The last month has been the most amazing month! I have learned and experienced so much. It’s been quite non-stop at times, but never in a bad way. I think as a newbie author there was just a lot more to do and think about than I could have anticipated – most of this came from areas outside of my control. Thankfully, I will know a bit more next time!
The number of things going on is one of the reasons I didn’t write this blog earlier in May. With my debut book (‘Fyn Carter and the Agents of Eromlos’ for anyone here that didn’t know 😊) launching on 9th May, it was just a very busy time. The other reason is I wanted this blog to cover pre-launch, launch, and post-launch timeframes. So, blog number two – here we go!
Pre-launch
I was prepared for my book launch, or at least I thought I was. In advance of even announcing the book, I had a massive list of things to do which I’d been gathering and working on for many months based on a lot of research and conversations.
When I announced the release of Fyn Carter (six weeks before release), I was on top of everything. Then I hit a number of unexpected obstacles. I have made copious amounts of notes for all the lessons I’ve learned (and may write something more focused on those in the future), but suffice to say, up until two days before launch I had no books available for the launch event.
A period of time I’d expected to be full of excitement and happy nerves became nerve-racking in a different way. From 19th April (when I was originally due to receive the books) until about a week before launch, I was spending hours every day trying to resolve various issues to ensure I could receive the books in time. I am grateful to my background in Customer Service and as a Business Analyst, because I think it really helped me keep it together and focus on what needed to be done. Support and understanding from others around me (including the bloggers who accepted an eBook until a physical book was available) is something I was extremely grateful for. That said, as difficult as the challenges were, I also see them as a blessing in disguise. The delays meant I was able to rectify a few other last-minute issues and helped me to avoid later stress.
When the books finally arrived, I recorded my first ever reel (an unboxing video), and as cringe a moment as I thought it might be, I was genuinely quite emotional when I took the first book out of the box and found it was as I needed it to be. I’m really glad to have the moment captured, and, somehow, things were back on track.
The launch
Thursday 9th May 2024. That date will live on with me. Release day had arrived! Early in the morning one of my best friends arrived from Devon to work from our home for the day (in order to be here in time for the launch that night). I spent the whole day feeling completely overwhelmed by the amazing levels of support from friends and family. As well as waking up to a ‘Happy Fyn Day’ banner, messages and phone calls, that day I also received flowers, a delicious homemade cake, chocolates, a personalised poster, cards etc. I couldn’t have imagined it. Everything was so special, and I’ll be forever grateful.
Early in the afternoon I did hit a trickier moment (overwhelmed in a different way). I realised that (at last) the book was really out there, and that meant people would not only read it, but they would have … opinions! Eek! Thankfully, I soon made peace with this and got back to happy vibes.
I held my launch event at Happy Bean Coffee Bar in Southampton. It’s a lovely and ethical place where all the food is either vegan or vegetarian. I’d prepared some little goodie bags in advance, and a local baker (One Planet Bakery) had prepared us some lush vegan cupcakes with an image from the front cover of the book on top. The place was packed out with friends and family, and it was a joyful evening. I had a speech prepared (very last minute in the car on the way to the event, but I knew what I’d wanted to say) and that went well. I was far more nervous about reading a section of the story, but relaxed a little more when I realised nerves are natural, and everyone in the room was supportive.
That day, Fyn Carter reached number 1 in the Amazon chart for ‘Dystopian Bestsellers’ and number 14 in the overall Amazon ‘Hot New Releases’ for children’s chart. I know Amazon has all sorts of charts for different things (I’d also hit some nice chart positions in the pre-launch period) but seeing the book visible in that way was a brilliant addition to the overall day (a day I will treasure). Whatever happens next on my author journey, I’ll happily carry those memories with me.
Post-launch
Today, Fyn Carter has been out in the world for three weeks and one day. The momentum has been great, and the events have been a lot of fun. I had planned in a lot of activities for the weeks following launch, with the attitude of ‘go for it’ and ‘things will become less scary the more I do them’.
I started with a blog tour which ran from Monday 13th to Saturday 18th May. The bloggers were really lovely to work with, and I am so pleased they were willing to take the time to read the first story in the Fyn Carter series. What really makes me smile about the blogs (other than being grateful for the enjoyment of the book) is the way everyone seems to have taken something different from it. I know this is to be expected (I’ve heard people say when a book is released into the wild, it becomes the reader’s rather than the author’s) but it was interesting to experience. I also got to write a ‘guest blog’ post for the first blog. I’ll pop links to them all at the end of this blog.
On Tuesday 14th May, I took part in #ukteenchat on Twitter/X. It was a really fun conversation (with a cracking use of gifs) organised by Emma Finlayson-Palmer (@FinlaysonPalmer). It was great to be able to chat about something I’ve worked on for so long, and also to give a little insight into my process and what is coming next. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – the writing community is a fantastic community to be a part of!
A few other highlights for the month:
- I attended MCM Comic Con in London from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th May. This was AWESOME. I was part of the Writers Block area, and I will do a blog all about this in the future.
- The first reviews coming in have been really great. Receiving reviews makes a huge difference in the world of publishing. I’ve heard it also impacts algorithms in terms of how a book is promoted, so I am grateful for them (especially when they’re so nice to see!). It means a lot to know that people are enjoying the story and looking forward to the sequel. Request: If you do a review and bought the book at an event – please mention this in the review. It helps Amazon to know it’s a real review even though it’s not a purchase otherwise verified by them.
- A few friends have sent me photos of the book on their holidays. Fyn has officially travelled to Romania and Greece! I also know some people in America and Canada have the story too. This is all very surreal but, for me, proper wow!
My favourite thing:
The best thing has been seeing people (adults and children) reading the book. I’ve seen it happen in person, and in photos, and seeing children interact with my first children’s book – it gets me every time. During the process of writing a book, it can be so easy to forget that people will hopefully be able to read it. Seeing children (and young-hearted adults) enjoy it – that’s perfect.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. The next one will be focused on Comic Con! Until then! xx
Ps – links to the blogs from the blog tour:
Scope for Imagination
BookBound
Book Craic
V’s View from the Bookshelves
What I Read
Ian Hunter Creates 