"And Special Thanks Go To...."

by Gwen Cooper — June 13, 2007

My agent called yesterday with the news that my novel has officially gone into a second printing. This essentially means that the original number of books my publisher anticipated would be sold over the course of the novel's "lifespan" has already been exceeded by reader and bookstore demand. For those of you unfamiliar with the extent to which first-time novelists are generally ignored by both the press and the reading public, I can only compare the feeling of receiving such a phone call with the feeling one might have upon learning that the dream job you never thought you'd really get has just been offered to you.

I've spent a lot of time in this blog writing about my boyfriend Robert rather than to him, so I hope you'll indulge me if I take a moment to thank him here. Robert and I were friends for several years before we started dating, and we started dating about a week after my novel came out. To say that I haven't exactly been easy to live with since the book came out would be an understatement. If there's one piece of advice I would offer to any aspiring authors who happen to be reading this blog, it's that promoting your new book has to be a full-time job. Unless you're one of those rare rock stars in the publishing world--who's written something that's all but guaranteed to get a ton of press even if you're not trying very hard--you can't count on your publisher or anybody else to get the word out there for you. It's not that publishers don't care about the books they publish (or they wouldn't publish them). But think about this for a moment: Between 300 and 400 new books are published every single day. Publishers don't have the resources to promote that many books effectively, and reviewers don't have nearly the space to cover them all--or even 90 percent of them all.

But, as my grandmother used to say, God helps those who help themselves. If you thought your work ended the day you submitted your final manuscript to your publisher, you thought wrong. You have to be an active partner with your publisher in getting press for your book--probably even a partner who does much more than half the work. And doing so will be hell on your relationships. You will be moody, preoccupied, and busier than you ever dreamed possible. Money will be tight. Close involvement in the daily lives of your friends and loved ones will be, temporarily at least, a distant memory.

But, if you're extraordinarily lucky, you will have the love and support of someone who not only puts up with you but is proud and supportive and as eager for your success as you are. He'll help you formulate strategies and research outlets that might cover your book, and he'll listen with unswerving patience while you complain for the millionth freaking time about the "evil Nazi fucks at [INSERT NAME OF PUBLICATION THAT WON'T REVIEW YOUR BOOK] who wouldn't know worthwhile writing if it bit them on the ass!"

I have been fortunate enough to have such a man in my life for the past two months. With all the ups and downs of these recent weeks, and the further ups and downs undoubtedly to come (hey--just because my publisher's printing more books, that doesn't mean anybody will actually, like, buy them), Robert has remained a staunch and loving ally. Best of all, he makes me laugh every day. There's only so rough that a rough patch feels when you're with somebody who can make you laugh about it. And the ability to laugh is what gives me the strength to get up after a particularly disappointing day and push forward as if no setbacks had ever occurred.

I love you, baby. And I thank you.

Gwen Cooper is the author of Diary of a South Beach Party Girl, recently published by Simon & Schuster. To read all of Gwen Cooper's posts in "The Dating Life," click here.