I was surprised to get word the other day that copies of my 5/26/09 release, Beneath Bone Lake, are already shipping from Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble, which should mean it'll be showing up in local stores any time now.
While the logical part of me wishes the release date would be the same everywhere (this is rare except in the case of authors so profitable that the publisher can afford to police/threaten sellers into complying), the excited little kid part is dancing around and singing, Yea, it's here! It's here!
This may be my fifteenth novel, but I'm dying to hold my author's copies in my hands. I hope I never lose that feeling... although I *am* wondering where I'm going to store an extra box of books.
In case you've missed the video trailer for the book and might be interested, I'm reposting. Enjoy!
Comments
Okay, Box the Octo friends, help me out here. I want to organize the publishing version of a baby shower and do a Colleen Thompson buy blitz during Pub Week, the last week of May. If you were planning to purchase "Beneath Bone Lake" in store, please do it that day. Or hit Amazon that day.
If you weren't planning to purchase Colleen's book, CHANGE THE PLAN. Seriously. This book is a butt-kicking romantic thriller that unreels an intricate plot in a tight 72-hour window, but still manages the resonant family relationships and lush landscaping that make Colleen's books rockin' reads.
Spread the word! Buy Blitz the last week of May!
Readers may not know, but a book's sales velocity in its release week can make all the difference in the world. I know it's tempting in a tough economy to wait and try to pick it up used, but the only way authors can keep writing great new stories is if readers vote with their wallets.
And I'd so appreciate every reader vote that I can get.
Either way, I am terrifically psyched. Book (and trailer) look great and now I know your work, I am prepared for a terrific read!
Preordering's awesome and appreciated (do it myself lots). Very best, for my taste, is supporting your local booksellers, especially the indies, but I'm happy for every sale.
Thanks for the kind words about my writing. Glad you enjoyed!
Also, I saw you posted a nice review online at Amazon. Thanks so much for taking the time to do that!
I would LOVE to have an indie nearby. The closest is a half hour away. But perhaps I'll make a trip out there on the 25th. Memorial Day book buying--can't beat that!
The way I've heard it, it's best to have a "hard release" all on the same day because you'll then have a bigger volume (supposedly) of sales in the first weeks, which makes hitting the bestseller lists a stronger posibility.
The early sales, I believe, get counted in the week they ship, which can be weeks before the book's official release. However, sometimes these sales add up enough that certain books hit the bestseller list *before* their actual release date.
I try not to angst over it too much because, like so many other things, it's out of my control. And I'm just happy to have readers period.
I've never had a tight release, ever. :-) I remember signing at an RT a week before a book's release. A reader came to my table and pulled a battered copy of said release from her bag and asked me to sign. I did and asked where she found the book. At Wal-mart, a few weeks before!
Whenever I read an ARC that has "exclusive release date" or something noted on the cover, I know the publisher is positioning that author to make a list.
I get frustrated, but after all, all the sales count toward the sell through, which is more important in the long run than lists!