If you haven’t caught the news, there’s a fancy new page on the site all about Seacritters! The Hunt for the Jigamaree, my upcoming swashbuckling graphic novel with writer Kate Milford and colorists K. Czap and Natalie Riess—and just in time! This week Barnes & Noble is running a big preorder sale that includes our book! You can use the code PREORDER25 to get a hefty 25% off from now till Friday, 9/11/26. (This offer is for B&N rewards members, but it’s basically like a free frequent flier program. Should be easy to sign up for.)
If B&N doesn’t float your boat, I’m always a fan of preordering from your local indie bookstore or requesting that your library carry the book. More info about all of that here. There will be other sales and promotions for preorders between now and the book’s publication date next March, so if money is tight or you gotta skip this one, never fear.
And why does all this matter, anyway? Well, to traditional publishers, preorders are what it’s all about. They let booksellers, librarians, reviewers, and the marketing department know that people are excited for this release, which means they’ll put more energy into helping us get it into the world. It’s proof of concept.
They also impact our potential placement on bestseller lists when the book comes out. Those “instant bestsellers”? They’re actually the accumulation of every preorder received before the book’s release—not the number of books sold the week the title comes out.
All that to say: preorders do matter! A lot!
There are so many things about traditional publishing that I assume everyone already knows, and I have to keep reminding myself that I didn’t know a lot of this stuff before I started dipping my toe into non-Kickstarter-funded book-making waters. It’s opaque and nonsensical and often deserves a clarifying word or two. I’m learning as I go. Here’s to sharing more of that along the way.
