All about Preorder Campaigns!
Mine and others, too.
Good morning, dear hearts!
I am back from StokerCon 2026, exhausted but with a very full heart! I had the joy of meeting some incredible author friends in person for the very first time, chatting with librarians about my books and the world of horror, and sat on a panel where I got ~into it~ about the politics of dark academia. I hung out in the Horror Archives at the University of Pittsburgh, where I had the honor of witnessing an early modern vellum manuscript, a first edition Shirley Jackson, and Victorian embroidered correspondence cards. I learned how to use a 19th century printing press.
I missed my family and my own bed and my cats, ate incredible food, hugged some idols, saw Lethal Kiss in the wild. I took a perfect flight and a turbulent flight (eeeek!), and therefore conquered just a little corner of my fear of air travel.
Now that I’m home, I see how monumental of an excursion and experience this StokerCon was, and I cannot wait to go back!
Get Your Special Shinies Here!
I have the distinct pleasure of announcing a preorder campaign with The Ripped Bodice for Lethal Kiss! It features:
a gold-foiled bookmark
a gold-foiled limited edition @mynqzo print of Lacie and Marcella
three iridescent stickers
a signed and/or personalized Lethal Kiss
There are only 200 of these little care packages available, so it behooves you to order now if you are interested!
A Word About Preorders
Look, I know it always feels like authors are shilling their wares, and to be honest…we kind of are. But it’s for good reason.
Here’s a list of things a lot of people don’t know about preorders:
Authors are often expected to put a huge amount of effort into campaigning for their books.
Yes, even if they are a lead title, there is an expectation that authors are very online and do a bird-of-paradise-esque song and dance to increase online (and increasingly offline) visibility. I speak for myself when I say that I am often nauseated by the sheer amount and frequency of my own marketing! But, if it works…
Preorder campaigns often solidify bestseller status.
All preorder sales are included in first-week sales, where book rankings often peak. It is known that certain books, especially nonfiction titles written by celebrities or politicians, are preordered in bulk to boost sales. Unfair, right? Some lists, like the notorious NYT Bestseller List, try to indicate suspicious sales, but most do not.
It is very hard to hit the bestseller list as an adult fiction author.
The reason is simple: while YA books cater to a small segment of the population (roughly ages 12-17, though we all know the lines are wavy) adult books are a much larger category for 18-100 years old. There are simply more books being counted in all categories. A standard bestseller has to move anywhere between 2,000 and 10,000 units to break onto a list—but this is wildly dependent on season and competition from other titles.
Despite that, authors aren’t actually in competition.
The hard truth is that bestsellers are typically predetermined by publishing houses. Certain books are chosen every season to receive the bulk of marketing buy-in and placement. That doesn’t mean that books outside of these rarified number don’t make the bestseller lists—they can, do, and will subvert publisher expectations—but not having publisher buy-in makes it much harder to list. Authors can move the needle very little themselves, and I would say overall we tend to view each other as friends clinging to a leaky life raft rather than competition.
It is very difficult to come back from poor sales numbers.
Publishing is a murky business, but one thing that is not murky is how they determine where to put their money when a sales track (i.e. how well a book sells) is established. A poor or mediocre track means a publisher is less likely to buy an author’s next titles. Is that unfair given how much publisher influence moves marketing power? You tell me.
For books by and including marginalized identities (most especially BIPOC, but also LGBTQ+ and disabled, representation) preorders can make or break a career.
Marginalized books are often given less funding than other titles—even though readers often clamor for diverse and nuanced representation. The easiest way to ensure more books like these are available is to preorder them—yes, even in this economy. Please, please, please preorder them, or we risk losing them in this era of book banning.
Alright, that’s enough proselytizing!
What’s Next, Taylor?
I am still (hehehe) officially off deadline! I’m taking this time to recover from StokerCon and to read, read, read. Currently, I’m devouring The Thief and the Traitor Bride by my friend V.L. Bovalino, as well as The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan. I’m thoroughly enjoying both!
I’m also receiving live reactions from dear friend S.T. Gibson as she reads Lethal Kiss! Because I am a Certified Geezer™, I often fall asleep early and wake up to texts increasing in hilarity. This fills my cup to no end.
Also, if you’ve made it this far: there will be news next week of a very exciting variety…so stay tuned.
Alright, I’m back to my torpor. Have a lovely week, all!
xoxoxo
