Where my Blackout at? ... or, when can we expect this thing?

Self-publishing is on a different kind of schedule than traditional publishing. With traditional publishing, it can take up to three years to get your book on a shelf, from the moment a publisher picks your novel up, to the moment it rolls into your local bookslinger. Self-publishing can be significantly faster, but it comes at the cost of you doing all your own marketing. 

Turns out, writing the book is the easy part. Most of us who like to write fixate on that part of the whole process – the actual creation of the work itself. But the real challenge comes once one has a finished manuscript – edited, formatted, and ready for publication. Especially if one is choosing to go it alone, without the expertise of a big publishing house.

A book is more than just the words on the page, it’s also the cover art, the synopsis, and the marketing strategies used to make people aware of it. In the modern era, a book is also the available formats – ePub, pdf, paperback, hardcover, etc. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes in transforming your favourite novel from a giant pile of pages with words into something you can enjoy in the tub, or curled up at night in bed with night mode on your phone. 

Blackout as a manuscript is complete, at 115,000 words (we round to the nearest 5K), edited by both myself and people who aren’t myself, and formatted. It’s been test-read by anyone I could convince to test-read it, and has been well-received by everyone who actually read the advance copy. 

I am currently in talks with a graphic designer who is working on the cover art, which will feature the candle-in-the-dark imagery that so fits with the themes of the novel. Cover art is the final step in preparing the novel for release on platforms such as Smashwords, Amazon, and Scribd. Once the cover art is available, it won’t be much longer until the book can reach the digital shelves of the world. I am hoping to have this done for March 31, 2021, but this deadline may move. 

The other thing I’m working on right now (besides working on the draft for Midnight, the second book in the series… you might be pleased to hear it is currently 20% drafted) is getting the word out about Blackout and The Sunrise Regiment. If no one knows about your book, no one can read it. Getting that awareness is critical. Part of that is an active social media presence, so look for my hype on Twitter, Facebook, SubscribeStar, and of course here, on my blog. 

So if you’re excited about Blackout, I’m super happy. I can’t wait to release the novel and have the world enjoy the adventures of Dani, Maisy, Jake and the gang as much as I do. If you’d like to assist with the hype machine, you can help by raising awareness. Like and share my posts, retweet my tweets, let friends and family know that there’s a new book coming out that you’re excited to read. Word of Mouth remains one of the most powerful marketing strategies there has ever been. I could use your help in raising momentum!

Counting down the minutes until release…