Pre-orders and Pasta Love pain
Until quite recently, pre-orders for books was not really a thing or at least not a thing that I thought about too much. You promoted the book’s release date and then hoped people would go to bookstores and buy the book from that date. Today, most authors are very aware of the importance of pre-orders (and if they’re not, their publisher might very well make them aware). Pre-orders drive buzz and sometimes result in retailers increasing their initial orders or requesting signed copies or some other promotion, such as cataloguing. But they have mostly been led by the massive online-only/warehouse-only retailers (you know who I’m talking about).
The two months prior to my most recent book’s publication were pretty much the worst part of the entire process. I had to try to secure pre-orders for a book nobody had seen or knew much about. I felt weird asking people to pay money for something they had never held in their hands. I spent a lot of time creating content to share online (Insta, Facebook, LinkedIn) so people could get a sense of the book.
I also created video content because any basic understanding of how algorithms work tells you it’s all about moving images (I took the video footage and my publisher made it into reels).
It felt inauthentic and weird and desperate. I felt like I was trying to scam people. I hated doing it. I personally would rarely pre-order an illustrated book sight unseen. It will surprise nobody to hear that the week my book finally came out and all pre-orders were accounted for was the lowest week of sales recorded through BookScan to date (117 copies). I am not the kind of author writing the kind of books that get huge pre-orders (or many pre-orders). I should not have caved to the pressure (most of if of my own making) of chasing pre-orders. I should have held my nerve. If you managed to not mute or unfriend me during this period I am impressed. I wished I could have muted myself!
Indie Booksellers and Pre-Orders (boring but important)
Until about a month ago it was tricky to link to indie booksellers to promote online pre-orders. Many small bookshops, including the one I work at, are unable or unwilling to take online orders for books not yet in stock. So until the book physically arrives in the shop, you cannot order it online (you could order it with a bookseller in-store, by phone or email). There are many reasons for this and I won’t bore you with them. However, some indies can and do take online pre-orders and this includes Readings in Melbourne who I have always directed my online pre-orders to. But what about smaller bookshops, why should they miss out on this pre-order push?
Enter the much-needed Your Bookstore, an online site where you can see the current stock of many indie booksellers and which ones will allow you to pre-order online. Authors can supply one link and anyone in the country can find the bookstore nearest them where they can pre-order or order the book. It’s magic!
The Pressure for Pre-orders
So the pressure for pre-orders is real even if, like me, you know you’re unlikely to get them. And to date they are mostly driven by and to those massive online retailers. Imagine then the temptation if one of those massive online-only/warehouse-only retailers suggest you create an affiliate link you could use to promote pre-orders and get a handy kickback on sales while you’re at it. Or perhaps your publisher suggests it. You’d take it, right? You’d post it, right? Or maybe you’re more proactive? Any author (or indeed anyone) can sign up with these giants to get affiliate links and earn commissions.
Affiliate Links
An affiliate link is a unique web link that allows someone to earn a commission for promoting a product or service. In the case of authors and their own books, they are earning a commission every time someone buys their book using that link (on top of their regular royalty). In Australia, disclosure of affiliate links is legally required. Do I see authors posting them without disclosure all the time? I sure do.
Obviously an indie bookshop cannot offer any such kickback on pre-orders to authors. This further shuts them out of the pre-order push. If you follow me on Insta you’ll know I don’t love it when authors direct all pre-orders and orders to online-only retailers. Share the love I say. I want my book to be successful for a range of retailers. I want people to be excited to go to a bricks and mortar bookstore and I do a lot to encourage this from leaving gifts with purchase at bookshops (free seeds for Garden Like a Nonno, recipe cards for Nonna Knows Best and packets of pasta or EV olive oil for Pasta Love), to signing copies wherever I can, to doing in-store pasta-making demos or seed-saving workshops. I’m also thrilled when someone borrows my books from the library or feels compelled to add it to their online cart or picks it up from a discount department store.
Where to Buy Books
Ultimately and why I am banging on about all this is because where you buy books matters. If you like bookshops and living in a world where they exist, then you should buy books from them. Ann Patchett said it best (of course she did):
Consumers control the marketplace by deciding where to spend their money. If what a bookstore offers matters to you, then shop at a bookstore. If you feel that the experience of reading a book is valuable, then read the book. This is how we change the world.
Author Links
I really hope we start to see authors linking to a range of retailers for their pre-order campaigns. I hope we get full disclosure when it’s an affiliate link – the legal aspect aside I just don’t think authors should mislead their readers. I hope the drive to those online giants is lessened just a little (share the love). I hope Your Bookstore becomes part of the way authors promote their books and people buy their books. (Your Bookstore doesn’t sell books it just directs you to bookstores that do.) Ultimately I guess my greatest hope is that more people get reading and that all parts of the industry are sustainable. That’s a big hope, I know.
What I’m Reading
I cannot leave without telling you what I’m reading. I’m about halfway through Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll (author of Luckiest Girl Alive which I highly recommend if you’re into feminist psychological thrillers). This book is about the victims of a serial killer in the 70s (no need to name him) and the impact their murders had on those who loved them. I listen to the audio on walks (narrated by a few people but the main narrator is SUTTON FOSTER) and then read the printed book at home. It’s a combo I love for non-fiction but also is working well with this psychological thriller. It’s pretty harrowing (Knoll’s speciality) and I’m having terrible dreams after reading it late into the night but I just cannot put it down. I have been meaning to read Angela O’Keeffe’s new book for ages so will definitely read The Sitter next (it’s packed for my long train journey). I’ve heard such good things.
What are you reading? What will you read next?
Up next: Reading Less
My next newsletter is going to be about my current attempts to read less (yes you read that correctly) and the reasons behind it. I vaguely mentioned it in my first newsletter and have been asked lots of questions about it so want to explain.
Yes. A big big yes to supporting our local indie bookshops!!! They are the heart and soul. 💛💛