{"id":7043704,"date":"2026-08-22T09:46:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T09:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/animal\/reflections-giveaways-and-how-you-can-help-for-the-love-of-dog\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T09:46:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T09:46:21","slug":"reflections-giveaways-and-how-you-can-help-for-the-love-of-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7043704","title":{"rendered":"Reflections, Giveaways, and How You Can Help “For the Love of Dog”"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

When I started writing FOR THE LOVE OF DOG<\/a>, it wasn\u2019t called that yet, and it was nothing more than a handful of notes about the human-dog bond scribbled in the early hours of the morning.<\/p>\n

Violet was two years old. Astrid was three months. Little did I know, we were a couple weeks away from the pandemic. <\/p>\n

Once everything shut down, I set my notes aside because my hands were full of other things.<\/p>\n

But it kept calling to me. <\/p>\n

So, I set my alarm for 5 am each morning and chipped away at words until one or both tiny humans awoke. <\/p>\n

This was the mood board I created when I was drafting, and I pinned this with a pic of the boys above my desk:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Between 2020 and my book coming out in September 2025, I wrote and rewrote it six times. I pitched agents and took calls with potential partners. My agent pitched publishers. The publishing process was a roller coaster. And, now, here we are. Almost one year after the book finally came out. <\/p>\n

Now, as I approach the one-year anniversary of FOR THE LOVE OF DOG, I\u2019m reflecting on everything I\u2019ve learned and how different the reality of publishing looks from the outside.<\/p>\n

4 Things I Didn\u2019t Know About Publishing Before I Published a Book<\/h2>\n

Because I didn\u2019t fully understand these until I had a book on the market!<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Unless you\u2019re John Green or Rebecca Yarros, the marketing is on you. <\/strong>Outreach to indie bookstores, event planning, and promotion fall squarely on the writer\u2019s shoulders.<\/li>\n
  2. Returning a book costs the author money.<\/strong> As in, the big \u201cread and return\u201d trend on social media? Every time someone reads a book and returns it to the bookstore, the author has to pay for the return out of his or her royalties. <\/li>\n
  3. Reviews matter more than almost anything else<\/strong>. Amazon<\/a>, Goodreads<\/a>, Barnes and Noble<\/a>, StoryGraph<\/a>\u2026 wherever you read books, the reviews factor into the algorithm of that platform for when\/if you\u2019re shown. Unfortunately, Amazon\u2019s reviews and to a lesser extent Goodreads\u2019 reviews help drive sales of books, too. <\/li>\n
  4. The timeline to profitability is long. <\/strong>Authors don\u2019t get paid until they\u2019ve either earned out their advance or earned out their portion of the expenses in a profit-sharing deal. So, as I near my book birthday, I still haven\u2019t made anything. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    And if I\u2019m being very honest, I\u2019m feeling kind of blue about a lot of this. However, I\u2019m not one to wallow. I\u2019m revising my marketing plan and developing a more robust PR plan. In the meantime, I\u2019m also planning on giving away copies, just for fun and to celebrate. <\/p>\n

    Want to Help Celebrate? <\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Leave a review!<\/strong> Seriously, this is THE BIGGEST thing that can help an author. It\u2019s the make-or-break of book sales.<\/li>\n
    2. Request it at your local library:<\/strong> Most libraries have a simple online request form. It costs you nothing, but supports both the book and community access!<\/li>\n
    3. Give a copy as a gift:<\/strong> Consider picking up a paperback, ebook, or audiobook for the dog lover in your life.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Here\u2019s how I\u2019m planning on structuring the giveaways (please note this is the draft version so subject to change):<\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. 3 books on Instagram following the \u2018gram\u2019s super specific giveaway rules + another 2 copies once I hit 2,000 followers<\/li>\n
      2. 3 books on Facebook, probably for a photo contest <\/li>\n
      3. 3 books here on OMD, likely with a Raffle widget<\/li>\n
      4. 3 books on Substack<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Other opportunities<\/h2>\n
          \n
        • If you know anyone who hosts a TV show or podcast, I\u2019m free to talk anytime! \ud83d\ude42<\/li>\n
        • Same for bookstores! Or libraries! I\u2019ve done tons of library visits this year and will make time for as many as will host me!<\/li>\n
        • A READING GUIDE!<\/strong> Someone at a library this past weekend asked me for one. She wanted to share it with her book club. It had never occurred to me to make a reading guide, so I\u2019m outlining it this week and should have it ready soon. Want a copy? Want to share it with your book club? Want me to call into your book club or visit in person? Leave a comment!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n

          Thank you so much for being here and supporting this journey from my 5 AM scribbles to real bookshelves. Have you read the book yet? What questions do you have about the publishing process?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

          \n<\/div>\n