Bindery has been firm in its commitment to do big things in the publishing industry. And so far, it has been very successful. Despite how young the company is, we are showing up for authors in ways larger publishers struggle to, even with more resources and experience than we have. And when I started Left Unread, one of my primary goals was to work hard to make sure that Black and brown voices stay loud and centered in whatever ground Bindery breaks.

And I think we’ve been delivering.

Our first book, Cry, Voidbringer was Bindery's first book to be nominated for a major literary award - A Lambda

Our second book, Devil of the Deep, was one of Bindery's first couple books to hit a bestseller list - Independent Press Top 40

And now we are sixteen days away from releasing our third book, Buzzard, and I need y'all to get on board for another outrageous dream.

Buckle up.

From the very start, we have all known what time we're on at Left Unread. We are on dream outrageously, refuse to accept there are limits, throw ourselves behind uphill battles and refuse to believe we can't come out on top time. And you know what? I'm proud of that. Our mission has been, and will continue to be, to believe in authors and stories that this industry has spent decades telling us are a risk and to then prove that they were full of shit.

In fact, we have been so consistent in that mission that Buzzard is going to be our first book that even mentions a white character in it (and no, it is not the main character). Our fight for Black and brown authors has been passionate, consistent, and most importantly, EFFECTIVE.

And I believe that we should only be getting better at this as we go. Which is why my plans for Buzzard are even bigger than my plans for the last launch, or the one before that. Every single book, we learn more about just how capable we are. Each book, our voice should be stronger. Our symmetry more palpable. Our results more dramatic and awe-inspiring.

So what do I have planned for Buzzard?

Well, as the title of this blog might have clued you in, I want the New York Times Bestseller list. And y'all... I want it bad.

And here's the thing: I know that's outrageous. But hey, all of my other plans have been too, and we've managed to keep succeeding anyway.

Truthfully, I think Black and brown authors deserve a team that dreams (and delivers) as outrageously as this community does. There are currently authors who sell so many books that they are set for the rest of their lives, simply because they had the freedom to dream outrageously. And I'm sick and tired of that being a luxury that Black and brown authors can't afford.

Left Unread exists to give them that luxury.

So let's chase another outrageous dream.

How do we make this happen?

Now, you have to understand that the New York Times Bestseller List is a curated list. Which means that, while it's goal is to display the best selling books in a given week, its editors have the ultimate say on whether a book is included or removed. Which is largely to allow them to quietly filter out books that appear to have ranked due to bulk orders or other potentially unfair practices. So, nothing we do can GUARANTEE that a book hits this list, but there is a lot we can do to make sure it gets its fair shot.

So here are some things I am asking everyone in this community to do to help us make this next outrageous dream come true:

1. Order your copy of Buzzard

I know this one feels silly to even say, but it is perhaps the most important step you can take to help this book hit lists. Currently, there are about four thousand readers subscribed to the Left Unread community. If every single one of us pre-ordered a copy, Buzzard would already be a contender for most bestseller lists. Obviously, there are authors with huge national attention that sell tens of thousands of books launch week. But in general, that is not the reality. A couple of thousand sales can make a huge difference in a book's early success. So, as a community, the number one thing we can do to support the titles we believe in is to buy a copy before launch.

If you haven't already ordered your copy, here is a link where you can order your copy for 15% off: https://bookshop.org/a/87137/9781967967261

As of early last week, we were at 378 pre-orders. And I want to be clear: THAT IS EXCELLENT. I am not just saying that. The average book has under 100 pre-orders. So we are absolutely showing up for this book.

With that said, there are four thousand of us, so I feel very confident that we can go well above excellent. If we coordinate our spending and marketing power, we can ensure that the marginalized authors we are championing get the attention and sales they need to succeed at the level so many of their white contemporaries get to with much less effort.

Like I said before, Black and brown authors deserve a team that dreams outrageously, and we are going to deliver!

1. Talk about Buzzard

If every member of Left Unread pre-ordered Buzzard and convinced two others to, we would already be well over 10,000 pre-orders.

I don't think you're hearing me. We are not even talking about the results we will see because of my social media marketing or the Bindery marketing team's efforts. We are talking about a baseline, day one, success that comes out of this community's dedication for the marginalized authors we came here to champion.

Which was the goal for this model to begin with. I wanted to fight for Black and brown authors and to give them a pathway to success in an industry that largely doesn't want them. I am tired of watching almost-good books build huge cult followings just because the author is cute and has the right color skin and the right texture to their hair. I want that kind of ease for the careers of Black and brown people who have written phenomenal books that the world needs to read.

Talking about the books before they launch is such an easy way for us to make that happen. With thousands of voices here, we have a combined reach that can EASILY get this book into millions of hands in a very short amount of time. And call me crazy, but that is exactly what I am asking you to help me do.

If you are a paid subscriber, you already have an Advanced Reader Copy of Buzzard and have already been invited to read that with the community this month. I just picked my copy back up yesterday and started reading again so I can produce some content for you over the next two weeks, and I would LOVE it if we could come together and make sure that Buzzard becomes everyone's problem from now until September 30th, which is when our sales will stop counting toward those launch week numbers. (Because if you didn't know, all pre-orders get counted to a book's first week sales. Which is why pre-orders matter.)

And if you are not a paid subscriber but would like to read with us this month, I am giving away ARCs like crazy, so continue reading every post and engaging. I gave away three physicals and three ebooks just last week. In fact, let me give away some more right now. If you want an ARC, let me know in the comments and I will drop some ARCs on some of you!

1. Lastly, add Buzzard to your Goodreads TBR

I know Goodreads is not everyone's favorite. I don't love them either. But here is the truth: Goodreads has public TBRs and has a huge position within the industry. And it plays a very large role in helping industry professionals know if a book has early interest.

Do Goodreads TBRs determine if a book is going to get bookstore buy-in or not? NO. But it does help to boost that buy-in by giving indie bookstores and other retailers confidence that if they stock a higher number of copies, public interest is high enough to make the book easy to sell.

Right now, Buzzard is on 4,872 Goodreads TBRs. I'd love to see that number hit 10k by launch.

We are already in a great position with indie bookstores. In fact, we are seeing an unbelievably rare amount of support from booksellers around the country. And not just for Bindery. Period. You may have seen on my socials already, but Buzzard is listed on October's Indie Next list, which is a very short list of notable books put forward by the American Bookseller Association each month, an endorsement which encourages booksellers to stock the book. Typically, hitting this list as a debut translates into a substantial increase in the number of bookstores stocking a book, and more importantly, in how those books are placed and hand-sold by booksellers.

Now take that a step further because the book also made the Indies Introduce list, which is an even more exclusive list curated by the American Booksellers Association. And this one not only instills confidence in booksellers, but actually recruits them to help in a strategic push to put these books in front of readers. Which not only means more copies on shelves, but hundreds of bookstores that are giving it visible placement and familiarizing themselves with the book well enough to talk about it and help push it into readers hands. And Buzzard made that list because a group of booksellers from around the country UNANIMOUSLY voted to include it.

So, like I said, we are in a great position with bookstores. Booksellers have read the book, loved the book, and have publicly predicted its success.

That said, I don't want to be complacent. We have an incredible opportunity here. Buzzard is positioned for huge success. And the more we can do to build reader interest and reader buy-in NOW, the more likely that success goes from being a possibility to an actual tangible reality.

Let's wrap it up...

I know I am in your inbox with a new unreasonable dream every month or two. But here's the thing... I think we've more than proven that they aren't unreasonable.

Difficult, yes. But perfectly reasonable.

This is exactly what our authors deserve. And we have the ability to give it to them.

So, to sum things up:

• I want to see Buzzard on the New York Times Bestseller List

• Go pre-order your copy right this second

• Start talking about the book on your socials and to the readers in your actual life

• Add Buzzard to your Goodreads TBR

• BONUS: On launch week, find out which indie bookstores in your area are stocking the book and openly point people their direction. Let's make sure bookseller investment delivers for them as much as it does for our authors!

Thanks for being here everyone! I KNOW Buzzard is going to be a huge success and it is entirely due to the investment of this community. Thank you to every single one of you who helped us fund this project with your monthly subscription and previous Left Unread purchases. Thank you to everyone who faithfully talks about the work we are doing and the books we are publishing. Thank you for BEING HERE. Y'all are the best.