Launching a New Book by Heather Haven

Launching a new book is exciting, scary, and uncheap. Uncheap is not supposed to be a word but I hesitate to write that launching a new book is expensive. So I invented the word uncheap. Same amount of $ outlay but settles better in my mind. I like to feel positive about every aspect of my work.

I used to do everything needed to launch a new book in the days when I was young, energetic, and poor. I’m not rich now but above all else, I’m not young anymore. And energy? Let’s just move on. But I will say no matter what, I always had a professional editor for each of my books even when I did the covers, formatting, and uploading myself. As I am a shameless but determined amateur, I still do covers for some of my books, but not the Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries. I handed that over to professionals long ago. And they have proven it was the right thing to do.

To the left is the probable cover for my latest book of the Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries, Bewitched Bothered, and Beheaded. Book 9 and counting. It needs some tweaking here and there, but essentially, this is it. Up until this book, I continued to do the formatting and uploading for the series. This time, I’ve decided to let them do everything. Ka-ching, Ka-ching. But I am anxious to start the 10th book of the series, Cleopatra Slept Here, currently but a dream. If I hand everything off, I think I can get to it sooner. The months I spend on getting a book launched takes away from any creative time I have for a new book. This may not be true for everyone, but it is for me. So I am experimenting with the less is more school of thought.

Speaking of experimenting, last May when I launched the 4th book of the Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries, Hotshot Shamus, I decided to take some of the money I saved by doing everything myself and spend it on advertising. The Big Push. The Percy Cole series has never been the seller the Alvarez Family has been and I often wondered if it was because I never spent enough moola on it. I got my answer. NO. I couldn’t capture a large enough readership no matter how much I spent. The reviews I got from readers amounted to they loved this no s–t lady who conquered a man’s world at a time when women simply didn’t. Okay, so people who read the books seemed to like them. But I still couldn’t get enough readers to justify the investment spent on mounting each book.

Maybe it’s because the series takes place during WWII, not a glamorous time. Maybe it’s because when people read historical books they either want non-fiction or more romance and glamour in their historical fiction. Maybe it’s because I’m not well-known. Maybe it’s because the cat sleeps in the sun. But these are all conjectures. For the moment, it’s time to pull back on the Percy Cole series and concentrate on what works. And as I love the other series just as much, I will concentrate on writing the Alvarez Family.

And launching their books. So here’s to Lee Alvarez and her wonderfully eccentric family. And to all who read about them. Much appreciated.