Why are Authors Constantly Talking About Preorders?
Hint: It's not about the money!
So I partially lied. When I say it’s not about the money, I mean it’s not about the money for the author. Unfortunately, a lot revolves around money in publishing. While the publishing industry is doing its best to earn back on its investments, authors are doing their best to get their books written and seen. And one of the most pivotal ways we can get our stories seen is (say it with me) PREORDERS!
(Excuse the explanation if you’re already familiar, but for those who don’t know…) Preordering is when you purchase an author’s book ahead of its release. You’ve most likely seen authors online ask you to preorder their book four months in advance, and there’s a good reason for that.
But your first thought may be: “I’ll wait until the book releases and grab it in store!” Or maybe: “Why would I order a book that far in advance when I don’t even know if it’s good?” Two very logical thoughts!
These are the two thoughts authors and publishers are constantly battling. To combat them, publishers offer ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) so readers can read and review the book ahead of time to give other readers a glimpse into the story, as well as preordering incentives, like bookmarks and stickers and character art, that you’ll only receive if you preorder the book. They want you to preorder!!!
So why are preorders so important?
Why Do Preorders Matter?
It Determines if Stores Stock Us
When you’re traditionally published, you’re not guaranteed a spot in bookstores (i.e., Barnes and Noble, Target, Waterstones, Indigo, your local indie bookstore, etc.). That sounds insane, because with the dream of becoming a published author comes the dream to see your book in stores. But we often forget that bookstores are still businesses—they have to make strategic decisions to keep the lights on, meaning they’re going to purchase and stock their stores with stories they think their readers will gravitate towards or appreciate.
Bookstores just can’t stock every book on the planet! But when an author has high preorder numbers, a bookseller is likely to notice. They’ll realize there’s a demand for that story, and purchase copies to put in their store.
When I walk into a store and see my book, I’m eternally grateful, especially when it’s sat on a table or face-fronting on a shelf, because that isn’t the case in every store! I was in The Strand in NYC and learned very quickly that they don’t sell my book in store at all. Shelf and table space is real estate a store gives up to every writer. When my book is in a store, it’s because a bookseller believes in me, or readers have made their interest in my book evident through sales and preorders. (Something interesting to think about next time you’re book shopping!)
I’ve posted in some of my book marketing videos: “Preorder to guarantee you get a copy during release week!” because it’s possible your store won’t have copies the week it releases. Preordering will guarantee a copy is in your hands despite that.
Increases Support from Our Publishers
When an author has an idea for a new story or finishes writing a new manuscript, that does not mean their publisher has to buy and publish it. Again, remember, business. Publishers invest in stories they believe will make them money back.
I want to note that this is how Publishing—capital P—works as an industry, not the incredible, passionate people who work inside it and help champion me and thousands of other authors to help get their stories into the world and into readers’ hands.
But when a publisher sees an author’s book performing well or performing better than they had anticipated (for instance: positive publicity, high sales, frequent reordering from bookstores), they reward those authors. That can look like more marketing dollars, book tours, special editions, or another book deal for that new manuscript!
Preordering shows publishers that their investment in an author is not only paying off, but that the author is worth investing in again. AKA more books from your favorite authors!
(Because of you guys, my publisher is sending me to a few cities the week of my new release in August! And they may have just bought more stories from me too…)
It Helps the Publisher Gauge How Many Copies to Print
This is where we get into some Economics 101, but we’re relating it to Heated Rivalry, so stay with me. Who else ran to the bookstore after binge-watching Heated Rivalry to read the entire series? Fabulous, all of us. And when you got there, did they tell you they’re waiting for stock from the warehouse?
If they did (like they did for me in January), that’s because the publisher was unaware of the initial desire for the books after the release of the show and didn’t print enough copies to meet all of the demand. This can happen a lot when publishers are suddenly hit by the virality of a book, spiking the book’s sales momentarily before stores completely run out of stock.
For instance, when a publisher receives 15k preorders for a single book, that tells the publisher that they need to be printing much more than 15k copies. Preorders help publishers estimate how many copies to print in order to meet demand and ensure any reader can get that copy in person when they want it.
Can Land the Book on a Bestseller List
When you preorder a book, it’s as if you walked into the store the day of its release, meaning that it counts towards the book’s first week of sales. When you preorder a book, that sale is immediately added into the first-week sales data, which is what bestseller lists are paying attention to.
To apply a real-world example, when my book Picking Daisies on Sundays released with its trad publisher in the US on February 17th this year, I ended up on the USA Today Bestseller List at 46 (I still can’t believe that’s real!). My first-week sales that week were a little over 6k, and half of those sales were preorders! I wouldn’t have made it into the top 50 without those preorders. However, if no one showed up in store for its release, I still would’ve debuted with over 3k sales week one.
Is it a dream to be on a bestseller list? For many authors, yes! But being on a bestseller list is also an incredibly valuable marketing tool for an author’s book. It not only means an author gets that coveted Bestselling Author title on the cover of all their books, but they also get a spot on a major website where readers and journalists are looking for the next best read. In a way, it’s free advertising! Helping to bring more awareness to the book, which is all authors are trying to do.
What if I can’t afford to preorder?
The fact that you’re reading this post at all is a huge help! Most readers are unaware of how much of an impact preorders have on writers, so reading and sharing this info is great.
Other ways to help your favorite authors leading up to their release:
Reshare/comment/like their posts about their upcoming book!
Tell your friends about the new release
Save the publication date (maybe you’ll want to stop in store!)
Add the book on Goodreads
If you see round-up posts online about upcoming releases, leave your favorite author’s new book in the comments!
Books I’ve Preordered Recently!
Scandal of the Summer (from Blue Cypress Books for fun art!)
Rose in Chains paperback
Heartless Hunter special edition
My newest early 2000s-inspired romance, A SUMMER OF STARS, is available for preorder now, everywhere you get your books! When you preorder through Lovestruck Books before its August 11th release, your copy will come signed (and maybe with character art from my first book PICKING DAISIES ON SUNDAYS…which I’ve told no one about yet!)
