Today is publication day for my 14th book.
14th!
Talk about a pinch-me moment – especially when seven years I was still in the querying trenches, waiting for my one yes. It came on January 31, 2019 and you can read about it here.
But back to now… what does a publication day look like?
The lead up
My author copies arrived last week and it’s always a thrill to do the unboxing.
Check out my unboxing video here. With thanks to my Aunty Candyce for being DoP for the shoot.
Then I record the publication day video (super fun this time) and take promo photos of my book. This is my fave from this year’s photo shoot featuring Coco (wearing black) and Pumpkin (wearing orange). The puppies aren’t mine (I wish) but were visiting at the time with my aunt and uncle.
In the lead up to publication, I keep an eye on NetGalley reviews from early readers, such as these two. Early reviews for this one have been terrific and I’m thrilled that Ally and her adventures in Greece are resonating with readers. After wrapping up a 5-book series, this was a departure for me and I really got to play, especially with the sub-plot and the heat level. If you want to learn more about my inspiration for this book, you can read about it here.
I also keep an eye on pre-sales, rankings and charts.
Today
Well, I’d intended to sleep in but at 4:30 this morning, my over-active (menopausal) brain tossed up THE BEST plot idea for my work-in-progress. By 5:00, it had grown legs (and arms and a torso), so I got up and went straight to my desk to sketch out the next two chapters.
Next up is social media, posting across my accounts. You can check those posts out on Instagram, Facebook and Threads (and follow me if you don’t already). But part of the marketing for this book is that Ally Novak is the Divorced Diva, an influencer and we created her social media grids.
While getting back to writing Book 16 (Book 15 is already in the editing stages), I check socials and sales throughout the day.
And these beautiful flowers arrived from my publisher Boldwood Books.
I love getting flowers, but publication day flowers are super special because they celebrate the 100s (if not 1000s) of hours that goes into writing, editing and launching a book.
And this evening, we went for a publication day dinner at one of our new locals Flame Trees. As always the food was sublime and thank you to my darling Ben for spoiling me rotten.
So, there you have it – part celebration, part workday and all of it living a dream come true.
Thank you to my editor, Emily, and my agent, Lina, and the teams at Boldwood Books and Ulverscroft (who publish my audio and large print versions).
And thank you for reading my books. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to be an author, but I only get to do it because of you.
Don’t miss out – grab your copy now
Find your local bookshop: Australia | UK | US | Canada
All formats: Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon US | Amazon CA
Audio: Ulverscroft |Audible UK | Audible AU | The Reading House | Spotify |iBooks | Barnes & Noble
eBook: Kobo | iBooks | Nook | Barnes & Noble
Print: Waterstones |Foyles
Sandy Barker | Author 