How my self-published book became one of Vulture's "Best Comedy Books of 2024"

And the #4 spot, no less!

How does a self-published book make Vulture’s “Best Comedy Books of 2024?”

This journey started in 2019. I’m a television writer by trade. Mostly sitcoms. (King of the Hill, Beavis & Butt-Head, Just Shoot Me, Wilfred, Maron, Brickleberry, Rules of Engagement, Out of Practice, Tacoma FD and more.)

When I was working on Rules of Engagement, I had to drive an hour every day to get to work. The studio was only 20 miles away but… Los Angeles.

To make the ride more bearable I’d listen to audiobooks. David Sedaris quickly became my favorite author. It’s not just his humor that I appreciate, it’s his craft. It’s his ability to take the reader on a journey, and at the end, give them a view to something beautiful.

I was inspired to write my own collection… to move people with my words the way he moved me with his words. I bought all his books and decided to read them again in paperback before I started writing.

“How hard can this be?” I thought, before cracking open his first book. “After all, I’m already a professional writer.”

That was my first mistake.

His first story was even more beautifully written than I had remembered. Out of frustration, I almost threw his book across the room. This was going to be a LOT harder than I thought.

Learning how to write

I spent the next two years learning how to write in this genre. I did it by reading all of his books 3 or 4 times. The first time for enjoyment, and subsequent passes to look for patterns and study his technique.

This part is crucial. If there’s an author whose work you admire, don’t just read them. Study them. I’m amazed at how many people skip this step. Landing on someone’s “Best Books” list is a lot easier if your book is actually well written.

When I started writing my own stories, I found myself imitating the way Sedaris writes. That comes from being a TV writer. When you’re writing on a show, it’s your job to capture the voice of the characters. We’re trained to be mimics.

But when I re-read my stories with fresh eyes, I was horrified. It felt like I was doing a cheap imitation of him. I had to completely change the way I approached writing personal essays.

In other words, I had to find my voice.

I wound up falling back on the skill that I already had — screenwriting. Most of the stories in A Paper Orchestra are written the way I write TV shows. This makes each story feel very visual, and I think it’s why readers responded so well to them. It’s easy to picture them in your head.

I tell people that it took two years to write my book, plus another 26 years to learn how to write it.

Getting an agent

This was the only part of the process that was relatively easy for me. At the time, I was repped at United Talent Agency (UTA) for TV lit. They’re one of the biggest talent agencies in Hollywood. I asked my TV agent if they also represented authors, and he arranged a meeting with one of their agents in New York.

Here’s the thing: This agent had to take a phone call from me as a professional courtesy. But he did NOT have to take me on as a client. He had to read my work first and decide if he liked it.

At the time, I only had ten or so stories written, so I sent him my three favorites. I didn’t hear back from him for months. Absolute silence. Honestly, that didn’t bother me. I needed time to finish writing the rest of the book anyway.

Finally, six months later, he sent me an email apologizing for not having gotten back to me sooner. He loved the stories and wanted to read more.

At that point, I was almost done with the book. I told him it would be ready in another few weeks. It actually took longer, because when I finished my last story, I realized how much my writing style had changed from the beginning of the book. I had to go back and rewrite many of my early stories.

Another few months passed, and when my agent finally read the entire manuscript, he absolutely loved it. He came up with a list of publishers that might be interested, and we sent A Paper Orchestra on its way. This part was nerve wracking.

I prayed.

I lit incense to clear the mojo.

I burned bay leaves with intentions scrawled on them.

Despite taking all these scientifically proven precautions…

My book died on submission

That means publishers read it, but didn’t want to buy it. I saved their rejection letters, so that they’d rue the day!

To be fair, most of them loved my book, but just didn’t think they could sell it. Here are a few of the rejections. There were two issues that stood out. See if you can spot them below.

“Unfortunately, while I think the essays are lovely, I don’t this is right for my list right now. [Michael] doesn’t seem to have a social media presence and it feels increasingly hard to publish essay collections without a significant platform.”

“Michael’s writing is fantastic. I kept coming back to his stories, but platform continues to drive our acquisition strategy and the high quality of the material wasn’t quite enough to overcome the hurdle in pitching to my colleagues.

“As much as I enjoyed Michaels writing, the fact that he is not a well-known name makes it a hard sell.”

“Those essays were absolutely a welcomed distraction, but I am afraid I didn’t have a strong vision for how I’d pitch them as a cohesive whole and reach the right audience.”

“These are fun, and there really is something for everyone here… But that said, the essays roam through a lot of subjects an experiences and I think it would need to have a more cohesive narrative momentum.”

Takeaway #1

In the memoir genre, authors are expected to have a large social media following. It’s clear that publishers expect the author to sell the books, and not the other way around.

It’s disappointing, but it makes sense. Who’s going to buy a life’s story from someone they’ve never heard of?

I was hoping that the fact I was a successful screenwriter would be enough of a draw for them. But it wasn’t. I may be someone in Hollywood, but clearly in the world of publishing, I’m no one.

Takeaway #2

It was interesting to learn that my manuscript wasn’t being read by the decision makers. If the person reading it loved it, it would still have to be approved by someone with more authority.

Even though one publisher said my writing was “fantastic” he didn’t want to pitch it to his boss because it was too risky. I don’t blame him. These jobs are hard to get, and he didn’t want to risk his career on me. To the contrary, he was probably looking for a safe bet. I can’t say I’d be any different if I were in his shoes.

Takeaway #3

My book didn’t have a through line. For example, it’s not a book about growing up in a cult or overcoming a rare disease. It’s a collection of short stories. There is a premise that unifies them.

It’s “What if the smallest, almost forgotten moments were the ones that shaped us most?”

But it’s hard to market that premise.

I knew this going into the project. But this is the book I wanted to write. I didn’t want to write something with a through line.

I wrote this book to tell the kinds of stories I can’t do on television. I couldn’t sell A Paper Orchestra as a TV show because it’s neither a comedy nor a drama. It's both… which makes it hard to classify.

Most of the stories start out very funny, then take a very dramatic turn about 2/3 of the way in. In Hollywood we’d call it a “feathered fish” because it’s neither fish nor foul. But this is exactly what makes the book special!

It’s why Vulture said:

“A Paper Orchestra isn’t always funny, but if one defines comedy as making sense of life and getting a visceral reaction out of its reader, it’s a triumph."

Obviously, the editors of Vulture get it. My readers certainly get it. It’s just the business people who don’t. Our interests didn’t align, but that’s okay. My goal was to write something great. Their goal is to make money.

Traditional publishing isn’t what you think it is

I spoke with a friend whose book was published by a major imprint. I asked how much they helped him sell his book. Other than getting it sold in brick & mortars, not much at all.

They also limited his creative decisions. Traditional publishers generally have a lot of input on marketing decisions, including the title and book cover. This was the part of traditional publishing that scared me the most.

I was worried an editor would insist on giving my book a corny title. Something that played on my experience as a sitcom writer. Something horrible like “The History of Goofy McJokes-a-Lot.”

Not to mention the audiobook. Studio time is expensive, and I was certain that the publisher would limit the amount of time I got in the recording booth. As a television producer, I knew how I wanted to produce the audiobook, and I was certain it would take more time to record than a publisher would allot me. And I wanted an original music score to accompany it. Good luck getting them to pay for that.

I also wanted a great cover. A Paper Orchestra was my baby. I didn’t want to ruin it with some cheap, pastel cover that looks like clip art. That’s what so many novels look like these days. Go ahead and Google a few. In opinion, they make the book seem dumb, but I guess that’s what sells.

It’s not that I’m a control freak, but I wanted to base these decisions on creative merit. Not finances.

If I self-published, I could produce the audiobook myself, choose my own title, and design my own cover. I found an amazing designer named Jenny Carrow, and we came up with a cover that we both loved.

To me, it perfectly describes the pages inside: creative, pensive and magical. They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but go ahead, judge.

And yet… I still craved the approval of traditional publishing

I admit it. On some level, I wanted traditional publishing to validate me as an author, even though I know so much of it is bullshit.

Why do D-list reality stars get their books picked up by publishers? It’s not because they’re great writers. Hell, they probably didn’t even read their book.

It’s because publishers think their books will be easy to sell.

So even if I got the validation I desired, it would come with a giant asterisk next to it.

If you can’t get past the gatekeepers… become one!

That’s essentially what I did. I researched how to self-publish, and did it myself.

Meanwhile, I built up my platform by posting on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and here on Substack. I shared my knowledge on the craft and business of writing so that I’d have an audience to market my book to. My handle is @MichaelJaminWriter.

I often get thanked by emerging writers for being so encouraging. To be honest, that was never my intent. When I post, I just speak my truth. Making it in the entertainment industry is hard, and I don’t sugar coat it. But there is a way. And that way always involves a mountain of hard work. To the people who are willing to do the hard work, this news is incredibly encouraging.

If it’s your plan to start posting on social media, my best advice is not to be salacious or controversial — although that will certainly help you to go viral. The problem is you have to become a person who’s an asshole. You have to live in that skin, and it’s toxic. It’ll devour you whole.

Just be truthful and authentic.

If you really want to stand out on the internet, BE KIND! I can do a whole post on this subject, and maybe I will.

Did my plan work?

A Paper Orchestra debuted at number one in six Amazon bestseller categories including: Humor Essays, Memoirs of Authors, and Parent and Child Relationships.

Some of my followers purchased as a way of thanking me. Others were already fans of my television writing, and wanted to sample my work in a new genre.

In either case, they wouldn’t have known about me had I not put myself on social media, day after day, for years.

There was another obstacle that I had to overcome. In the beginning, I mainly posted writing tips. I think this trained my audience to see me as a screenwriting guru — which is definitely NOT how I wanted to be seen.

I wanted people to see me as an artist. This meant pivoting a little. I started adding some funny posts into the mix — making them more entertaining and less educational.

Unwritten by Michael Jamin

I also began a podcast here on Substack called “Unwritten by Michael Jamin.” It’s a short, weekly audio diary where I share the things I’m struggling with as an artist. In other words, I’m not teaching. I’m simply giving listeners a window into my life.

I do this specifically so that my audience can see me not as a writing “guru” but as an equal. Someone who has the same artistic struggles that you have.

Apparently it’s working.

Will this strategy work for you?

I can hear people complaining, “But you’re lucky. You’re a TV writer so you already have knowledge that people want.”

That’s true. But you have knowledge worth sharing, too. Maybe you’re a plumber who aspires to be a writer. Create a channel where you talk about plumbing in a way that feels like a story. If you’re good at it, people might be interested in reading stories by you.

If you’re a twenty-two year old woman, fresh out of college, trying to find her place in the world, you have expertise in that. You can write about those struggles far more authentically than I can.

Be creative! You want entrance into a creative field. PROVE YOU’RE CREATIVE!

The secret to building a platform

So many people go on social media and try to sell whatever they’re selling. But no one goes on social media to shop. They go to be social. Or at least watch videos of cats bullying dogs, which is what I do.

Don’t sell people.

Instead, give.

Give freely with no expectation of getting anything in return.

I have to warn you: the vast majority of your followers will NOT reciprocate. And that’s okay.

Maybe only 1% will buy your book. But if your book is well written, then those 1% will become your diehard fans.

They’ll talk about your book.

They’ll recommend it to their friends.

They’ll take it far and wide, across the world.

And if you’re lucky, someone will take it into the arms of another writer.

And that’s how A Paper Orchestra landed on Vulture’s list of “Best Comedy Books of 2024.”

There’s no hack. It’s all about writing something good and building a community who’ll support you.

Even this article you’re reading is intended to build my community. It’s meant to educate and inspire you.

If you got something something out of it, maybe you’ll join my 1% by reading A Paper Orchestra.

If you do, I’ll consider you to be part of a very elite group. :)

Or maybe you’ll give a copy as a holiday gift… because you want to take a loved one on a journey within its pages, so they can experience a wide range of emotions.

Or maybe you’ll just restack this post. That helps me too.

Or maybe you’ll do both!

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