friends who read it first
When we first finished writing and rewriting The Dead Shadow, it felt like finally being able to share the story with others, but with whom? Who are the others?
We read it to ourselves, judging and criticising until we were mostly satisfied with the manuscript. The story was redrafted many times before we could even bring ourselves to send it to agents. But even then, the actual chance of getting read is minimal, which is both frustrating and reassuring.
So when the chance arose to talk about our hobbies and the things we enjoyed doing, we mentioned to our friends that we had written a book. They asked if they could read it, which felt amazing. But we didn’t want to put them in a position where they’d be forced to read it whole if they didn’t like it. So, we sent the first few chapters and waited. Barely a few days later, our friends asked for the rest of the story.
Our first real readers were our friends, and this means a lot.
Friends who cheer for you
Deciding to get your book published, no matter which path you take, is no small feat. It’s a massive decision, and more importantly, it’s about accepting that you’ll be revealing parts of you that people have never seen before. Naturally, why should you care if it’s people you don’t know?
But revealing it to friends and family is another kettle of fish. It can change the perception people have of you. Besides, even if it doesn’t, it still changes the friendship dynamics. You’ll be talking about your book together now, the same way the first parents in a group of friends talk about their baby. Even when you’re trying not to take control of the conversation, talking about the book is natural, as it occupies most of your waking hours.
Not everyone wants to take an interest in your book, and that is perfectly fair. Why should they? They have their lives too. We’re incredibly lucky to have wonderful friends who take a genuine interest in the book and who even go above and beyond to mention it to their own social circle.
Friends who come to your events
Attending our first writers’ event was a fantastic experience. We truly didn’t know what to expect from a book fair. It was intimidating as well. The venue was relatively small and intimidating, so visitors focused on the few stands by the door before heading back out at first.
The Dead Shadow stand was at one end of the room, and while we had a huge banner to be visible, human nature doesn’t naturally wander away from the known path, that known path being the stands directly next to the main entrance.
Some authors were also already somewhat famous, compared to us, so we didn’t really know how to approach the book fair to make the most of it. It’s not like you can force visitors to take an interest in what you’ve got to say when they’ve never met you before. So, things were relatively quiet and lonely until our friends turned up.
They came bearing gifts, from sweet collations to survive until the end of the day to a small, handmade saucepan to promote the book. More importantly, they stood in front of our stand and started talking and cheering. We were already excited to be at our first book fair, but seeing friends get out of their way to be there with us was the most amazing gift.
Besides, they made so much noise that other visitors assumed we were famous, and everyone started to queue at our stand afterwards!
Being a writer is not a walk in the park, of course, but being a writer with friends who are supportive, interested, and as dedicated to the success of the book as we are is a magical experience. There’s no doubt in my mind that without our friends, The Dead Shadow wouldn’t have made it that far already. So, to our lovely friends, thank you very much for being awesome.
