Good morning, beautiful people! I wanted to send out an email this morning to talk about the importance of this week and what it means for our community. As you know, our very first book will be launching in exactly seven days. On October 28th, Cry, Voidbringer will hit shelves and all of the work we have done this year will be put to the test!

I don't know about you... but I can't wait!

I can't wait to see all of the videos and posts of people showing off their new book. Can't wait to check hundreds of notifications as I am tagged in unboxings and reviews. Can't wait to text excitedly with Elaine as we discover copies out in the wild and exchange lists of bookstores that are excitedly talking about her book. I can't wait for ALL OF IT.

But here's the deal: Ending this pre-order campaign well does matter.

A few months ago, I put out a post outlining just how important pre-orders are for marginalized authors and I would like to revisit that. If you want to read the entire post, you can do so HERE. For everyone else, here is a very quick recap:

• Racism is foundational to the publishing industry. Black and brown stories are often shoved into the background and treated like a risk that isn't quite worth investing in.

• Strong Pre-Orders help to convince bookstores that they are wrong about marginalized authors and open doors for that author/book

• Strong Pre-Order numbers can help an author overcome the racist barriers that keep them from advancing in their career.

I understand that Pre-Orders are not everyone's cup of tea. We are a society of instant gratification. Especially now, when the economy is tanking and our money is tighter than it has ever been. It can be hard to let go of that 19 bucks, knowing it'll be months before you get a return on your investment. But I encourage you to keep in mind just how far that money stretches when it comes to supporting Black and brown authors. We are not just looking for a good book to read. We are investing in voices that are absolutely necessary to protect our history and culture. And luckily for you, Cry, Voidbringer comes out in seven days. So I am not even asking you to invest in a story that will take months to arrive. Your book will be there in a week!!!

JUST IN TIME FOR YOU TO JOIN US FOR BOOKCLUB ON NOVEMBER 1ST!!!!

Cry, Voidbringer comes out in SEVEN days, and I need this community to use all seven of those days to push this book with everything we've got. There are three thousand of us in this community. I would love to see us get even half that number in pre-sales. And currently, we are very far from that goal. So do me a favor and:

• Pre-Order your copy right now. Please don't wait until launch day. Let's make sure we have the numbers to push Elaine forward as best as humanly possible. Grab your copy right now: https://bookshop.org/a/87137/9781964721521

• Talk about the book everywhere. On your platforms, at your bookclubs, in your newsletters, blogs, podcast, family group chat, etc. Just make sure the readers in your life know about the book and know you are excited for it.

WE GOT THIS!!! AHH! This is what we created this community to do. To fight for authors. And this is our moment to show that we mean it. AHHHH!!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!

And as an incentive, I will be giving away a copy of our NEXT BOOK--Devil of the Deep--every day this week. As well as a host of other books and prizes. More on that later. Just make sure you are subscribed to this community and paying attention to your email (or get the app, so you can have notifications pushed to your phone for you).

AHHH! I am so excited!

Let me know in the comments if you have already pre-ordered!