There’s a weird silent time, after a book is published, when you start wondering how it’s doing.Holy Horror was apparently released November 29, and published December 29, if done according to standard publishing practice.The release date is when stock is received in the warehouse.The book is printed and technically available, but not yet published.Publication is about a month later when the sellers, distributors, etc., have received their orders and can begin sending them out.Publishing, as I’ve noted before, is a slow business.Somewhere around this point you start wondering how your book is doing.Reviews take some time to appear.The publisher falls silent (I know this from the editorial perspective as well).You start thinking, did it really happen?
This is the internet syndrome.We’ve become used to instant results and it’s difficult to believe that can get by without minute-by-minute updates.The problem is publishing is slow.Reading a book takes time.Not all readers review.It’s perhaps the kind of malaise you expect in late winter.In my case, however, my book was an autumn book that missed its release date by a few months.Yes, hardcore horror fans are still chomping at the bit for upcoming features like Us, but the public in general is well on its way to Valentines Day and what comes after.We are pretty much a holiday-driven culture and Holy Horror was a Halloween book released after Christmas.That, and the combination of Bible and horror is unexpected, with many, I’m guessing, thinking the book is something it isn’t.
Often at work I ponder how publishing has changed, even if it runs like sap in January.Professional writers—those who lived from their books alone—used to be rare.Most authors were otherwise employed, and many of them worked in publishing.It stands to reason when you think about it.I’ve worked for three publishers and finding other writers is, and has been, a rarity.Instead editorial boards consist of people who largely don’t have the experience of writing a book of their own talking about author expectations.A disconnect has emerged where writers find employment in other industries and find themselves wondering why publishers do things the way they do.Even with that background knowledge, I do wonder how my little book is doing.It’s only natural.And now that we’ve progressed to February, it’s only eight months more until October.