A Timeline of Book Development, Part 3
My book progress from marketing to publishing to launching the book
It’s been a month since Recovering from Purity Culture released! In some ways, it feels like a year. I am very glad to have this book out into the world now and to share it with you all.
Today in A Timeline of Book Development, Part 3, I will share about the marketing, publishing, and launching phases of book development.
In A Timeline of Book Development, Part 1, I shared my progress from first book idea to formal conceptualization.
In Part 2, I outlined my book process from finishing and pitching the book proposal, signing a contract, and actually writing and editing the book.
Let’s finish with Part 3 today! I hope you’re curious!
Summer 2024: I created pre-order bonuses including a discussion guide, workbook, and guided meditation videos. I started a list of potential podcasts, speaking opportunities, and other writers and friends to share about the book. I recorded the audiobook, which almost didn’t happen and was quite an ordeal to schedule because I had to travel to Nashville to do it. (Read about my decision-making process and how I set boundaries and honored my values in this post.) I ended up LOVING the process of recording, though! I got through the whole recording in two days (they had planned for four) and didn’t have to go back for edits (which they had scheduled a fifth day for), and I had a lot of fun narrating and bringing my words to life.
If you pre-ordered my book, you got the audiobook for free, so I hope you enjoy listening to my voice! If not, no worries! You can still get the audiobook here.
September 2024: I went into full-time marketing mode, creating daily social media content, sending emails, launching preorder campaigns, scheduling podcasts and live interviews with friends and authors, and planning speaking events and guest articles. I recorded anywhere from two to five interviews per week.
As I was told to expect, although the publisher provides some marketing and publicity support (mostly on the behind-the-scenes stuff like making sure people can purchase the book!), the main job of sharing the book with an audience was mine. This was a lot to juggle in addition to maintaining my private practice and caring for my family, but parts of it were really enjoyable too. My daughter started Kindergarten and I made it a priority to be there for her first days of school, walking her to and from school some days and being home after school a couple of days a week.
I unboxed the final copies of the book this month. I got to read the dedication to my husband and kids and share my children’s excitement that Mommy wrote a book!
Watch the video of my unboxing and reading the dedication to my kids here:
I also began my launch team with about 80 dedicated readers! I hosted a virtual book club for five weeks and each week, we had about 20-25 people show up live for a great discussion!
Meeting for our book club and talking through the book was a surreal experience for me. It is surreal to have someone read and respond to the words you wrote, edited, and refined over the past 1.5-2 years and know they resonate with it. My goal in my writing and my work is always to validate, challenge, and empower you. Sharing this time with my launch team let me know that this book makes readers feel seen, heard, and not alone. And it leaves them with hope and tools for healing. The time with my launch team and our book club was truly the most meaningful part of this book launch process. Shout-out to my launch team, my friends and fellow purity culture survivors.
October 2024:
The actual launch week was a mix of normal (I worked, picked up my kids from school, and did the usual) and exciting. I had so much fun at my webinar and virtual launch party hosted by Sheila Gregoire and Rebecca Lindenbach (get the recording here)! We had so many people register that I had to upgrade my Zoom five minutes before!
The book hit #1 New Release and #1 Best Seller in the Gender & Sexuality in Religious Studies category on Amazon! It was exciting to be on one small best seller list!
On the release day, I went to Barnes & Noble with my family to sign my book in the store. Unfortunately it wasn’t on the shelf yet, but I signed one of the copies they ordered. I’m still looking forward to seeing it on a shelf soon! Here is a video I made about my release day:
I continued my Virtual Book Tour with lots of IG Lives, podcast interviews, and press. In case you missed them, check out some of my interviews with Jenai Auman, Dr. Julie Hanks, and Dr. Celeste Holbrook; podcasts with Speaking Our Minds, Enneagram + Marriage, Bare Marriage, The Best of You, and Broken to Beloved; guest posts for Liturgies for Parents, Meredith Anne Miller, and Beth Allison Barr; and features in Religion News Service and Katelyn Beaty’s The Beaty Beat.
The Friday after release, I had a book release party in Knoxville with my friends and family. I had been looking forward to this party all year! Once you’re a grown up, there’s not many ways to celebrate and throw yourself a party, so this was it for me! The party was just what I wanted, complete with a cake with the book cover, a charcuterie spread, a red dress with a big flower on my shoulder (because when else?), and a book reading and signing. I shared the dedication and acknowledgements to my husband and daughter (baby boy stayed home!) and my parents and friend from college, Sarah Beth, even drove in from out of town to be there.
So much gratitude for this journey I’ve been on and everyone who was there to support and celebrate me.
Thanks for letting me share about the book process from first idea to final celebration!
What questions do you have about the book marketing and publishing process?
If you’ve read and enjoyed my book, would you consider sharing it in one of the following ways?
Sharing a picture of the book, graphic, or personal word of recommendation on social media, tagging @drcamden
Featuring a review, excerpt, or interview on your Substack, blog, or email newsletter
Hosting me on your podcast or IG Live