I am not a wizard, and live nowhere near Oz, but this month, I thought I’d pull back the curtain a bit and show you what really goes on behind the scenes as I get ready to launch a new novel. Spoiler alert: there’s a lot more to it than pressing a big red button labelled ‘Publish’.
One of the first steps in the process, after all the writing, rewriting, polishing and caffeine, is coming up with the blurb for the back jacket and for the sales page. It’s that little block of text that encapsulates the story and helps people decide if they want to read it. Next, I have to determine the keywords so that the algorithms can help people find the book when they search. Words like Canada, monster, winter, gold fever—you get the idea. And that is only part of a whole checklist of invisible steps a novel goes through before you ever see a preorder link go live.
The ebook will be the first format out the door. As you have no doubt noticed, the cover is ready to go. September 30th is the official release date. If you put a preorder in, you will get the-ebook the day it comes out (hopefully a few days earlier than the 30th). For those who prefer hard copy, the paperback will take a little more time. I still need to finish the print cover, as it requires a full wraparound graphic and its own special layout. That said, the paperback should be out within a week of the eBook’s official release date. The audiobook is another story, however.
I know many of you enjoy the audiobook versions of my novels. But those take a bit longer, as you can imagine—usually six to eight months after the e-book. The original claw is almost fifteen hours long (154,000 words), and the sequel, Resurgence, is ten and a half hours long (108,000 words). CLAW Resurrection is going to clock in about 120,000 words, which would work out to about twelve hours of narration. Needless to say, my narrator, Alex Knox, will have his work cut out for him.
Some publishers hold back the release of a novel until the audiobook is ready, so they can launch everything together. I don’t do that. Being a self-published author, as soon as my book is ready, it’s in your hands—no sitting on it, no waiting months just for a coordinated launch. Tantor Media and Alex get the manuscript as soon as it’s available, just like you. Then, Alex works his magic and brings my characters to life.
Just a quick recap for those of you who are new to the newsletter: It’s been quite a while since my last novel release, and a few readers have let me know about the wait. I am sorry for the delay. I wanted to have this in your hands much sooner. The truth is, this past year brought a lot of unexpected challenges and heartbreak, and it shook my world more than I’ve admitted. I’m a full-time author, but I’m also a real person, and life doesn’t always stick to my writing schedule. Nevertheless, I work on my writing every day in some capacity. Though I have been somewhat limited in what I could do each day (see my previous post about Bandwidth here), that it not as much the case anymore. Things are getting back into the groove for me and like I mentioned last month, this November, pending any more life drama, I hope to start on Lively Deadmarsh’s prequel to ABANDONED, BESIEGED,
Unlike some authors who have a small army of editors, marketers, and assistants, here at Katie Berry Books, it’s only me, myself and I in the office. Every chapter you read is lovingly handcrafted and then polished until it shines. In a time when things are more artificial than ever, you can count on the fact that every Katie Berry novel is produced entirely by a singular real person: me. One author, one vision, a lifetime of nightmares.
I should mention that due to ongoing uncertainty with shipping around the world, I will be switching from one free audiobook and one autographed paperback given away each month to TWO free audiobooks. This makes it simpler and more immediate for everyone. It also allows me more time to focus on what matters, bringing you stories that you can’t wait to read.
Once again, just because, I have created another poster for you to enjoy. I was thinking of one of my favourite movie franchises, and the title just came to me. And as a bonus, the Cuddle Boys have a special guest star this month, a person whose vibes make everything a little extra groovy. You can check out more right here on my website: https://katieberry.ca/katies-ai-generated-art/
Thank you, one and all, for being part of this journey with me. I am just finishing up the pre-order now, so it should be coming as a separate email sometime within the next week, and will likely be released well before the 30th, so order as soon as you see the email and you’ll be good to go when I press that big red button.
This month’s audiobook winners are: jrthompson011582@XXXXXX.com and grozzy@XXXXXX.com. Congratulations to you both!
Once again, if you’re not a member of the Katie Berry Books Insider Newsletter, you can join here: HTTPS://katieberry.ca/become-a-katie-berry-books-insider-and-win/ for your two chances to win a free Katie Berry Audiobook each month!
Good health and great reads!
-Katie B