The Ugly Secrets About Pre-Orders
Until I became an
author, I never pre-ordered books. Even then, I rarely did it until I heard through
the grapevine how important pre-orders are. Knowing that the first book in my
Sarah Blair cozy mystery series, One
Taste Too Many, released on December 18, but was available for pre-order earlier,
I decided to research the grapevine whispers and learn the ugly secrets about
pre-orders.
It turns out there
are several reasons to encourage (beg) for pre-orders:
1)
If books
receive numerous pre-orders, publishers consider increasing print runs. More
books printed means the publisher will put more advertising or promotional efforts
toward the book. Why? They want to avoid getting stuck with unsold books. More publisher
subsidized exposure translates into additional sales.
2)
Pre-orders
are reported in first week sales. People often have a surge during their launch
parties, but the additional numbers created by pre-orders may help a book make
a national or local best-seller list. Advance word of mouth and recognition or
buzz again translates into more sales.
3)
When Amazon,
other online sources, big box stores or independent booksellers receive
numerous pre-orders, they tend to stock more copies and therefore may do some in
store promotion like “Manager’s pick.”
4)
Authors
want publishers to accept their next books. Publishers want to sign authors
whose books sell. Pre-order numbers serve as an indicator to a publisher as to
whether there is interest in additional works by an author.
5)
Pre-orders
are especially important when a series is debuting its first book. Few know of
the existence of the series, so it is important to use any means possible to
build excitement and interest immediately. One of the best ways to do this is
through high numbers of pre-orders which catch the eye of booksellers and
readers.
6)
Now
that you know the ugly secrets of pre-orders, don’t wait. Buy in advance. And
remember, if you haven’t already purchased your copy of One Taste Too Many, what are you waiting for?
About One Taste Too Many:
For
culinary challenged Sarah Blair, there’s only one thing scarier than cooking
from scratch—murder!
Married at eighteen, divorced at twenty‑eight, Sarah Blair reluctantly swaps her luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a law firm receptionist job in the tired town she never left. With nothing much to show for the last decade but her feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some clumsy domestic skills, she’s the polar opposite of her bubbly twin, Emily—an ambitious chef determined to take her culinary ambitions to the top at a local gourmet restaurant.
Sarah knew starting over would be messy. But things fall apart completely when her ex drops dead, seemingly poisoned by Emily’s award-winning rhubarb crisp. Now, with RahRah wanted by the woman who broke up her marriage and Emily wanted by the police for murder, Sarah needs to figure out the right recipe to crack the case before time runs out. Unfortunately, for a gal whose idea of good china is floral paper plates, catching the real killer and living to tell about it could mean facing a fate worse than death—being in the kitchen!
Pre-Order/Buy Links:
Books-a-Million:
https://www.booksamillion.com/p/One-Taste-Too-Many/Debra-H-Goldstein/9781496719478
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781496719478
Hudson
Booksellers: https://www.hudsonbooksellers.com/book/9781496719478
Debra H. Goldstein is the author of the Sarah Blair Mysteries as well as Should Have Played Poker, a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Players Mystery and the 2012 IPPY Award-winning Maze in Blue, a mystery set on the University of Michigan’s campus. Her short stories, including Anthony and Agatha nominated “The Night They Burned Ms. Dixie’s Place,” have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, and Mystery Weekly. A Judge, author, litigator, wife, step-mom and mother of twins, Debra is an involved community volunteer, MWA member, and serves as a national board member of Sisters in Crime, as well as being the SinC Guppy Chapter’s President.
Connect with Debra on the web:
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