Bad News is Killing New Books
When natural and political disasters strike, book launches collapse, so why don't authors and publishers have a back-up strategy?
If you have a book launch in your future, I urge you to bring up this issue with your publisher, editor, agent, and publicist! None of you can predict what conditions will be like on your release date, so plan for the best but be ready for the worst.
What do hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, digital hacks, Presidential elections, and global unrest have to do with the book business?
Well, let’s imagine you’re an author eagerly anticipating the release of your first novel, a domestic dramedy which you labored over for a decade before it was picked up by a major publishing house offering an ambitious publicity plan and book tour for the launch. The book has received glowing advance reviews, and you’re packing for your tour when disaster strikes. Maybe the East Coast, where you’ve scheduled a host of readings, is flattened by a historic hurricane. Maybe a digital catastrophe crashes the servers of the major book distributors, erasing all pre-orders. Maybe …
