Assumptions and the Book Business

“Never assume the obvious is true.” -William Safire


At my age, it seems like I should know not to assume anything. Unfortunately, I have not been successful in breaking the habit. Coasting along on the high from the release of The Ride, I assumed that when one bookstore said my book could be ordered, that meant it was available everywhere. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

A friend informed me this week that she had tried to order my book from two different bookstores and they both told her it was not available. Those were not the words I expected to hear. My initial response was to panic.

I worked hard on writing the book. I waited patiently for the release. Okay, maybe not patiently, but I did wait a long time. Now I learn that it’s not available. I visualized having the shortest writing career in the history of humankind.

Immediately I contacted ArcheBooks and asked what in the world happened. Calmly, Robert Gelinas informed me it was no big deal; it was simply a time thing. I needed to give the book a four to six week leeway to be catalogued by the big distribution centers, including Ingram Books, Baker & Taylor, and Bertram’s. Apparently, they prefer to handle books from the big publishing houses first before getting around to others. Unfortunately, these big centers are where many booksellers order their books.

I tried to do internet research into how the distribution process works, but it seems to be a well-kept secret or I just didn’t know where to look. If any of you can explain how the system operates, I’d love to hear from you.

My apologies to those of you who went out and tried but were unable to buy The Ride, for giving you false information. However, I really appreciate you trying and I hope you won’t give up. It’s been almost a month now so it should be available everywhere soon. If you don’t want to wait for your local bookstore, you can buy it now from ArcheBooks, or Amazon.

Also, if you haven’t done so already, please read my interviews with Emma Larkins, and Yvonne Eve Walus. The two interviews are totally different so I hope you will visit both and feel free to leave comments.

Thanks for stopping by. See you next week.

Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride
http://janesutton.com/
http://janekennedysutton.blogspot.com/

Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Safire, Emma Larkins , Ingram, Yvonne Eve Walus, Baker & Taylor, Bertrams, distribution, Amazon

Blowing My Own Trumpet

“You must stir it and stump it, And blow your own trumpet, Or trust me, you haven’t a chance.” - W.S. Gilbert

This has been a week of new and exciting experiences in my writing career! I can't wait to share them with you.

I was asked to do my very first interview as a published author. The interview appears today on Emma Larkin’s blog . I hope you’ll drop by and leave a comment. But don’t stop there, her blog has many interesting interviews and other informative articles. Emma considers herself an emerging author. She’s just learned that a short story of hers will be published in the premier issue of The Mist, an online outdoor magazine for women. Way to go, Emma! To find out more about Emma and her work, visit her web page.

I then did another completely different interview with Yvonne Eve Walrus. You can read it on her blog. It would be great if you’d leave a comment after your visit. You may remember, I interviewed Yvonne on my blog on 8/31/07 . She is a talented writer from New Zealand with many short stories and books to her credit. Her novel, Murder at Work, is a fast-paced read with quirky characters who all have motives to get rid of the boss. Just when you think you know who it is, the plot thickens. To find out more about Yvonne, visit her website.

I can’t tell you how exciting it is was to click on awomanswrite.com and see my name mentioned. As one of their short story winners several years ago, they kindly placed my novel release information under their Success Stories. This site has a lot of useful writer’s tips, contest information and links to other sites. Be sure to check it out.

Last Saturday The Ride was informally launched and I did a ‘mini’ signing at the French Connection Restaurant in downtown Fort Myers. This was the monthly luncheon of the Southwest Florida division of the Florida Writers Association. The food was great but I was too nervous to eat. Although I was among friends, I noticed my signature was shaky. I also worried too much about misspelling names or common everyday words. I don’t think I did, or maybe everyone was too nice to point out any booboo. Anyway, thank you to those that purchased the book. I do hope you enjoy it.

Last, but not least, a big thank-you to all of you who have sent their congratulations. Your friendship and support really mean a lot to me.

Before I go, I want to mention that I heard from a friend who encountered a bookstore that said they couldn’t order the The Ride. If any of you have had this problem, I’d appreciate hearing about it. I’ve contacted ArcheBooks Publishing so hopefully the situation will be cleared up.

And, if you don’t have your copy yet, there should be no problems ordering from Amazon, or ArcheBooks

Thanks for stopping by. See you next week.

Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride
http://janesutton.com/
http://janekennedysutton.blogspot.com/


Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, W. S. Gilbert, Emma Larkins , The Mist, Yvonne Eve Walus, Murder at Work, awomanswrite, French Connection Restaurant, Florida Writers Association, Amazon, success stories