When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, Nicole Asselin, MA Arts Management '10, like many others, had to pivot to social distancing, teleworking, and staying at home. There was an extra element Asselin had to consider though: she had a book to promote.
Asselin’s first novel, Murder at First Pitch, was released on September 4, 2019 with Pandamoon Publishing. The mystery novel follows the story of Madeline Boucher, who recently joined her family’s business after losing her corporate job in Boston: working as “Social Media Director” for the Abington Armadillos, a local Independent League Baseball team her grandfather had purchased. A few days after attending her first business function, she stumbles upon a murder at the ballpark and needs to figure who the real culprit is when her brother is accused of the crime.
When everything transitioned to virtual, Asselin used some of the skills she had developed while earning her master’s degree in arts management at Mason. “One of the best parts about the arts management program was that the teachers were so eclectic that I learned a little bit of everything in the arts,” said Asselin. “It helped me know how the business side works while allowing me to keep my creative side going.” The marketing skills she learned in her classes have been especially helpful as she promotes her novel online.
Prior to the pandemic, Asselin had marketed her book through in-person readings in bookstores and libraries and attending conferences, in addition to her social media efforts. Today, her promotion efforts include virtual blog tours, readings held on Zoom or other virtual platforms, and a lot of reaching out to others to review the novel and market its brand. At one point, Asselin even reached out to the broadcasters for the Boston Red Sox on Twitter to let them know she was working on her book while listening to the baseball game, and they read the tweet on the air.
“It’s hard; I’m kind of glad I grew up in a time in social media—which you don’t hear very often—because if I had to market my book purely through in-person and library events, I don’t think I’d be as far along as I am, because time is an issue when I work full-time, and stores and libraries are only open a certain number of hours, and people can only come out at certain times. Now there’s a bit more availability for everybody, and it opens up that access, which I think is the best thing for authors. It’s been a unique experience,” Asselin said about promoting her book in an all-virtual format.
In addition to marketing Murder at First Pitch, Asselin is also working on a sequel that was recently sent to her editor for review, and she is drafting a third book. The pandemic has made writing more challenging, but it has allowed her to explore different ways to jumpstart her creativity and break through writer’s block. Asselin hopes for these three books to be the beginning of a series.
“The main thing I learned is if I wrote a story, someone would read it,” Asselin said about what she learned in the process of writing her first novel. “I wrote a lot growing up and I didn’t think anyone would ever read it, but now I can say no, now the masses can see it.”
Written by Kristen A. Greiner, MFA '20