It is time for another candid conversation. Which, as you know, are my favorite. I love any opportunity to pull back the curtain and let you see into the publishing process and understand exactly what it takes to make all of this happen. And, quite frankly, I also love any opportunity to better lay out what it will take for us to meet our goals as a community.

So, let's do both of those things!

Pre-orders...why do they matter?

Pre-Orders play a huge role in not only preparing a book for early success, but also in securing future support for authors. Which is especially relevant when it comes to marginalized authors. Look, what I am about to say is uncomfortable, but it is true: People are waiting for Black and brown writers to fail. Even a lot of the people who support them.

We all know that this industry is riddled with systemic barriers that have been repackaged as "publishing standards". And one of those "standards" is built entirely around the lie that people just don't want to read stories that center marginalized people. Especially Black and brown people. This industry has spent a long time telling you that readers are racist so that you won't blame them when they only want to publish books that appeal to racists. And now we are in a position where people are just sitting around waiting for Black and brown authors to fail. Not because their art isn't as good. Not even because readers don't want their art. No. They are waiting for them to fail solely because the people with the most influence in the publishing industry have built their racist policies off of the lie that failure is the most likely outcome. And as a result, readers forgive them for refusing to invest in Black and brown people because they have been convinced it's a risk to.

Do you see the trap there?

Pre-Orders provide us one of the most tangible ways of resisting the narrative that marginalized people don't deserve investment.

When Black and brown authors very successfully launch their books, it not only helps that book do well, but it sets that author up to be harder to dispose of. No one can say, "no one wants those stories because they don't relate", because we--readers--made it clear from the jump that yes, the fuck, we do.

It is very important to me that we not only serve our authors well by helping them to have very successful books with us, but that we also prepare them for a long and healthy career wherever they go. I want Left Unread authors to be able to approach other publishers with confidence because their performance here warrants the attention of everyone in the industry. Because, as we have said from the beginning, we are not just about selling books here. We are focused on advocating for Black and brown authors. And a part of that is helping to ensure that we are preparing them for successful careers after us.

Now, you already know pre-orders play a huge role in getting books onto best seller lists and helping them to get on various best of lists and things of that sort, but I really want you to take what I've said here to heart. The biggest reason that I want our authors to have very successful pre-order campaigns is because this industry is set up to disregard them and successful pre-order numbers are very successful at disrupting that conditioning.

With that said... why did I call this meeting?

Call To Action

We are approaching the end of our pre-order campaign for Devil of the Deep, and it is very important to me that we end this campaign well. This is Bindery's first re-release and I want to make sure we prove that investing in indies is a winning investment. And with the size and commitment of our community, I am confident we can make that happen so that other Black and brown authors can bring us projects that could use some love and resources they didn't have when they launched them.

This is what platforming women of color looks like. Setting them up to be impossible to ignore.

Our community is well over 3,000 members strong. I would like to see our pre-orders approach that number too. And well... we are not even close. So here's where I'm at... we have around three months to blow this book up all over social media. To make a huge splash. To ensure that every person who opens their phone looking for a book recommendation has THIS book shoved down their throat. And quite frankly, it is going to take every single one of us to make that happen. So we are going to need to get to work.

How can you help?

I'm so glad you asked!

• Obviously, the most important thing you can do is to make sure you have pre-ordered your copy of Devil of the Deep. Yes, we are going to be presenting many opportunities for this community to come together to build buzz for this incredible book, but the first initial push for pre-orders is always going to be right here in this community, among the readers who have spent months waiting for it to drop. So if you haven't ordered your copy, please do so. Here is a direct link: https://bookshop.org/a/87137/9781967967049 You can buy a copy wherever you typically buy books, but there is a Black woman owned bookstore in Chicago that receives a commission off of every sale from this link. So I love to share it as a first option.

• Post on your social media about how excited you are for your pre-orders to arrive and invite your audience to grab a copy to read WITH you

• If you are in a book club, invite your book club to choose our books, or invite them to read with you separately if the books don't fit your club's theme

• Ask your local library to stock a copy

• Ask your local bookstores to stock copies. And you can tell them you heard about the book on a big booktoker's page (meaning me, silly goose). That does help instill confidence for some stores. You can also mention Bindery. Many indie bookstores already know and love us.

• If you have social media platforms, post the book regularly during these final months and encourage your audience to help us make sure Elaine's debut is successful. People can get behind a mission. I love to throw books I want my readers to see in my insta and TikTok stories because it doesn't flood up my main content AND I can post a direct link so people are more likely to act

• If your friends are influencers, tell them about this book and what it means to you and ask THEM to post about it. Even if they don't care about helping Falencia, they may be willing to help you

• Canva gods, get busy. Make cool graphics and drop them in the discord so everyone can share them on their platforms

• If you have a newsletter, consider posting a link and quick blurb for the book. Or ask me for one and I'll write it myself and send it to you.

• If you have a podcast, invite Falencia and/or myself onto your podcast. I promise we are saying yes to as many opportunities as we can

• If you own a bookstore, consider hosting a launch event or a pre-order incentive for our book. If you want my cooperation, let me know you are doing it and I will see what we can offer to make it more successful.

• If you've read an early copy, make a fan cast

• Start a dnd game based around the book

The ideas are endless. What matters is that we get word out about these books to as many readers as possible so that we can do something truly meaningful for and through these authors.

I have been saying for years that literature has the power to change the world. Because its true. But these books can't change shit if no one hears about them. Which is where we come in. And why this community exists. To use our voices and our platforms to make sure that these incredibly important voices are HEARD.

Thanks for everything you do and for just being here. I love you all and I am excited to change the world with you!!!

As always, if you are not already subscribed to this community, please do so. Our community is what empowers us to fight for authors. Every voice helps us more successfully champion these authors. And every paid subscriber helps us to fund their work. So please be a part. You ARE making a difference. Subscribe or upgrade today.