In this conversation, Hayley explained what happened next, the impact that had on her, how she kept going and didn’t give up, and where she finds herself now, as well as sharing her approach to her Instagram account in a way that made me giddy with excitement.
This free to watch chat (it will go behind the paywall at the end of the month) is part of a series of interviews with a range of authors working in different genre and niches, as well as with people who work in the book world. The intention with the interviews is to share experiences and insights into publishing and marketing books that might help you make decisions about your future, or might reassure you about where you’re currently at.
I’m especially interested in talking to authors who’ve self-driven their book’s marketing in whatever way, so let me know if you think there’s someone I should be talking to.
You can browse the full list of guest speakers here. The last interview was with the brilliant indie Romance author and in February I’m going to be speaking with , author of two non-fiction books, with a third coming out in 2027. To come along Live to that call, plus enjoy a host of other benefits, upgrade your subscription to become a member of TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM.
I find Hayley’s flavour of Instagram - all quirky interests and genuine passions, think hand-driers, live music, and cheesy Christmas movies - absolutely charming and we talked at length about how showing up authentically has led her to develop and be part of a deeply invested core community of people who are raring to go and bat for her when her book comes out.
Hayley also shared how she finds joy in using Instagram and how she defines success in a different way to how Meta wants us to think of it. Hallmarks of a sustainable approach to Instagram that is aligned with my general philosophy for using Instagram to promote books, and what I talk about for an hour in the FREE Instagram Manifesto workshop that’s now available for everyone to watch here:
How to feel better about Instagram
Despite its many, MANY well-documented failings, Instagram remains one of the best routes for writers and authors to get in front of your potential readers (caveat: IF you know how to use it strategically and effectively, rather than casually, which is an important distinction)
I absolutely loved this chat with Hayley and I’m going to watching closely to see how she incorporates more chat about her book into her marketing activity over the next few months, without losing her trademark genuineness.
For more links to her work, and the timestamps of the chat, keep reading.
Links to Hayley’s work
You can find Hayley on Substack here where she’s writing about Becoming An Author (handily also the name of her newsletter), including interviews with other writers such as this recent one with one of my other faves,
Her Instagram account is hayleyjdunlop where you’ll find her posting about gig-life, cheesy Christmas movies, the New Yorker Caption Competition, and her witty pointed responses to LinkedIn’s ‘let’s train our AI by quizzing the people it will replace’ questions.
Her website is here
And you can preorder her book here
⏳ Time stamps
⏳00.01 introduction to Hayley
⏳03.23 Hayley’s route to publication and how it end up not as straightforward as it began
⏳09.28 what happened after she secured her agent
⏳12.47 how did Hayley feel when her book was not bought by a publisher and what happened next?
⏳14.12 the potential pitfalls of sharing failure in real time
⏳16.41 bringing her original project back to life with guidance from an editor and how her attitude had changed towards making changes
⏳18.43 how the delay has actually played in her favour
⏳22.39 how did Hayley keep going and keep hoping, and the power of co-working
⏳27.55 how the publication process is largely out of the control of the author, but the decision about how to participate in marketing your book is something you can control
⏳29.49 what marketing activity is Hayley going to drive for herself, and her view on the distinction between the different audiences for the marketing and who is responsible for what
⏳32.05 how she’s created and is part of a community around a ‘niche’ interest that is something she is genuinely passionate about and also happens to be relevant to her book
⏳40.15 a great example of showing up on Instagram ‘authentically’
⏳48.26 how Hayley defines success, both online and also for her book
⏳55.07 question from Claire about co-writing, writing groups, and how to find people to work alongside.
I hope you enjoyed this free to watch talk with the excellent Hayley Dunlop. Let me know any thoughts in the comments!
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