excitedSince it's release day, I figured it was time to once again answer the wonderful people asking how they can help. So here are a few dos and don'ts for making this book launch awesome.
DO buy the book as soon as you can. Sales during the first week are very important—think of it as "opening weekend" for a movie—but they're not the end-all be-all. If you can get the book today, get the book; if you can get it at my book release party, get it at my book release party. Whatever works for you. Brick-and-mortar store purchases are best, as they encourage reordering. If you've already bought the book, consider buying the book again, as a single copy might get lonely. They make great gifts!
DON'T yell at other people who haven't bought the book yet. I know, that's sort of a "why are you saying this?" statement, but I got a very sad email from a teenager who'd been yelled at for not buying A Local Habitation the week that it came out. So just be chill. Unless you want to buy books for people who don't have them, in which case, don't yell, just buy.
DO ask your local bookstore if they have it on order. If your local store is part of a large chain, such as Barnes and Noble, the odds are good that the answer will be "yes," and that they'll be more than happy to hold one for you. If your local store is small, and does not focus specifically on science fiction/fantasy, they may have been waiting to see signs of interest before placing an order. Get interested! Interest is awesome!
DON'T berate your local bookseller if they say "no." Telling people they're overlooking something awesome doesn't make them go "gosh, I see the error of my ways." It makes them go "well, I guess it can be awesome without me." Suggest. Ask if you can special-order a copy. But don't be nasty to people just because their shelves can't hold every book ever written.
DO post reviews on your blog or on Amazon.com. Reviews are fantastic! Reviews make everything better! Please, write and post a review, even if it's just "I liked it." Honestly, even if it's just "this wasn't really my thing." As long as you're being fair and reasoned in your commentary, I'm thrilled. (I like to think you won't all race right out to post one-star reviews, but if that's what you really think, I promise that I won't be mad.)
DON'T get nasty at people who post negative reviews. You are all people. You all have a right to the ball. That includes people who don't like my work. Please don't argue with negative reviewers on my behalf. It just makes everybody sad. If you really think someone's being unfair, why don't you post your own review, to present an alternate perspective? (Also, please don't email me my Amazon reviews. I don't read them, I don't want to read them, and I definitely don't want to be surprised with them. Please have mercy.)
DO feel free to get multiple copies. No, you probably don't need eight copies of One Salt Sea for your permanent collection, but remember that libraries, school libraries, and shelters are always in need of books. I'm donating a few of my author's copies to a local women's shelter, because they get a lot of women there who really need the escape. There are also people who just can't afford their own copies, and would be delighted. I wouldn't have had half the library I did as a teenager if it weren't for the kindness of the people around me.
DON'T feel obligated to get multiple copies, or nag other people to do so. Seriously, we're all on budgets, and too much aggressive press can actually turn people off on a good thing. Let people make their own choices. Have faith.
DO check with your local library to be sure they have a copy of on order. If they don't, you can fill out a library request form. Spread the paperback love!
DON'T forget that libraries need books. Many libraries, especially on the high school level, are really strapped for cash right now, and book donations are frequently tax deductible. If you have a few bucks to spare, you can improve the world on multiple levels by donating books to your local public and high school libraries.
DO suggest the book to bookstore employees who like urban fantasy. Nothing boosts sales like having people in the stores who really like a project. If your Cousin Danny (or Dani) works at a bookstore, say "Hey, why don't you give this a try?" It just might help.
DON'T rearrange bookstore displays. If the staff of my local bookstore is constantly being forced to deal with fixing the shelves after someone "helpfully" rearranged things to give their chosen favorites a better position, they're unlikely to feel well inclined toward that book—or author. It's not a good thing to piss off the bookstores. Let's just not.
So those are some do's and don't's. I'm sure there are lots of other things to consider; this is, at least, a start. Finally, a few things that don't help the book, but do help the me:
Please don't expect immediate email response from me for anything short of "you promised us this interview, it runs tomorrow, where are your answers?" I normally make an effort to be a semi-competent correspondent, but with a new book on shelves, final edits due on Discount Armageddon, and Ashes of Honor in need of finishing, a lot of things are falling by the wayside. Like sleep.
Please don't ask me when book six is coming out. I may cry. Plus, the answer is September 2012.
Whee!
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September 8 2011, 21:13:32 UTC 5 years ago
September 6 2011, 23:16:23 UTC 5 years ago
(also you are more than a little bit evil, but it keeps me reading your books :)
September 8 2011, 21:10:05 UTC 5 years ago
:)
September 6 2011, 23:23:47 UTC 5 years ago
It wasn't at Forbidden Planet today.
I walked up Broadway in the rain for it, and then stood there dripping and pathetic and bookless.(w
At least now they know someone wants it.
But this means I can't read it on the plane home, unless there is a copy to be found somewhere in the Jet Blue terminal at JFK.
I will probably continue to be deprived for days.
Le sigh.
(I will see if it is at Another Change of Hobbit on Thursday, or else go seeking desperately throughout the East Bay.)
September 7 2011, 04:56:38 UTC 5 years ago
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September 6 2011, 23:52:35 UTC 5 years ago
However, I have it now and I look forward to reading it.
September 8 2011, 21:08:50 UTC 5 years ago
September 7 2011, 00:45:51 UTC 5 years ago
BUT, because he is impatient, Josh went to the local Barnes & Noble, and says he grabbed the last copy they had. I don't know how many other copies they had, but it bodes well, I believe.
When we get the ordered copy and both of us have read it, we'll just donate the extra to the library.
September 8 2011, 21:24:04 UTC 5 years ago
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September 8 2011, 21:08:13 UTC 5 years ago
September 7 2011, 01:52:58 UTC 5 years ago
Bookstore employee who rang me up asked, "Something to read while you sit in the air conditioning?" (Forecast this week: hot hot hot HOT who scheduled a late summer HOT.) My reply seemed to surprise him, but in a good way - I said yes, then burbled about how I'd been waiting for this book for months, love the series, and it's a PERFECT week for hiding inside reading to be a good thing. He re-examined the cover with interest. Who knows if he'll check out the books, or agree, but it was a fun a exchange.
And I have the booook!
September 8 2011, 21:23:43 UTC 5 years ago
Happiness.
Happy Bookday!
September 7 2011, 02:15:58 UTC 5 years ago
Re: Happy Bookday!
September 8 2011, 21:21:03 UTC 5 years ago
September 7 2011, 04:40:16 UTC 5 years ago
So, I like donating books to libraries, but I am under the impression that libraries, or at least the ones in NYC, do not want book donations. They want money. They will spend the money on books, among other things, but they don't want donations.
I don't mean, "The libraries will put donated books on a Sale table and charge a buck for them." I'd be fine with that. Someone would get a cheap copy of a book I donated, and the library would get a buck or fifty cents or whatever. I mean, "Some libraries actively do not take book donations, and I seem to be hearing everywhere that donating books costs libraries time and money, and they want money donations, not book donations." I looked at a couple of sites about libraries that have lost Children's Sections due to Hurricane Irene, and the libraries are not asking for individuals to donate books. They are asking for individuals to donate money, or to go to a specific bookseller with money to cover a book on the list of stuff the libraries want on their shelves.
Am I wrong here? Is this an NYC or East Coast thing? I like the idea of buying books I like and giving them to libraries, but are libraries taking them these days?
September 7 2011, 21:52:17 UTC 5 years ago
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September 7 2011, 06:20:30 UTC 5 years ago
I think I said that about Late Eclipses, so...
Damn FINER book.
September 8 2011, 21:20:42 UTC 5 years ago
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September 8 2011, 18:15:58 UTC 5 years ago
happy bookday!
September 7 2011, 19:19:27 UTC 5 years ago
I remained oblivious to the car repairshop waiting room for an hour while I read, and I love it so far! Scary, sexy, funny, all that good stuff.
Re: happy bookday!
September 8 2011, 21:20:30 UTC 5 years ago
This Comment Covered By Comment Amnesty
September 7 2011, 21:49:34 UTC 5 years ago
Also, have just finished my purchased-today One Salt Sea m'self. OM NOM NOM. (Took about 5 hours, I think?)
Crossing fingers that both will count towards the NYT list. O:>
Re: This Comment Covered By Comment Amnesty
September 8 2011, 21:17:15 UTC 5 years ago
Re: This Comment Covered By Comment Amnesty
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