Maggie Pill Mysteries

It's a terrifying thing for an author to say, "I will have this book ready on..." A hundred objections come to mind: what if I hate it? what if the editor hates it? what if, what if, what if? Still, there comes a time, and it's here. Peril, Plots, and Puppies is slated for March 23, and you can pre-order it here: https://www.amazon.com/Peril-Plots-Puppies-Sisters-Mystery-ebook/dp/B078V8X9J6 If you've missed any of the former books, you've got two months to get caught up!

First, the upside of arranging pre-orders of an upcoming book. If an author sets a book up for pre-order, the sales that come before the release date count as sales on that day, which raises the book higher in rankings, which shows it to more people, which in turn generates more sales. In theory, anyway. I'm not much for figuring out the ins and outs of selling more books. I'd rather write more. The downside of pre-orders is my anxiety level. I have to cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die promise I'll get the book done by June 20, ten days before the "official" release date so Amazon knows I'm trustworthy. If I fail, they promise to never let me pre-order again (well, for a year, anyway). I could live with that, but I hate failing, so I won't if I can possibly help it. The problem is I'm waiting for others to do their jobs and hoping that their jobs (editing) won't require too much more work from me (re-writing/fixing errors). When I signed a con...

Of course we know what a pre-order is. You want a book that isn't out yet. You tell Amazon about your longings and they let you sign up to get the book the minute it's available. You don't have to remember the release date and then go look for the book; it just shows up on your device. Pre-orders are helpful for authors too, at least if what I'm told is true. They're counted as sales when a book launches, which bumps it higher in the rankings, which means more people see it and hopefully want to buy it. That creates a nice little circle effect: notoriety brings sales, and sales bring more notoriety. All that's said to let you know the third Sleuth Sisters mystery, MURDER IN THE BOONIES, is up for pre-order. The release date for Kindle is May 20. Print books might come later, because there's  final proofing that requires ordering physical ARCs (advance review copies). Print books require different files than e-books, so that last proofing is a good idea...