After getting into meetings with some of the top literary agents in the United States, I was told over and over again that in order to gain representation, I needed to drop the interactive elements of my novel. (Think Hunt-A-Killer games meet a Lucy Foley novel) Agents continually told me that a mystery novel couldn't also be a game because it was too unique of a target market. Personally, I felt very tied to the concept. I had never self-published before but I decided that my Fortune 100 Consulting project management experience and my experience as a fiction author could be the perfect expertise to create a commercial-level book and launch. Under this idea, I decided to self publish. Here's what happened next:

When I decided to self-publish my book, I took the project management piece extremely seriously over the course of three years.

Amongst the things I did:

- Developed a detailed report of what my target market looks like

- Read over seven developmental editing books and comparison titles to develop my story plot, pacing, and characters

- Sourced multiple beta readers including two bestselling mystery authors

- Edited the story based on feedback and against a developmental storyboard that I created

- Physically mapped character arcs to ensure the story was moving with their transformation rather than with the plot

- Connected with noteworthy professionals in the industry like Face Out Studio and negotiated deals for work for independent authors

- Learned three software to typeset and design the book's interior to a commercial level as a print book and eBook

- Took multiple classes on metadata, digital marketing, and Amazon advertising to ensure my novel would have digital visibility

- Sourced over 200 advance copy readers to read and review an electronic copy of the book

- Submitted the book to trade reviewers and earned rave reviews and a Kirkus Critical Recommendation

- Managed distributor relationships on multiple channels to guarantee the book's visibility on their retail platform

- Partnered with companies like Goodreads and Axios on advertising campaigns to support independent authors

- Connected with Tiktok and Instagram influencers and offered them a free copy of the book in exchange for a post

- Negotiated deals with brick-and-mortar bookstores to stock my You've Been Summoned for 6-month periods

- Hosted my first book signing event sponsored 100% by Half Price Books- Earned two print magazine interviews and features and one newspaper feature

You've Been Summoned came out on February 27th, 2024, and maintained #1 New Release status for over two weeks. The book has continued to sell online. My dream is to help other independent authors have the same experience.