Launching a book during a global pandemic
Okay — things didn’t really hit the fan until March. I just managed to scrape my book launch into the back end of February. But damn! This was not a lucky time to be launching a book!
Now, as a small-press author, I don’t depend on bookstore sales (although I was the number-one bestseller in Better Read Than Dead during my launch week — hello!). And unlike many authors publishing around this time, my launch wasn’t cancelled. I did miss out on one festival appearance that would have netted a whole bunch of sales—was meant to be judging a SLAM poetry competition in April—but I’m not one of those super-famous authors whose whole ‘thing’ is book tours and con appearances.
But there’s no denying that the downturn in the market is making the tough job of ‘author’ even tougher. Despite some early signs that widespread quarantine was giving book sales a bump (industry revenue for the week ending 28 March was up 15%), there’s been a sharp drop-off in the following weeks. Adult fiction is doing better than trade nonfiction, but the fantasy market in Australia was never exactly robust to begin with. People have lost jobs, and those who still have jobs are tightening the purse strings. And prolonged isolation messes with your concentration. When the world outside is so crazy, it’s hard to even focus on reading. We’re glued to the news and the brainless scroll of our Instagram feeds.
Now if you’re read all that and feel quite sorry for me, don’t! I still have a job (a new one, in fact). And I’m psychologically very fit for isolation. This is my normal lifestyle.
But if you’d like to support an Australian small press author during your time in isolation, well, let me help you help me.
Buy The Ninth Sorceress on Amazon
This is great because you don’t have to leave the house. The Ninth Sorceress will come straight to you, like a gentle carrier pigeon, carrying tales of far-off lands.
Or if you’re sick of me (understandable), here’s some other great local authors who could really use your support:
Buy Dawn of Mist by Helen Scheuerer
Helen just released her short story collection, set in the world of the Oremere Chronicles. Short stories are perfect for keeping your brain busy if your concentration is too wiped to handle a longer read. And who doesn’t want to revisit Bleak and the gang?
The follow-up, Riven, is coming out very soon. This is your chance to get up to speed. I love this story! As the blurb says, this is for fans of ‘dark fantasy, strong heroines, slow-burning tension and plot twists that will leave you reeling.’
Buy The Crowning by Nattie Kate Mason
I’ve been meaning to read these for ages, but time continues to escape me. What I do know is that these books have a devoted fan base, and that Nattie Kate Mason is just about one of the nicest authors on Instagram. Book 3 launches next month. A good time for some catch-up reading, I say.