The Kindness of Strangers
This authoring business is a Blanche DuBois undertaking. Like the heroine in A Streetcar Named Desire, authors must depend on the kindness of strangers. First, an author asks people to come to their event. Then, when the guests arrive, you want them to buy a book. After that, you’re hoping they crack open the book and read it. Once they’ve read it, here comes another ask: will you tell people you like the book? That’s four things you’re asking of a person. Four. That seems like a lot to me.
I do want you to tell people you liked the book (if you did, of course—I don’t want you to lie). I want When We Were Murderous Time-Traveling Women to get into the hands of readers who will LOVE it. It’s a different book, it’s not for everyone, but it’s for lots of people. I got a text from a reader at 11:44 last night that started, “OMG! Hooked!” The book needs to get into the hands of readers like them.
The absolutely best way to let people know about the book is word of mouth.
“Word of mouth” means telling friends about it when you’re chit-chatting. Many of y’all have done something I never would have dreamt of—you’ve BOUGHT the book to give to a friend you knew would love it. That’s love in action, that is.
And then there are reviews.
During the rollout, I’ve done my best to steer folks to indie bookstores. Either the stores hosting my events in Memphis, Jackson, and New Orleans, or through Bookshop.org. Bookship.org allows buyers to choose the indie bookstore they want credited with the sale. Lots of folks didn’t know about it. Now they do. But Bookshop.org doesn’t have reviews of the books it sells. So reviews means either Goodreads or Amazon, and now Goodreads reviews can only be read by those who are on Goodreads.
I’m impressed with the intricate reviews I’ve gotten on Amazon. They absolutely will help the book get into the hands of those who are gonna love it. One sentence reviews work, too “The best New Orleans novel ever!” “I can’t read it before bed because I can’t stop reading!” “I’m just belly laughing here.” “The love in this book—just fabulous.” “I needed that, so much fun—thank you!”
Exactly like the texts y’all have been sending me.
Most of you are not strangers. But you are full of kindness. If inside that kindness, you feel the urge to write a review short enough to fit in a text that wakes me up at midnight, thrilled, I thank you for that.
ps I’ve updated my website to add Media to the Achievements page–you might want to take a look. Everyone has been so full of kindness about covering the book.
