My First Novel Was a New York Times Bestseller. I’m Self-Publishing My Third Novel Today. | Jane Friedman

By the time The Bookseller released in 2015, Harper had been throwing around the marketing and PR muscle that every author dreams of. They sent out hundreds of advance review copies. They got reviews in major trades, arranged interviews, pitched the book diligently to booksellers in hopes of seeing it make the Indie Next list (which it did), and ran strategically placed ads. For my part, I hired an outside publicist to help me with social media, because I knew exactly zero about building a platform. I cultivated a loyal following, particularly among book clubs. Librarians and booksellers wanted to get to know me-and with my foot in those doors, I fostered now-longstanding relationships with both groups. None of that turned me into a household name, but it was significantly more than a middle-aged, unknown author from Denver would have ever expected.

It also gave me a sense of having "made it." By all appearances, I had. My agent sold international rights in eighteen countries. For a few glorious weeks, The Bookseller was on the New York Times bestseller list. Julia Roberts's production company, Red Om, came calling, and I happily signed an option agreement.

Easy street, right?