I once had someone say to me, “Wow, that author you worked with really hit it big overnight.”I nearly spit out my coffee.
Overnight? Really?
Hardly.
What they didn’t see were the months of building relationships, refining the hook, showing up consistently, and saying yes to opportunities large and small. They didn’t see the stack of local interviews that created a ripple effect. They didn’t see the careful groundwork of interviews through tertiary and secondary tiers, the You Media and Social Media work that had to be done, which in time finally led to the moment when the big national outlets that the author coveted finally said “Yes.”
Hardly overnight.
But from the outside, it looked like an overnight success. And social media only adds to the illusion, because we usually see the glossy announcement, the splashy feature, or the exciting win. What we don’t see are the countless behind-the-scenes steps that made it possible.
Here’s the truth that some authors, who are hoping to be overnight sensations, may not want to hear: publicity is cumulative. Every interview, every pitch, every connection adds up. One outlet sees another covering you, and suddenly momentum builds. What looks like “sudden” visibility is really the tipping point of everything that came before.
There are no true overnight Media Darlings. There are authors who put in the time, show up with presence, and keep planting seeds until one day…the blooms are everywhere.
Bottom line
If you’re tempted to think you’re behind, or that nothing is happening fast enough, remember this. Your efforts are stacking. Your moment is coming. And when it does, people will call it “overnight.” But you and I will know the truth.
To your success!
Joanne
P.S. True overnight success? Only Amazon Prime can promise that. For the rest of us it’s more like this.
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