As a group of avid readers ourselves, we know ALL about anticipation and excitement of upcoming book releases. We too wait with bated breath for the next installment from our favorite authors. We obsessively check the book's Amazon page, wait for updates and sneak peeks, and most of all, come release day, we are up at dawn with our grubby nubs poised on the power button ready to dive in as soon as it appears on our device. Long story short, we know because we feel all those things right alongside our readers.
So WE GET IT - the long faces, the disappointment. the hairy eye balls - when we have to push a release date back. Trust us, we don't make that decision lightly. At all. But for those of you who are curious, we just wanted to give you some insight as to why this happens sometimes. One: we want to make sure you know that we always try our very best to NOT have to do it. If it happens, trust us, it is a last resort. And two: we want to explain the process of setting a release date and why they sometimes need to change.
When a book is set to release, let's say the first book in a series, in order to put buy links in the back of book one, we need to set up buy link pages for the next in series. That book may not even have a word of it written yet, but we need to set a release date and write a book description for a book that is merely an idea at this point.
We usually set a release date about a year out as just an *estimate* to give the author time to draft and for the book to go through edits and formatting and all that jazz... BUUUT it doesn't really account for you know... LIFE EVENTS that pop up. For instance, we had to push one of Tricia's book releases (Bahama Mama, I believe) when she was displaced from her home in Florida by Hurricane Irma. YIKES! I mean, who could think about romance and tropical adventures when you're literally running from a catastrophic storm and once you get home, you have no power for weeks?!? Ugh. What a nightmare!
But we've had to push for good things too. Our author Beth unexpectedly moved because of some great new (day) job opportunity last summer. Though it was difficult for her to write and focus amidst closing dates, packing, and tending to her family, our girl did everything she could to keep to her release date... or as close to it as she could.
I mean, if we can understand anything, it's that life happens. And I went into publishing as someone who wants to balance professionalism with a sense of humanity. I truly believe that we can't produce good work when we are running on empty, when we are stressed to our limit, and when we feel unsupported.
So long story short (I know, too late!), we are SORRY if it ever happens, but I can't apologize for prioritizing the well being of my authors and their work. In fact, that's another reason we would choose to push a release date. Majanka's next Adventures of Marisol Holmes book was due out this month, and it crushed us to have to push the date. There were a series of reasons as to why, but in reality, it comes down to the fact that after all of this hard work of drafting and edits and cover art, we felt like it still needed some final touches to make sure it reflected Majanka's best work and is a fulfilling next-installment of her series. You can't rush perfection, amiright?!
Anyway, so for all the times we feel like this about an upcoming book release:
WE HEAR YOU. AND I PROMISE, we want to deliver. But we also want to deliver you the very best story that time and money can buy.
So thank you for your patience, for your understanding, and your ceaseless compassion. It's the reason that our fans are TRULY unparalleled. We LOVE our authors. We LOVE our fans.
And if there's one thing that I hope we can take from this, it's that LOVE and compassion are all that matter.