BOOK CLUB: Today at 11:00 a.m. Eastern, Courtney Maum talks launching her new novel, "Alan Opts Out"
Bestselling novelist, writing coach, and Substacker Courtney Maum today discusses navigating book publishing's choppy waters, and how she nourishes writing talent in her students
Join us right here at 11 a.m. Eastern, to talk with bestselling novelist Courtney Maum about the hoops she’s jumping through—and the opportunities she’s carving out—to launch her sixth novel, Alan Opts Out, to be published June 2. For one, the bestselling fiction writer and author of the popular Substack “Before and After the Book Deal” will share tidbits about the making of her latest, a light-hearted satirical novel in which uber-ambitious ad executive Alan Anderson’s pitch to represent the dairy industry totally flops, bringing his wife Vivian’s gradiose social aspirations to a crashing halt. Alan’s epic fail also prompts him to rethink his single-minded devotion to capitalism and its excesses, and vow to discard the consumerist trappings with which he and his family have surrounded themselves. Amid the billionaire oligarchs swarming our country, Maum’s fantasy of a return to a Waldenesque existence is thought-provoking summer fun.
We’ll also get an insider’s take from Maum on what happens after an author turns in her manuscript to her editor. There are all the revisions and decisions about everything from cover art to who will narrate the audio version of your book. Will you reach out for blurbs? Use the old author photo or spring for a new one? If you want to eschew airplane travel for your 15-city publicity tour, how will you get from city to city? In Maum’s case, by the way, she’s decided to turn it into cross-country road adventure. We’ll also chat about other books coming out in the next few months that we’re especially excited about, as it is the season for summer reading.
We hope you’ll come to today’s conversation at 11 a.m. Eastern with any questions you have about what goes on behind the scenes of a book launch. Is Maum nervous about how the novel will resonate? What is she taking with her on her road trip? Did our current politics inform her storyline? Do you harbor fantasies of checking out? Join us!
And let us know how you’re enjoying our June Ink Book Club selection, The Things We Never Say, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout, with whom we’ll sit down next month for a live conversation.
How to participate in the Book Club:
To participate in our meetings and author talks on Substack Live, join from your phone or tablet with the Substack app. You can also watch from your computer at The Ink, and comment and ask questions in our chat, but you won’t be able to join the live video discussion. Make sure you enable notifications, and when our meetings begin, you should receive an email alert; if you can’t find the message, check the notifications tab (the small bell-shaped icon to the upper right of the website or lower right of the app) at the time of the event to find a link.
Book Club meetings are open to paid subscribers to The Ink, so if you haven’t become part of our community, join us today!
What is on your TBR pile now?
Are you an aspiring writer? If so, are you in a writers’ group or enrolled in any writing programs or ever hired a writing coach?
Do you dream, as Maum’s protagonist Alan does, of downsizing and living a simpler life?
Have you had experienced any recent crises that, like Alan, that led you to make some major lifestyle changes? Share with us.
While you won’t had the opportunity yet to read Maum’s latest, will you join in anyway to hear Courtney’s thoughts on the current publishing landscape? Let us know!
photo of Courtney Maum by Michelle Gevint
Fun conversation, Leigh. TY.
I always wanted to know the process in the publishing company between author and publisher. This should be an interesting conversation, Leigh. And thank you for listening to our community of readers. To give us a heads up our next book in advance.