Like with so many worthwhile things, it really did take a village to publish and promote Chained Birds.
It feels more than appropriate, in this last blog post of the year, to reflect upon my 2024 publishing whirlwind and all the folks who helped bring Chained Birds into the world and shout it from the bleachers.
It was exactly one year ago, in December 2023, that I sold Chained Birds on proposal to WildBlue Press. (The proposal was a scant 78 double-spaced pages containing mainly an outline and a few sample chapters.) By January 2024, I had a signed book contract and one of those coveted Publishers Marketplace “Deal Reports” to share with my nascent social media following. (WildBlue Press didn’t care that I was a Facebook-X-Insta nobody!) And then the work really started.
I spent the first half of the year filling in the outline, and by June, I turned in a 110,000-word manuscript to my delightful, talented editor, Rowena Carenen. Fun fact: my book contract stipulated an 85,000-word book (because how can you tell before it’s written π€·ββοΈ ?), and WildBlue Press didn’t mind about the extra 25,000 words!
Then began a summer of final edits, book cover design, and marketing outreach to editorial reviewers, media, etc. My summer’s most exhaustive and satisfying project was recording the Chained Birds audiobook with Jeff King, a sound engineer at Baker Sound Studios in Philadelphia. All of these efforts paid off handsomely ahead of last month’s November 2024 launch. Glowing editorial reviews poured in prior to the release, and several of the reviewers awarded Chained Birds a trio of end-of-year book awards. I am ever grateful for the book’s reception, and still trying to catch my breath!
Thank you, publishing and industry-adjacent friends!
Along this road to publication, I’ve met so many kind, accomplished writers and brilliant industry folks whose advice and time spent on me and my book I can never repay. And I must begin with writer, podcaster and Friend of the Flock (as I like to call my besties and newsletter subscribers) David Gwyn, host of the Thriller 101 podcast. David is a fellow Philadelphian also trying to navigate the world of traditional publishing. Back in the fall of 2023, David plucked my Twitter/X “Dark Pit” book pitch out of obscurity and invited me to submit my first 500 manuscript words for possible inclusion on his show. For those who don’t know, David interviews tons of best-selling authors (plus an occasional debut) and literary agents to pick their brains for the best tips on how to write and get published.
I was on a self-publishing trajectory at the time β it would be two more months before I’d sell Chained Birds to WildBlue Press β and David’s outreach was the first time anyone in the industry saw potential merit in my story. As a nobody who wanted to publish a book, David’s small gesture, his simple request for some of my writing, was a huge confidence booster. This is why I consider David one of my besties (even if we don’t see each other much!) … and also because he so kindly interviewed me on his podcast ahead ofΒ Chained Birds’ launch. David’s show was my first podcast recording, and I’ve since appeared on eight others. What a blast it’s been chatting with so many fascinating radio show hosts and podcasters, and I’ll always appreciate getting to test those waters with David. You know what they say β you never forget your first podcast π
Last but not least, I want to acknowledge the writers I’ve met this year whose support and brain trust have contributed immensely to Chained Birds’ release. I’m talking about my 2024 Debut writer’s group of fellow traditionally published authors, which I wrote about in this post. And for in-person collaboration, it doesn’t get better than the lovely group of writers, authors, and mystery-crime-thriller fans that make up my local chapter of Sisters in Crime. Friendship, guidance, and support flow from both groups and my book and I have benefited greatly.
Luckily, I don’t expect 2025 to be so frenzied. I’ll continue to promote Chained Birds and start adding bonus book content to this blog in the way of Kevin Sanders’ artwork and extra stories, mostly of Kevin’s prison life. Newsletter subscribers will get first, exclusive access to the bonus content before it appears on my blog, so if that intrigues you, you can sign up for my newsletter here.
And then it’s on to the next book, another true crime story that I described in Chapter 17 of Chained Birds. Stay tuned for more details, including a photo of a “murder collage” spread out on my dining room table π±
Happy New Year, everyone! π₯³ π₯ π
Carla Conti is a true crime journalist, storyteller, and prison reform advocate. Her debut book, Chained Birds: A True Crime Memoir of Justice, Survival and Redemption Behind Bars, is out now with WildBlue Press.
