How to Tell When We Will Die : On Pain, Disability, and Doom
by Johanna Hedva
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Pub Date Sep 03 2024 | Archive Date Sep 10 2024
Zando | Hillman Grad Books
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Description
The long-awaited essay collection from one of the most influential voices in disability activism that detonates a bomb in our collective understanding of care and illness, showing us that sickness is a fact of life.
In the wake of the 2014 Ferguson riots, and sick with a chronic condition that rendered them housebound, Johanna Hedva turned to the page to ask: How do you throw a brick through the window of a bank if you can’t get out of bed? It was not long before this essay, “Sick Woman Theory”, became a seminal work on disability, because in reframing illness as not just a biological experience but a social one, Hedva argues that under capitalism—a system that limits our worth to the productivity of our bodies—we must reach for the revolutionary act of caring for ourselves and others.
How to Tell When We Will Die expands upon Hedva’s paradigm-shifting perspective in a series of slyly subversive and razor-sharp essays that range from the theoretical to the personal—from Deborah Levy and Susan Sontag to wrestling, kink, mysticism, death, and the color yellow. Drawing from their experiences with America’s byzantine healthcare system, and considering archetypes they call The Psychotic Woman, The Freak, and The Hag in Charge, Hedva offers a bracing indictment of the politics that exploit sickness—relying on and fueling ableism—to the detriment of us all.
With the insight of Anne Boyer’s The Undying and Leslie Jamison’s The Empathy Exams, and the wit of Samantha Irby, Hedva’s debut collection upends our collective understanding of disability. In their radical reimagining of a world where care and pain are symbiotic, and our bodies are allowed to live free and well, Hedva implores us to remember that illness is neither an inconvenience or inevitability, but an enlivening and elemental part of being alive.
Marketing Plan
Goal: Create widespread critical attention for Johanna's groundbreaking definition of what it means to be "ill"
Media Strategy
Most anticipated and seasonal previews: pitch to outlets that publish most anticipated books of the year and summer reading round-ups
Pitch feature, review coverage and interviews to publications spanning a variety of interests: general interest publications; women's & men's interest magazines; pop culture publications; literary publications; progressive outlets, etc.
Pitch interviews to national as well as regional radio stations and sociopolitical, activist, literary and culture podcasts
Target a spectrum of broadcast media from morning and late night talk shows
Pitch to outlets that covered Hevda's "Sick Woman Theory" and novel; outlets that have run essays prior
Ongoing pitching during key moments: National Disability month (March), Chronic Illness Month (July), etc.
Trade & Early Reads Outreach
Dedicated Indie Next campaign to booksellers that focuses on fans of essay collections and provocative, timely non-fiction as well as strong supporters of comp titles, especially those focused on disability activism
Library Reads campaign to librarians interested in similar stories and new critical theory perspectives
Edelweiss eblasts and insert ads to maximize reach on the platform
NetGalley eBlast offering early ARCs to boost early word-of-mouth with reviewers, booksellers, and librarians
Goodreads premium galley giveaway
Academic Marketing
Conference promotion via Ingram with booth space and galleys: Society for Cinema and Media Studies, American Sociological Association, National Women's Studies Association
E-mail campaign targeting 3-5K specific instructors with similar interests
Organic Social and Influencer Outreach
Clear, accessible visuals and copy tailored to key social platforms: Instagram, TikTok, and Threads
Reach pop culture readers and readers interested in "weird queer" spaces with lines from the book re-purposed on bumper stickers/t-shirts/totes
Strong interest in exploring pain via UFC fighters, dominatrix community, and more
Custom mailers highlighting key takeaways from the book sent week prior to on-sale to influential big mouths as well as friends of Hillman Grad and Lena
Events
Focused, accessible book tour including a launch with Lena Waithe, talks and conversations with fellow authors, speakers, critics, theorists with Johanna in dialogue addressing themes in the book,
Cross promotion with activist groups, community organizations, ramp/wheelchair access and ASL/interpretation at every in-person event.
Pitch to social justice organizations with book clubs for salon-style events with their membership.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781638931164 |
| PRICE | $28.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 384 |
