What’s the Deal with Pre-Ordering?
(must be said in a Jerry Seinfeld voice)
You might think pre-ordering a book is just a way to get it early but in reality, pre-orders do a lot of heavy lifting in the publishing world. Here’s the thing: when you pre-order, your purchase doesn’t count right away. It counts on release day. That means all those pre-orders pile up to make a book’s first week of sales look impressive. First-week numbers matter. They might help an author get media attention, or convince bookstores to actually stock it.
Pre-orders also send a signal to publishers and retailers: “People want this story.” Strong numbers might inspire extra marketing, interviews, or even special editions. And online retailers? Their algorithms notice. A book with lots of pre-orders is more likely to show up in “hot new releases” and recommendations, even before it’s officially out. Your single click is basically a tiny marketing army for Nia’s vengeance quest, and all the other marpins like her who are just trying to survive a world that’s simultaneously flooding and on fire.
And here’s the human side: every pre-order is a vote of confidence. The Cli-Fi (climate fiction) genre is still new, experimental, and largely unproven. There aren’t a ton of precedents for books that feature a tidal generator as a plot device, so your pre-order helps prove that readers want bold, risky stories that grapple with the world we’re actually living in.
So yes, pre-ordering my book isn’t just a way to grab your copy early (though that’s nice, too). It’s a small but meaningful way to help the book succeed and give it a bit more visibility. So if you feel inclined, here’s some information about pre-ordering my debut novel, Mean Higher High Water:
PRINT
If you love the feeling of thinly-sliced trees between your fingers, supporting the small publishing world, and showing off your literary taste on the subway, pre-order a print version of Mean Higher High Water here: https://vineleavespress.myshopify.com/.../mean-higher...
E-BOOK
If you enjoy carrying dozens of books in a single device, looking up difficult words as you read, and annoying your husband with the soft glow of your kindle late into the night, pre-order an e-book version of Mean Higher High Water here: https://a.co/d/dNFn2tu
