The Two Worlds of Being an Author by Susan Keller

By Susan Keller

I wrote my second book, Mostly Sober: A Love Story and a Road Trip for the thirty-four percent of Americans who drink every night and worry about it. “Mommy wine” is a very real concern. My hope is that Mostly Sober will captivate, educate, and motivate the hundreds of thousands of readers who want—and need—to moderate their drinking but who don’t require the rigid rules and wrenching confessions required in AA. It’s also a feel-good love story and a family saga.

Mostly Sober was released in August, 2024. Marketing is a long game.

I worked hard to get publicity, especially in local media and health and wellness journals. I queried 37 journals and newspapers and got covered in six. 

This lackluster response confused me. As my protagonist is determined to reduce consumption of alcohol, I expected robust coverage. Not so much. 

I had a similar response from people I know personally. Several of them—who like to drink—haven’t bought or even mentioned my book. I think they found it judgmental. As if I was telling them they were doing something wrong and needed to change. That was never my intention.

I queried eight hosts and got invited to be interviewed on four podcasts. I really enjoyed the experience and the podcast audiences were my target readers. The result in book sales was mediocre. Again, I was confused. 

Under Attack

There were two responses to Mostly Sober that shocked me. Recently, I encountered a woman I hadn’t seen in years. She went on and on about the books she was writing. When she finally asked me what I was doing, I told her the title of my recently released novel. 

That set her off.

She barraged me with her credentials as a therapist who worked with addicted clients. Eventually, I got a word in about the spectrum of drinkers: That not everyone who might overindulge suffers from Alcohol Use Disorder. This descriptor has replaced the outdated term “alcoholic.” She interrupted to say there was no spectrum. There are “normal” drinkers and alcoholics. That’s it. 

She quashed the entire purpose of my book: To help people moderate or minimize their alcohol intake. Okay, people who are physically addicted cannot become moderate drinkers. Physical addiction is key. Many drinkers have a thought problem regarding alcohol, not a physical dependence. We think and feel we need a drink, but there are no withdrawals if we don’t get it. We might be cranky for a short time, but we don’t end up in the E.R.

The second abusive response I got was a one-star Amazon review where I was personally attacked for the scientifically proven statement that many people—with the proper help—can moderate or minimize alcohol consumption. 

Here’s the review: 

Don’t believe a word in this book.

Susan is out to make money selling her book to a very vulnerable population. Alcoholics! They are searching for an easier softer way to lick their alcohol problem. Go to an AA meeting, it’s free and has worked for millions of people. Sorry to see Susan taking advantage of people.

This cutting review is a dated perspective that ignores the science-based help available today and puts everyone into a “normal drinker or alcoholic” bucket, which is simply not the case. Also, the data on AA’s success isn’t consistent or reliable. 

While I’m not going to identify who left this scathing review, he runs his own program to treat alcoholics. He is the one benefitting from people’s pain and pushing sobriety onto people who may not need an all-or-nothing approach.

I’m Struggling

Right now, I’m struggling with marketing Mostly Sober. My marketing plan includes: 

• Audio Book Production
• Articles Published in Health and Wellness Journals 
• Podcast Guest Appearances
• Increase in Book Reviews
• Book Club Invitations
• Posts to Alcohol Minimization FB Groups 
• LI Posts
• Emails to My 700 Connections
• Instagram Posts
• Presentations to Target Audiences 

I have this list on an Excel Spreadsheet where I keep monthly track of my progress toward annual goals. I’ve got a long way to go. Am I trying too much? I’m not sure. 

Writing Versus Marketing

As a writer, you know how different these two activities are. But marketing requires writing—good, creative writing—to a target audience. That keeps me going because it is the bridge between the two worlds of being an author. 

Sometimes, marketing makes me think: Why am I doing this? When we spend countless hours on a book that we believe in, we want people to be captivated, to be helped, even changed. I don’t want to work in a vacuum. Does any writer? I doubt it. 

So, where does the solution lie? Well, I’m going to keep writing and marketing. I’m working on a third book titled Agnes Redpath. It is a novel about a Native American woman and what she endured in the 20th Century. I love the story, the humanity of the characters, and the environment. My hope is that the book will bring awareness of this woman’s struggle and soul. 

Don’t stop what you are doing. Don’t judge your success or failure. Keep loving your characters, your story, and your wonderful writer’s life. 

All the best to you and your stunning efforts. 

—

After earning a degree in Public Health and Immunology, Susan enjoyed a 30-year career as an award-winning medical writer. Additionally, her poetry won prizes in regional and national contests. This background in science and poetry gives her writing credibility as well as lyricism.

Susan’s experience overcoming a rare and frequently fatal lymphoma inspired her to write Blood Brother: A Memoir. The subhead: Johnny’s bone marrow could save my life, but he’d vanished 30 years ago.

Her second book, Mostly Sober: A Love Story and a Road Trip, is a genre-blend of romance and self-help. It is a deeply human narrative centered around the sober-curious movement and will help and resonate with the millions of Americans determined to reduce their drinking.

Susan lives in the Bay Area with her husband, Daniel.

Learn more about Susan Keller’s books at www.susankeller.com 

MOSTLY SOBER: A LOVE STORY AND A ROAD TRIP

Annie strives for perfection, but that impossible pursuit makes her seek solace in alcohol.

At age twelve, Annie’s alcoholic father abandoned her. Since then, she has pushed herself toward excellence in a vain attempt to win back his love. As a twenty-seven-year-old medical student, she finds relief from crushing debt, exhaustion, and loneliness in a bottle.

During a much-needed break from med school, Annie falls passionately in love with Dean, a smart and sexy fireman. But when she is unable to answer his marriage proposal—out of fear that he will discover her affair with alcohol—she knows she must face the ghosts of her past and change. This awakening happens on a grueling, four-day road trip with her estranged mother, her clinically depressed stepfather, and a tranquilized cat.

Can she stop her secret drinking and become the woman Dean thinks he proposed to?

Inspired by her own infatuation with alcohol, Susan Keller crafts a compelling depiction of the rocky road faced by those who aren’t alcoholics but who yearn to know what life is like freed from a daily drinking habit. And, for anyone who’s sober-curious and is searching for a way to moderate or minimize their consumption, Mostly Sober: A Love Story and a Road Trip contains an expansive Resource Section that will help readers loosen alcohol’s seductive grip.

This is the story of one woman’s journey toward health and honesty. It’s an adventurous ride.

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers