All this year, I’ve been highlighting my ups and downs of 2015, when my debut novel, Husband in Hiding, was published. This post concludes the limited Defining a Decade series.
As I discussed in my previous installment, my publisher and I overcame our setback with the design of the book cover and were able to settle on the intriguing image the book bears today. Better yet, they opted to release it in hardcover rather than paperback, like they originally planned. To imagine my book finally out in the world in physical form—in hardcover, no less!—just about rendered me speechless.
Another part of me, though, couldn’t stop talking, and with good reason. After some debate, I gave in to my friend’s desire to throw a book launch party. I chose to hold it at my alma mater, a venue that would allow it to be open to the public, including my former teachers and classmates who wished to come. Between the event and the book release itself, I reached out to the local paper and any source I could to spread the news.
There was one problem, however: I was never given a solid release date. The small publisher I worked with ran business pretty fluidly, and without a lot of authors or books in the pipeline, they didn’t need to set a firm date. They didn’t release their titles on Amazon or with outside distributors, so it was just a matter of when they received a supply of copies to make available on their website.
I ordered my supply for the book party and asked what would be a reasonable wait time. Antsy to get everything off the ground, I booked an evening at the school a few weeks ahead of time. Not yet on social media myself, I appreciated the school’s willingness to promote it on their page. To my delight, they even posted it on their sign in the front lawn.
The days crept by, and my order continued to be missing from my mailbox. I contacted my publisher a few times and received several updates throughout the weeks. Mere days before the party was scheduled, the printer had yet to ship the copies. When I was finally given a confirmation shipment and estimated date of arrival, guess when it was? Yes, the day after the party!
With it clear that I wouldn’t have them in time and the fact that it would be pointless to have a book release party without books, I made the very last-minute decision to postpone the event. Again, I had to rely on others to circulate the update, but just in case it didn’t get around to everybody, I sat at the entrance of the school to welcome anyone who tried to come. Though it made for a fairly boring two hours, I was relieved when only one person showed up, not having heard the memo—ironically, the school’s superintendent!
My copies arrived at last, and only then did I set a new date. Suffice to say the debacle generated buzz! To my gratitude, the community still showed up, showering me with such profound support. I was able to visit with many I hadn’t seen in a number of years, some dating back to preschool. Words fail to express how much the outpouring meant to me.
Once again, the tenuous circumstances that led to this deepened my appreciation for it when it was able to happen. In a nutshell, that’s what this whole experience of being published instilled in me. When you have to be patient and sometimes even fight for a goal, that can make the success so much sweeter than if it was handed to you on a silver platter.
The decade that has elapsed since then brought similar ebbs and flows, not exactly proceeding as I expected back then. My time with Splashing Cow concluded within two years, putting a brake on the Unde(a)feated Detective Series until The Wild Rose Press released Brother of Interest in 2022. Some of my wildest imaginations for my career haven’t come true, like making the best sellers list or having one of my books adapted into a movie.
Nonetheless, there have also been achievements I couldn’t have envisioned ten years ago. Just the fact that I’m in a position to look back on a decade’s worth of success, with six subsequent books in hand, blows my mind. Most important, readers continue to care about my work and my journey!
On that note, thank you for taking this year-long trip down Memory Lane with me, and many thanks to all who’ve been at my side the entire way!
To commemorate the milestone, check out this never-before-read scene, cut from the original draft!
Purchase Husband in Hiding today
<Previously
Defining a Decade: The Cover Conundrum
KarinaBartow.com 