Writing Journal: On launching a book in two territories at once!
What it’s like to be a few days out from a book release
Next week, my new psychological suspense thriller When She Was Gone will be released into the world - on April 1st in the US/Canada with Blackstone Publishing, and on 2nd April in Australia/New Zealand with HarperCollins. This one’s had a long build-up, and it’s surreal to think I’ll finally be seeing it on shelves in a few days.
At this point, you’ll see lots of me on Insta and Facebook (although I think I’m shadow-banned on FB for talking about Substack too much, so you probably won’t see me there - ha!). I’ll be posing happily with the book everywhere and getting dressed up for book events. This is a really exciting, celebratory part of the publication process, and it’s always brilliant meeting booksellers and readers who share a passion for stories. And I also love all the memorable moments that happen at my events. At my last book launch, an elderly woman came up to me with a twinkle in her eye, and told me that she loved books so much she didn’t even put hers down, back in the day, when she and her husband first were consummating their marriage on their honeymoon! I’m still not entirely sure if she was joking! At another recent event I was asked to ceremonially hand out bookmarks to celebrate the founding of a new book club. And I love that many of the book club members who come along to events have been in these groups for decades, building lifetime friendships around their love of novels.
I also get to see other authors and chat to podcasters and radio hosts, and I generally feel much more connected to the big wide world than I do when I’m hunkered away writing. And yet, a part of me can’t help but be contrary and yearn for the return to solitude – I find the whirlwind of conversations tiring when I’m used to stretches on my own, so I need to make sure I conserve my energy.
And then there’s the anxiety about how the book is going. I try to play my part to give the book the best chance from publication – although I accept there’s only so much I can do. It’s definitely a concern that if new books are not found quickly enough, they disappear faster than ever before. I’ve heard of books being out of print within a couple of years of publication – and sometimes, if books are not deemed successes within weeks of their pub date, then that’s it – they’re finished. This is so harsh on authors and their work that it drives me crazy, which is one of the reasons I want to support authors here. I like to push back against this and actively look for ways to support my backlist and help others do the same. But right now, this is the reality of the market, and it’s daunting!
There can also be so many random things that impact a book publication. One of my books was launched just as Angus & Robertson/Borders went under. Another time I had all my stock for WA on a train that derailed on the Nullarbor. And The Hush came out in covid when a lot of the Sydney shops were closed. These are things we can’t control, but it’s very hard to experience them when we know this kind of thing can have a long-term impact on sales - because our previous books are clearly judged by our sales record when we try to sell and publish our next book.
Other anxieties around this time include brain freeze, making a mess of signing someone’s book, and – worst of all – forgetting people’s names when they obviously know me! When I’m meeting lots of people I can hardly remember my own name at times, and sometimes it takes me a moment (or longer!) to place people. I set a lot of store by trying to remember names, and the fact I’m not always great at it is a pet peeve of mine – so please forgive me if I ever do this to you, because it’s not personal and you’re not alone!
There’s been a lot to do in the run-up to this book launch – making sure everything is up to date, keeping active on social platforms, writing articles and answering interview questions, telling readers about the book and events, etc - and this time around I’ve really given it my all by doing the #findlou book hunt too, which took a lot of planning. However, as launch day approaches, I’m reminding myself that the best thing to do now is to let go of expectations and embrace wherever this ride takes me, enjoying it as a giant celebration with all the different venues, conversations and connections. And I’ll do all this while trying to get some rest too, and not outstaying the moment – because the draft of Book Ten and my family are waiting at home, and missing my attention!
Events
The events begin this week in WA with two bookshops I adore: Dymocks Joondalup and Beaufort Street Books in Mount Lawley - both of whom have supported me right from the start of my career. I’ll be chatting to Dervla McTiernan at the Joondalup Civic Centre on Wednesday 2nd April, and David Whish-Wilson at Beaufort Street Books on Thursday 3rd April. I feel very lucky to count Dervla and Dave as friends and consider them all-round inspirational humans so I’m very excited that they have kindly agreed to spend an evening in conversation with me!
We’re going to be talking all about When She Was Gone and why I wrote it, what we love about crime and suspense, why so many of the themes in the novel around wealth and power and control are so topical right now, and lots more. All booking links are on my website here, and I hope to see you at these or one of the other events I have coming up soon!
An update on the #BigWABookHunt
I’ve loved watching my fellow authors joining the #BigWABookHunt.
(who has a gorgeous new historical novel called The Distance Between Dreams coming out this week too) hid her book in a cafe in Booragoon, WA. Tess Woods hid her recently ABIA shortlisted stellar read The Venice Hotel in the brand-new brewery Rocky Ridge in Duncraig WA. Ash Harrier (aka ) put a series of clues ion Insta to find her recently re-released YA book Ghostling. And Jevita Nilson chose a playground for one of her beautiful children’s books, which, as you’d imagine, disappeared fast!The treasure hunt is officially on until 20th April so there’s plenty of time to play! If you’re an author with a book to share and you’d like to do this, you can find all the resources on my website. I’m trying to repost all the hides I see on my own socials, and I’m thinking about how to make this even more of a collective opportunity for us all next year. If you’ve done a hunt and I haven’t seen it, let me know!
As for my own book hunt, there are still a few books out there… eight have been found, seven may still be in place but I don’t know for sure, and the one at Cape Lavender teahouse is still waiting for be found! All the photos and locations are on my Insta.
Finally, I’m sending you this a couple of days later than intended - because another knock-on effect of a looming book launch is that I can’t keep up with my schedule! Enjoy your weekend, please watch out for my book on Wednesday and give it some love or a share if you see it, and I’ll be sharing the snazzy trailer on publication day (which is going to be on socials and on SBS) over on Story Matters (my substack for readers) and sending an extra post to paid subscribers too! I’ll be back here on Friday with an update and my monthly author notes round-up.
Happy writing!
Thanks for the shoutout! I can’t wait to read your new book. (I loved The Hush so much and I am still holding out hope for a sequel too.)
Congratulations!!