Safekeeping Provides Helpful Advice for Book Planning and Launch
Reviewed by Lisa Timpf
There are a number of resources out there that offer tips on how to write a book in a hurry. Unable to resist the promptings of curiosity, I read one volume whose premise was how to write a book in 24 hours. Like many things that sound too good to be true, the book, while containing some useful suggestions, didn’t live up to my expectations.
Chelene Knight’s Safekeeping: A Writer’s Guided Journal for Launching a Book with Love, offers an alternative to the do-it-quick school of thought. She encourages writers to set a firm foundation for their writing project by thinking through questions about their motivations, strengths, and non negotiables for the book project they want to focus on. She also provides prompts that help the writer give deeper thought to the book’s potential audience and what they might be looking for.
Safekeeping is divided into three major sections: Before Publishing, Publishing, and After Publishing. As the “Where to Start?” chapter notes, Safekeeping isn’t the kind of book where you need to begin at page 1. Those who have already written their book can choose to start at the “Publishing” section and cycle back to “Before Publishing” for their next project. Some concepts and exercises build on one another, so there may be a bit of back-and-forth for those who select this option, but not an undue amount.
“In Safekeeping, she shares reflections on what worked well and what she wishes she’d known when it comes to her own past writing projects.”
Knight doesn’t just talk the talk, she’s walked the walk, having published several books before this one. In Safekeeping, she shares reflections on what worked well and what she wishes she’d known when it comes to her own past writing projects. Safekeeping offers a blend of advice, how-tos, prompts, and exercises, as well as an invitation to reflect on the learning points offered by each chapter. Space is provided to write answers directly into the book.
Though Safekeeping includes advice about planning a book and seeing it through to publication and promotion, there’s more to it than that. There are sections on managing one’s energy, letting go of limiting beliefs, and self-care and personal safety for writers. One section also deals with knowing how to “say no” with grace, a useful ability for writers who might be besieged with requests and obligations that threaten to distract them from their writing. There are also sections on book launches, developing your author brand, and other helpful topics.
I did several of the exercises at the start of the book, just to test them out. I found that they helped me think through various aspects of a book project I’ve had in the back of my mind for a while. The exercises led me to new insights about the potential audience for the book, and about the broader community that might be called on to boost awareness. One exercise I particularly enjoyed was “writing a letter to your book,” which led to new thoughts about structure and content. The exercises can be revisited for each subsequent book project, as there may be unique considerations or approaches with each initiative undertaken.
Sometimes we yearn for a quick fix, an easy solution, to writing a book. Safekeeping provides a different alternative: spending the time to sort things out in one’s own mind. Doing so can prove to be a useful investment, particularly if it leads to fresh ideas, broadened vision, and deeper commitment to the chosen path. Writers who are willing to invest some time pondering their next book project and its subsequent launch and promotion may find Safekeeping worth a look.
About the Author
CHELENE KNIGHT is the author of Let It Go, Braided Skin, and the memoir Dear Current Occupant, winner of the 2018 Vancouver Book Award and longlisted for the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature. Her novel, Junie, won the 2023 Vancouver Book Award, was longlisted for the inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, and was a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ fiction. Chelene is the founder of Breathing Space Creative, home to the Thrive Coaching Program.
Book Details
Publisher : Ambrosia (Jan. 7 2025)
Language : English
Paperback : 256 pages
ISBN-10 : 1487013078
ISBN-13 : 978-1487013073