Summer Constellations comes out in two months! If you’ve pre-ordered the book, please let me know and I will send a signed postcard of this gorgeous cover designed by the talented Emma Dolan! (It makes a fab bookmark 😉 )
How does pre-ordering help authors? Lots of ways! Here are some below:
1. Lock in discount prices and great giveaways!Â
Most publishers will offer discounted rates for pre-orders, so it’s a win-win! In addition, they or the author may throw in fun incentives for readers. For example, see postcard promo mentioned above.
2. Pre-orders help build buzz for launch day.
Giving people the chance to buy the book in advance increases anticipation and allows for buzz to (hopefully!) build. Plus, there’s the added bonus of not having to remember to buy the book – it just shows up on your doorstep. Who doesn’t love seeing the Amazon delivery person pull up with a package that you’ve half-forgotten about ordering? (Or is that just me? 😉 ).
3. Pre-orders increase the odds a book may hit a bestseller list.
This one’s huge! Pre-orders count toward first-week sales, and since many bestseller lists are calculated on a single week’s worth of sales, bundling those early sales into that first week gives authors their best chance of hitting a bestseller list, which in turn, helps the overall life of the book (and the author).
4. Pre-orders encourage retailers to increase the amount of books they order.
When buyers for retailers like Amazon, B&N and Chapters Indigo see strong pre-order numbers, they’ll likely increase their initial order, which brings more books into stores and increase the chance of people coming into contact with the author’s work.
5. Support your Author Friend/Family Member/Person You Used to Go to High School With and Kinda Like Still
Let’s get personal. Writing can be a solitary, intense and extremely tumultuous gig, (there’s a reason Hemingway drank 😉 ). Most authors never make over a few thousand a year (if that!) or sell more than a couple hundred copies of their book. Pre-ordering demonstrates your love and support for the author, who, more often than not, leans heavily on their friends and family to encourage them to keep making their art, even when times are tough. (At least I know I do!)
So there you have it! Five reasons to pre-order from your favourite author person. Of course, ordering the book at any time is still just fine and dandy, and definitely deserving of a profuse amount of hugs and kisses.
xoxo
Alisha
PS. Kirkus reviews Summer Constellations below!
KIRKUS REVIEW
Recent high school graduate Julia Ducharme’s summer is off to a rough start.
Her best friend, Paige, is traveling to Japan to visit relatives, her longtime crush has shown up with a gorgeous girlfriend, and her mom has announced that she is thinking of selling their family campground and home. Julia’s little brother Caleb is recovering from Guillain-Barré syndrome and is old enough to realize—with distress—that their financial troubles are connected to his long illness. After receiving the terrible news that her home may be sold, Julia meets a beautiful black-haired, olive-skinned stranger on the docks and spills her guts to him. She is shocked and angry to discover that the young man is Nick Constantine, son of the property developer who is looking to buy their campground. Julia and Nick are thrown together, and Nick falls in love both with the campground and Julia, deciding to do all that he can to help them keep their place, or at least keep its integrity intact. Sevigny’s (Kissing Frogs, 2014) portrayal of the emotional and financial struggles that can accompany illness in America ring true. Julia is a brave, independent, and competent female character who shows that you don’t need to be a femme fatale to be lovable.
A pleasant coming-of-age story for fans of teen romance. (Fiction. 14-18)