So…Book Expo of America
This past Christmas, one of my gifts was an old-school coffee percolator from my awesome sister-in-law. I had a feeling I’d be happy with it because I’m learning that the best things in life are worth waiting for, be it a first kiss or a simple cup of coffee. Yeah, I still get my nuclear-hot, caffeine-spiked Starbucks a few times a week (Italian Roast if I’m feeling deep, Komodo Dragon if I’m under deadline). But most days I grind the Barrel Aged Whiskey Coffee Beans from Pennsylvania that my cousin sent me or ration out my Chicory Coffee from New Orleans, all with a sly grin on my face while I…wait.
I’m learning that being an Indie Author requires a ton of patience, too. For sales. For the right promotions. For traction. You tip over what dominoes you can and hope that the rest will fall. Case in point? Last summer, I made the rather expensive decision to submit all three books of The Millionth Trilogy to Kirkus Reviews in New York. It was a pivot move that most of my friends in the indie community didn’t understand. Kirkus is mostly used by traditional publishers for their in-house stable of signed authors. They pull no punches. You get what you get and you don’t have a fit. Sending them one book was risky. Sending all three? Welllll…
But something told me to do it. For the credibility. For the marketing aspects. There would be no upfront benefit even if the reviews came in positive (which, thankfully, they did). It was all about the long play. All about patience. Flash forward to seven months later and who do you think saw one of those Kirkus Reviews? That’s right, the Acquisitions Editor at Blackstone Audio, which eventually helped lead to the audiobook deal for the trilogy.
Which has now also led to The Millionth Trilogy being a featured series in Blackstone’s booth from May 31st – June 2nd at next week’s Book Expo of America in New York City. In addition? It has landed the rare honor of a full-page spread in their annual vendor/library/publisher catalog. Where will all that lead? I have no idea. Maybe nowhere. Maybe to another domino.
I’m hoping to have some other big news to share next month. But for now? I’m gonna let that news percolate. I’m gonna be patient. In the meantime? It’s time for me to get back to work on “Another One”, Book 4 of what has now become “The Millionth Series”, which is due to my editor in the U.K. for a full manuscript critique on June 19th (with the publication date looking like sometime in August).
In the meantime, if any of you have some great coffees to suggest to me? Please do. Or just ship me a bag and I’ll ship you an autographed copy of The Snow Globe in return. Deal?
Take Care,
Tony
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
This month, during its first “Promotion Week”, The Snow Globe cracked the Amazon Top 50 Paid Books in four different categories: Supernatural-Thriller, Paranormal Thriller, Crime, and Horror. Maggie and her story also managed to sneak into the Top 100 Paid Literary Books category, because, well, she’s rather persuasive that way. Needless to say, I was pleased with the results of the promo and I can't wait until the next one.
I want to give a quick shout out to Diya in India for the very sweet email you sent. I admire you, still so young, not giving up on your dream of being a writer. Stick with it, okay? And don't let the bastards grind you down.
