One Month until What the Sea Brings!
The one where Beverly feels like Bilbo Baggins
Oh hello friends!
The busy summer season continues! I feel like I greatly underestimated how quickly the summer seems to fly by. Or perhaps I simply forgot how much time promo gobbles up and how difficult it is to balance that with Writing Books.
It’s probably the latter. I finally feel like I’ve gotten a hold of my WIP and all I want to do is curl up with a cup of tea, my laptop, and “sit somewhere quiet to finish my book”. This is great for writing! Not so great when you’re supposed to be yelling on the internet about your newest book that comes out in -looks at calendar- a little less than 3 weeks.
It’s an odd thing. Theoretically, an indie author such as myself should have lots of extra flexibility in their publishing schedules. I don’t have a Big 5 publisher looming over me, expecting me to deliver a book at a specific time. I can hop around genres as much as I want. I can even delay releasing ‘a book a year’ if I so desire!
Yet there are still some interesting hurdles. I need to know my release date and have a finished book ready for trade reviews 5 months out. I need to factor in ~3ish months for promo before book launch and all the prep that entails. I have to work in break times for the holidays and my sanity. On top of all of this, I really just have to sit down and actually Write Books. Oh yeah, and I have a physically demanding day job.
Where is my invisibility ring? I need a holiday. A very long holiday.
There’s lots of talk about how no matter how much promo any author does (traditionally published or otherwise), it actually moves the needle of ‘success’ very little. Word of mouth is the strongest and most effective way to sell books. It’s why booksellers, librarians, and reviewers are so crucial to the literary ecosystem! It also means that if I am a bit quieter on socials, it probably won’t hurt the book all that much. Right? RIGHT?!
Next Steps
With only one month (-tea kettle shriek-) until What the Sea Brings is out in the world, here are ALL the links!
First up, What the Sea Brings is available to request on Netgalley! This is your last chance to get a digital ARC and to read the book before anyone else :)
There is also a side quest option for those who have already read it. If you could give the cover a Thumbs Up, I’d appreciate it! I have no idea what it does to the algorithm beyond ensure that Kelsi knows her artwork is beautiful and appreciated.
Get your pre-orders in! I just saw my numbers for my physical pre-orders through Ingram yesterday and Y’all!! Thank you so much! I’ll be honest. I was getting nervous comparing early numbers to my debut. However, it seems like my fears were unfounded and that everyone is simply utilizing other platforms instead of Amazon for pre-orders. GOOD JOB EVERYONE!
I highly recommend pre-ordering a copy if you haven’t already. This will ensure that you get your copy printed and sent out to you ASAP! After all, don’t you want a copy for launch party shenanigans in August? More info on that soon!
Other ways to support What the Sea Brings
Request a digital / physical copies through your local library!
Share the book on socials!
Leave a review
Add WtSB to your TBRs on Goodreads, The Storygraph App, Bookbub, and More!
Thank you so much for all the support y’all have already shown for this book. It means the world to me, your slightly frazzled, burnt-out on marketing indie author <3
Writing Updates
I finished my Zero Draft! This means that I have a synopsis-shaped book that tracks all the major plot beats from the beginning, middle, and end.
I won’t lie, my brain was very pleased about this and it took some convincing to remind it that I hadn’t actually written the book. I just had a very thorough outline.
However, I’ve been having SO much fun that I decided to leap right back in and work on a proper First Draft. I’m about 7 chapters in of an estimated 29 chapters and having a wonderful time.
Drafting is a much slower process for me. I am a lean drafter by nature so it takes time for me to wrestle up the prose, get the visuals just right, connect character voices, etc. The nice thing is that this draft still doesn’t have to be perfect. It simply needs to take the outlined pieces and make them a wee bit bigger.
I’m going to keep going until I get notes back on The Forest Book. I’m not in a hurry to return to my Nemesis, even if I do have some ideas lingering as to How to Fix Things. However, I did reach the milestone of Not Feeling Panic when I opened the file the other day which is very good news.
The Cats
The boys have been extra snuggly these last few days. With all the rain and thunder we’ve been having, they’re a bit nervous. However, they’re not nervous enough to use their cat bed which I so graciously moved into the bedroom for them. Instead, they prefer to sit *around* it. Or beside it. Or you know, a few feet away to watch it.
That’s all for this newsletter, folks! Happy reading!
Readers and friends can request a FREE signed bookplate while supplies last!
I’ve chosen not to monetize my Substack, but if you’re interested in supporting me financially, you can do so through my Ko-Fi.