Hello Everyone,
On March 31st, I released my first Contemporary Romance Novel called the Prelude. I found myself nervous and scared and my stomach filled with butterflies. I mean, I had an idea I could create a lovely story set in one of my favorite places in the world (Milan, Italy), according to my fantastic readers. But the circumstances leading up to the release day almost finished me.
First, the book release was delayed due to me being hospitalized earlier in the year. The paperback wasn't ready on the release day. Some critical publicity fell through at the last minute. And then, both the host of my release party and myself caught a bug that felt a lot like the flu. I guess it's safe to say, my release day was headed into delirium hell (please excuse the innuendo). Besides hopping into the bed and throwing the covers over your head on a stressful release day, what else can you do to survive a book launch?
Mainly, you'll need to:
That's right! You have to breathe and keep marketing if you want to survive a book launch. Despite my fears, anxieties, and panic surrounding this release, a wonderful thing happened...my readers kept things going for me. Loyal fans wrote letters to tell me how they hope I feel better, and new readers left messages telling me how much they enjoyed my book. I was floored. Why is that? Because despite all of the setbacks, the positive energy came through. The ARCs and street team and blog tours I set up well in advance came through like nothing I've ever seen happen before in my previous releases. I'm so flattered and humbled.
Also, you need to remember that you're human. I kept thinking, everybody's going to hate my book. I should have just stuck with my fantasy world. No, that didn't happen, thank goodness. You need to realize that with a novel as broad as a Contemporary Romance, you're going to have some folks who love it and some who don't. Romances happen in various ways, intensities, and levels. But that's another blog post. **winks**.
The main tidbit of advice I can give you is to write a great book, have it edited and polished until it shines, set up tours and publicity efforts in advance and then have fun interacting with your readers on release day. They will love you for it. Enjoy a sample of my novel the Prelude and remember to Keep Calm on your special day!
All the best,
KaSonndra Leigh
First, the book release was delayed due to me being hospitalized earlier in the year. The paperback wasn't ready on the release day. Some critical publicity fell through at the last minute. And then, both the host of my release party and myself caught a bug that felt a lot like the flu. I guess it's safe to say, my release day was headed into delirium hell (please excuse the innuendo). Besides hopping into the bed and throwing the covers over your head on a stressful release day, what else can you do to survive a book launch?
Mainly, you'll need to:
That's right! You have to breathe and keep marketing if you want to survive a book launch. Despite my fears, anxieties, and panic surrounding this release, a wonderful thing happened...my readers kept things going for me. Loyal fans wrote letters to tell me how they hope I feel better, and new readers left messages telling me how much they enjoyed my book. I was floored. Why is that? Because despite all of the setbacks, the positive energy came through. The ARCs and street team and blog tours I set up well in advance came through like nothing I've ever seen happen before in my previous releases. I'm so flattered and humbled.
Thank you world! You are most awesome!
Also, you need to remember that you're human. I kept thinking, everybody's going to hate my book. I should have just stuck with my fantasy world. No, that didn't happen, thank goodness. You need to realize that with a novel as broad as a Contemporary Romance, you're going to have some folks who love it and some who don't. Romances happen in various ways, intensities, and levels. But that's another blog post. **winks**.
The main tidbit of advice I can give you is to write a great book, have it edited and polished until it shines, set up tours and publicity efforts in advance and then have fun interacting with your readers on release day. They will love you for it. Enjoy a sample of my novel the Prelude and remember to Keep Calm on your special day!
All the best,
KaSonndra Leigh
Erin
Gets Her Happy Dance On…
I’m
walking in a daze.
I
think I’m going to pass out. Whoa! What just happened out there? The most
gorgeous, successful, beautifully arrogant man ever just kissed my hand. My
best friend, Selene is going to hate me for being so lucky. I can’t wait to
tell her.
“Alright,
chill out, Cinderella.” I walk through my door and let all the pretense,
aka Miss Control USA, go flying out the window. I hop right up in the middle of
my living room floor and start doing my hot damn dance.
So,
yeah, Alek’s statement about the prelude freaked me out for a second. The word
reminded me of something Jada used to say. His line was just the tiniest bit
corny, too. But I meant what I said when I told him I thought his words were
cute. He can say anything with that accent and get away with it.
I
glance at my watch. 10p.m. It’s too early to call Selene. She works as a
bartender in Florence. Sometimes her nights don’t end until around 2am.
I
sniff the contract Alek gave me. His scent still lingers on the paper,
reminding me of the day I first experienced the scent of his cologne. That was
the day I fell on my butt, and he offered me his jacket to cover my body. He’s
a true gentleman. Well, maybe a little.
So
what if the gesture came after I had bolted for the door because he was looking
me up and down at first. I feel myself forgiving his neglect to inform me of
his true identity. He’s yet to explain himself. I consider agreeing to meet him
for dinner just so he can tell me why he led me to believe he was an assistant.
I
shower and throw on my Betty Boop sleeping shirt, a pair of booties, and then
try to bring my racing thoughts back under control. Heading to my bedroom, I
lie down on the bed and pull out a romance novel Selene let me borrow.
She
thinks I’m destined to become either a nun or a homicidal maniac. Her reasoning
being that no normal person goes without sex as long as I have done. Selene’s
boyfriend and my old design lab partner from school, Christopher, even chimed
in to help drill the thought into me one day when the two of them visited. I
study the book in my hands.
This
just doesn’t seem right. Erin Angelo is
pulling out a romance novel and actually considering reading it. Now I know
something’s wrong with me.
Want More? You can grab a copy for only $2.99 from Amazon or Barnes&Noble.
No comments:
Post a Comment