When you publish a book, there is a standard canon of questions you will now be asked constantly. I'm not sure how it happens, but I have a theory the post office sends out a pamphlet to all your contacts informing them of these questions.
There's the ever-loaded "How's your book doing?" or the even worse "Is your book doing well?" At events there's the dreaded "Where do you get your inspiration?" My favorite and most inappropriate question has been "Are you going to move?" As if I am now magically drowning in money.
But there's a more practical question that I get a lot:
"Where can I find your books?"
For the most part, I really appreciate this question because I HOPE it will lead to a sale at some point in the future. I like sales! Sales, in all practicality, make it so I can keep writing. At least I hope so. But now that BLINDSIDED is upon us, I've seen how this question can be used as yet another mark of "judgment" upon your standing as an author.
See, with TRANSPARENT I was blessed to be able to say with some confidence, "You can get my book almost anywhere that sells books, except like Walmart, Target, and Costco." It was at every major online retailer. It was featured on the Kids' Indie Next list, so it was even in many independent stores across the country.
Well, BLINDSIDED is a little different. Since it's coming from across the pond, we haven't yet gotten it into Barnes & Noble—not even online. It's also not on IndieBound, which makes me sad because I love the indies. It will likely not be on very many American shelves (much different story in UK territories, don't you fret, my UK friends!), and when I tell people that there's this face they get.
It's kinda like the pity face, but also mixed with a "Oh, this book must not be that important" face, too. Which has gotten me thinking a lot about how it might be for indie authors who say their book is only available online or, "even worse," just in ebook form. People must get this look like, "Oh, so you're not like a real author." I am prepping for this with RELAX, I'M A NINJA.
But see, the reality is that you can be with a big publisher and not make it into Barnes & Noble. You can be with a big publisher and only really have online sales to rely on. You can be with a big publisher overseas and it looks "unimportant" in your country of origin. This actually happens all the time. Like, ALL THE TIME. And it's nothing to be ashamed of. So if you are a debut stressing about this or an aspiring writer worried that no shelf placement means the end of the world, it's just not true. Especially now in the digital age.
And yet a little piece of me is still like, "Aw, poor BLINDSIDED. People won't find it as easily as TRANSPARENT." There's a bit of insecurity that I didn't expect, and that I'm honestly glad I'm facing with my second published book because I'm mostly over the debut angst.
Honestly, I'm just so glad to have BLINDSIDED out there at all (24 days! Wee!), because for years I'd tried to accept that I'd never get to write the rest of Fiona's story. The fact that it's a real book (that I wrote this year!) is kind of a miracle to me. I get to share it, even if it's not "everywhere." My gratitude to Hot Key for this chance is infinitesimal.
So with that in mind, I want to make sure you all know where you CAN buy BLINDSIDED.
You can buy it on Amazon and Book Depository (Which has free shipping! And you can also purchase the UK TRANSPARENT if you like matching sets!), if you want to purchase it online.
If you want a SIGNED copy, please pre-order it from The King's English, which is my local awesome indie store. They are hosting my launch party (Jan 2nd @ 7PM), so if you call them (phone #: 801-484-9100) and pre-order/order I can sign that copy at my signing and they will mail it to you wherever you may live. Note that this may be one of the few ways to get a signed copy, as I will only be doing two signings for BLINDSIDED (the other is at the Oceanside B&N on Jan 23 @ 6PM).
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