The First-Time Author's Journey: Marketing, Expectations, and Surprises

the bookish brand with rachel werner

Like many milestones, the lead-up to a debut book release often isn’t as dreamy as writers imagine. My seventh book was released in January, and I still don’t know what to expect—how much buzz may arise (or not), what the ‘right’ amount of digital promotion is, or whether public readings will happen. I did visit two schools—one before release, one a month after—but that’s been an exception in my experience as a published author. 

That’s why setting realistic expectations for your debut book is key to preserving the excitement of finishing a first draft, signing with an agent, or selling a manuscript. So author Daniel Tam-Claiborne graciously agreed to be interviewed about how he is currently navigating the final countdown to his book release —a process filled with excitement, trepidation…and more than one sleepless night.

His debut novel, Transplants, a finalist for the 2023 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, is forthcoming from Regalo Press (Simon & Schuster) this spring. He is also the author of short-story collection What Never Leaves and his writing has appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, Catapult, Literary Hub, and elsewhere.
 

How did your debut novel evolve from its initial conception to publication?

“I studied Mandarin in college, and after graduating, I took a two-year fellowship teaching English in rural China. Before I left, I assumed the whole experience would be a chance to finally come to terms with my mixed race Chinese American identity. But living in China's countryside challenged everything I thought I knew. Despite my best efforts at assimilating—marked by my passport and appearance—I remained a perpetual foreigner. Confronted with a new feeling of displacement, on what felt like the edge of the world, I wrote. I wrote, as Dean Bakopoulos says, what I needed to write to stay alive.

Although it’s been over a decade since I left that rural town in China, the friendships and experiences have never left me. The genesis for writing Transplants came from that simple question: How far can an unexpected friendship change two people’s lives? And—in light of more recent events—what is the obligation we have to one another in a world that has been upended?

I began writing the novel in earnest in 2019 and continued drafting all throughout the beginning of the pandemic. My MFA supervisor and friend, Lauren Groff, encouraged me to trust the process, even though it was terrifying to be writing about events that were still very much unfolding. I was lucky to spend much of 2021 in Taiwan on a Fulbright scholarship to finish a complete draft. I began querying agents in 2022 and, after a year on submission, signed with Regalo Press in 2023 for a May 2025 debut.”

What are you most apprehensive about in regard to this book launch?

“I’m an anxious person generally, but the book publishing process has tipped that anxiety to a whole other level. Perhaps I’d be better off answering what isn’t giving me apprehension about the debut book launch! That said, I would say the biggest source of apprehension is how the novel will be received.

Today, relations between the U.S. and China are at a historic low; fully 80% of Americans now have a negative view of China, the highest level in Pew Research Center’s recorded history. China bashing seems to be one of the very few issues that has bipartisan support in Congress. And this escalating tension is hardly one-sided; 45% of Chinese see American power and influence as a major threat to their country. The pandemic has only fueled this antagonism: anti-Chinese sentiment has grown in this country alongside a parallel rise in anti-foreign attitudes in China.

Writing a book that humanizes the people at the heart of this bilateral relationship increasingly feels political. I hope readers will take away a newfound appreciation for these two countries I call home and illuminate the possibilities of what can happen when we truly open ourselves up to other cultures.”

Do you have an agent? If so, how did you first connect? 

“I’m very lucky to have an agent, Chad Luibl at Janklow & Nesbit, whose tireless advocacy and dedication made the publication of this novel possible! We met very surreptitiously. While I was beginning the querying process for Transplants, I received a cold email from Chad after he had seen the list of recipients of the 2022 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship. Having served as an intern in the Literature Department at the NEA and probably sensing that mine was the only unagented name amidst much more established (and agented) writers, he wrote to ask if I’d already found representation and whether or not he could see my next work. We quickly bonded over having both taught English overseas and he was the first to make an offer after having read my full manuscript.”

What marketing tactics are you using before the book’s release?

“Prioritizing! There is so much in the publishing process that falls to the writer, and it’s impossible to do it all. Some main areas include:

  • Online presence: website, socials, newsletter
  • Media: Reviews, interviews (radio, podcast, magazine), book lists
  • Events: Tour, festivals, speaking engagements, book clubs
  • Original work: Excerpts, op-eds, essays
  • Awards: Regional, national, genre-based
  • Special/Passion Projects

Focus on what you have control over and make a publicity plan that reflects your strengths and your goals for you book launch.

Mental fortitude and endurance! Book publishing is a long game, and taking breaks for your mental health is crucial. I’ve committed to a digital Sabbath every Saturday and multiple days of social media detoxes each week so I don’t devolve into doom scrolling.

Celebrate the wins! Not everything will go as planned, but taking stock of what went right (and thanking the people who got you there) will go a long way towards being able to see the process in a more positive light.”

How do you cultivate community with other authors?

“One of my great joys is as a conversation partner (some recent highlights include Lauren Groff, Garth Greenwell, and Eddie Ahn), and I've been so fortunate to have worked with a number of local lit orgs to organize events for writer friends stopping through as part of their West Coast tours. If you’re planning to come through Seattle, hit me up!”

Daniel Tam-Claiborne is a 2022 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellow and has received support from the U.S. Fulbright Program, Kundiman, and others. Daniel holds degrees from Oberlin College, Yale University, and the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.

Daniel also shared additional key insights about finding an agent, securing a traditional book deal and more in a video interview this month that is a web exclusive for Lit!Commons subscribers.