A Busy Season

by Catherine Dilts

Monday was the book release day for The Body in the Hayloft, book three in the Rose Creek Mystery series. I experienced many frustrating delays getting this novel to readers. But finally, here it is! I’m excited to present the next adventure for the Rose Creek Reads book club amateur sleuths.

When I’m asked whether I’m working or retired, I hesitate. Technically, I’m retired. That’s the box to check on soulless forms. But retirement doesn’t mean I’m not working! Can I get an “amen” from my fellow authors?

Wooly mammoth - extinct or not? Hmm.

Most of us who are retired, or who don’t work a “day job,” stay plenty busy. Volunteer work. Family care (of elders or children). Sports. Our own health challenges.

Writers? We have a small business to run.

I took a day off before Thanksgiving to go on a family outing. Several of us met up at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to see the Lego exhibit.

Me visiting Brick Planet

We all viewed the Brick Planet Lego exhibit, and then the Secret World of Elephants exhibit. I annoyed the grandchildren by calling them “oliphaunts” like Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings. After seeing the two temporary exhibits, our group split up and headed for different regions inside the museum. Space or Prehistoric Journey?  

A few nights later, we attended a dance recital at the Broadmoor. The ballroom is elegant. Merida Bass (my daughter and co-author) and her husband dazzled with a cha cha, while our youngest grandchild looked far too grown-up at age fifteen in her flashy costumes. Dazzling, but Grandma wasn’t quite ready to see the baby of the family looking so spicy.

Merida and Ron looking sharp at the Broadmoor

We took a year off from Thanksgiving. Our daughters were at other family gatherings. We’re hosting a party later in December. While we were invited to multiple dinners, we opted to stay home. We just plain wanted a quiet day.

The rest of the year will be busy with book releases (yes, two) and a book signing event. Not to mention the holidays! A day off here and there is necessary. 

I hope your holidays are merry, not maddening, and your plans are fun, not frenetic. 

Pre-release planning

 What an exciting series of posts Type M has had recently, several from new members who bring fresh perspectives and new energy to the group. I hope readers are tuning in and enjoying the variety. Often I get ideas for my own posts from the others, but this time there are so many good  ideas that I don't know how to choose. I enjoyed Catherine's post comparing her writing preparation and process to her long-distance running; lay the foundation, set goals, be consistent, always reach higher. I also liked Thomas' post about critiquing groups, I am a huge fan of them and have gathered with the same group for over twenty years. Through thick and thin, through life changes, even deaths, we've become the best of friends. And Sybil's superpower - worrying. Asking what's the worst thing that can happen? What if, what if? And using those disasters to create plot twists. 

I'd also like to extend a warm welcome to Steve Pease (aka Michael Chandos), who will now become our resident expert on all things PI, whether he likes it or not. Writers are a supportive, collegial community, and I believe we crime writers are the friendliest of all. Maybe it's something to do with letting out dark side loose on the page.

My own post today will be mundane by comparison. Mundane and short. My latest book, SHIPWRECKED SOULS, is at that pre-release stage where I have to start thinking about promotional events and activities. The book is going to land with a thud into the middle of January, when potential purchasers are staring at their credit cards in horror, and readers can barely see over their newly augmented TBR piles. Christmas is over and the next big "sales opportunity" - probably Mother's / Father's Day - is months away. Valentine's Day doesn't count unless you're a romance writer. It's difficult to entice a would-be Romeo with a nice little spot of murder.

So my first task is to order bookmarks for the new book and set up a few signings in my favourite independent bookstores in the month before Christmas. Those signings are announced on Facebook and Instagram (with a graphic). While signing my existing books, I will tell customers about the new book and slip a bookmark into any book they buy. My second task is to plan my book launch, probably in early February. That involves first booking the venue; I love pubs, ideally with a separate party room. Then figuring out the program and finding someone to act as MC or moderator. Next, designing the invitation and updating my contact list. I send out emails, Facebook invites, and general social media posts. 

I usually have two launches, the main one in Ottawa and another in Toronto, which is about a four and a half hour nightmare drive down the infamous "401." 

There are two other tasks that happen before the release– ARCs and pre-orders. Right now, Advanced Reader Copies are available through Net Galley, so interested reviewers can go to Net Galley to sign in. Reviews on sites like Goodreads, Amazon, and other book sites are increasingly important for authors to gain any visibility in the crowded book world today. 

As well, SHIPWRECKED SOULS is now listed for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Chapters/ Indigo, and most other book sites. Pre-ordering has also become increasingly important to sales because some complicated algorithm calculates how successful the book will be and gives it greater prominence.

This is as far as I have got in thinking about the new book's release. Stay tuned for more details on the launches as I figure them out.