Stroke of Genius Available for Pre-Order

I've been checking Amazon for a couple weeks now expecting to find STROKE OF GENIUS available for pre-order any day. I was always disappointed. Imagine my surprise when my friend Marcy sent me an email saying she'd found it there!

I clicked over super quick and typed in " STROKE OF GENIUS EMILY BRYAN". Nothing.

I tried "EMILY BRYAN" and A CHRISTMAS BALL, VEXING THE VISCOUNT, PLEASURING THE PIRATE, and DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS came up in all their assorted formats, but no STROKE OF GENIUS.

Then I decide to go with just the title and finally at #7, behind a couple tennis and golf books, there was my lovely STROKE OF GENIUS cover. And the author is listed as:

Eire and Europe UK and Emily?

My DH (AKA Mighty Webmaster and Computer Czar) checked it out and says if you click on Eire and Europe UK and Emily, Amazon has lots of books listed by that author.

I sent them a nice little email (Of course, it was nice. I'm midwestern, you know, and it's practically required!) So we'll see if they fix mine in a timely manner.

But the exciting thing is, even though it's very hard to find, someone has been pre-ordering STROKE OF GENIUS already! The ranking number was around 100K instead of over a million where books usually start. So if you have pre-ordered, thank you sincerely! Pre-orders help boost a title's print-run, which increases its distribution in brick and mortar stores, which increases sales.

Thanks for supporting my work! I hope you love Crispin Hawke and the rest of the cast of STROKE OF GENIUS as much as I do.

PS. Today is my Chatelaine posting day. I'm talking about Johnny Depp's The Libertine. Hope you'll join me there.

Rushing the Season!

I know, I know! We're just now thinking summer with its cook-outs and ballgames and mosquito repellent. But I noticed that my Christmas anthology, A CHRISTMAS BALL is available on Amazon for pre-order. It's not due out till September 29th, so this is way early, so early in fact that Amazon doesn't even have the cover art up yet. But it's there, so I' thought I'd let you know!

In the bookselling world, pre-orders are important. They don't count toward the secret determination of whether or not a book hits a bestseller list, but they do signal reader interest. Bookstores use pre-orders as a guide to placing their stock orders, which in turn increases distribution. And the bigger the distribution, the more likely a book will hit a list.

I also thought I'd let you know if you go to Amazon, you will not see my name listed. Right now, I'm the author known as "et al!"

How do I feel about that? Well, of course, I'd love to see my name up there alongside Jennifer Ashley, but she's the USA Today BestSeller, so that's the main thing. Once they get the cover up, my name is big enough, (Thank you very much, Dorchester!)

So just so no one with accuse me of dissing summer in order to hurry into the holidays, go out there and have a "Merry End of May."

Christmas is Coming--Buy a Book!

When I was a kid, my grandparents always brought me books as gifts when they visited. They weren't expensive books, but each time, I felt as if they had given me the whole world. I was the type of kid who sneaked flashlights under the blanket to read. When I was in middle school, I even chose to take the creepy basement bedroom in order to keep my light on later. What's a few waterbugs when there's a whole world waiting for me in a book?

As an adult, I'm still just as drunk on the printed word as I ever was. But now, I'm concerned. As you may have heard, there's a recession on and publishing houses are particularly vulnerable. For the whole story on this, you might want to check out this editorial assistant's take on what happened to the industry in October.

http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2008/11/crash-flow-or-what-went-wrong-in.html

Publishers aren't running to Washington with their hands out. All they need is for us to put our Christmas money where it will do the most good. Take a look at your Christmas list. Is there a niece or nephew? Why not give them a book instead of yet another video game? Exercise their minds, not their thumbs. A grandmother? Give her a large print book. A busy mom to buy for? How about a book on tape she can enjoy while she ferries the fam around? Got a little one on the list? A picture book you can read aloud together will make more than a wonderful gift. It will make a memory.

We are all shaped by the people we surround ourselves with, the media images we let scream into our brain, and the books we read. Am I suggesting you buy my books? Only if you intend to give them to a romance reader. Choosing a book for someone means you've taken the time to think about them long enough to pick something you'll think they'll like. So think about your loved ones. Pay attention to their hobbies, their favorite things. It should lead you to the right section. Or let a knowledgable bookseller recommend something if you can't pick something yourself. Heck! Send me your list and I'll be happy to make some suggestions.

Even now, my husband gives me books because he knows I'll love them. They tell me he's paying attention. So pay attention to your family and friends this holiday season and pick out a book that tells them how special they are to you.

For under $10, you can give someone a whole world. What other gift can beat that?

Vexing the Viscount Available for Pre-Order!

I'm so excited! I've been watching every day and today for the first time, VEXING THE VISCOUNT is available for pre-order on Amazon. This is important for several reasons. While pre-orders don't help a book hit a best-seller list, they do influence how many copies of a title the brick and mortar stores decide to stock. If pre-orders are strong, a book can even go back for a 2nd printing before it's been released the first time.

Publishing is a new game for me and I still feel like a neophyte, even though this is my 6th release. As I understand it, hitting a best-selling list is NOT decided by the total number of books sold. It's determined by the velocity with which the title flies out of a certain number of pre-determined bookstores (sort of like Nielson rating households for books).

Which bookstores? That's way above my paygrade, but even hitting Bookscan (which tracks more outlets) with a respectable sell rate will get a book noticed. And marketed more heavily.

So when I want to support an author, I do two things. First, I pre-order their upcoming book. This will help her/his "buy-in" and I'll usually get my copy a week or more before it actually shows up in the stores. Then I buy a second copy to share with a friend as close to the release date of the book as I possibly can. This one definitely counts on Bookscan and may help my friend hit a bestseller list!

And it keeps my TBR pile fat and happy and filled with the kind of books I want to read.