I didn’t start doing preorders until recently. Part of that was anxiety— I’m one of those people who isn’t prepared way in advance, and what if I couldn’t get a book done in time?  I wasn’t going to put up any unfinished document, after hearing authors describe the way Amazon had sometimes released their placeholder file. What if I messed it up and got banned?

And part was just that it’s taken more than ten years for me to gradually work my way through the technical parts of authorship and promotion (and I’m still working on it. Buying ads might be the next step.)

Of course it’s not just the story that has to be ready. I felt odd about putting up a preorder if I didn’t have the real cover. Which wasn’t my cover artists’ fault, because half the time I don’t have a title until well after the book is written… yeah, I have big admiration for organized people who don’t find themselves staring at an Amazon countdown clock in panic.

But one cool thing, now I am doing preorders, is seeing people excited enough about a new story to buy it sight unseen. No reviews, makeshift cover, and all. (Of course, this makeshift cover has Grim on it, so he’s pulling them in.) It’s a huge affirmation that readers are eager for more.

So with preorders in place (at least, up on Amazon, and coming soon via Smashwords on other vendors), now, I’m getting Beset by Demons – Necromancer Book 5 up for release next week on the 22nd, with the new final cover my son helped me create. (He works for chocolate. I’m very lucky.) And I’m getting a little ego boost from seeing that yes, after 5 books, people are still interested in what Darien and Silas, Grim and Pip are up to. And preorders don’t seem so scary anymore.

In a way, it’s fun to realize that I still have steps to take on my author journey, things to learn, stuff I’m not doing yet. And I’m blessed in having the luxury of a day job as I work through those steps, one at a time.

A huge thank you to everyone who preorders favorite authors; you may not realize how much you make our days.

– Kaje Harper

February 2022