An Author's Delay of Game Nets Ideas

I'm playing the delay game. It's one notch higher than procrastination. This whole year has been one big delay in waiting for my book release. Secrets of the King's Daughter was originally scheduled to release in February 2015 and moved up briefly to November 2014. It's always a hard pill to swallow when you get rescheduled for a year or so later, but it hasn't been without its perks. 

My publisher believes timing the release of my fictional Book of Mormon-based romance with other B of M-related materials that come out in January 2016 (Gospel Doctrine scripture course of study) will 1) improve sales. I have no way of comparing that, but it sounds good. I've come to see that catalog advertising of my novel in conjunction with study guides and other authoritative-sounding works is 2) a compliment. It has given me time to 3) work on the sequel without stressful deadlines. It has given me time to 4) prepare for marketing. That's my perks list.

The problem with delaying is that we get used to it. Number 4 on the perks list is also on my list of downsides. It's hard to prepare for marketing when it's all new to me and I don't know my exact role. Some things, like sending out ARCs (advanced reader copies) will be taken care by the publisher. I have yet to see their form and information, so I'm not certain what else to prepare. I've put off getting a website together and ordering cards/bookmarks because I want my cover image to be part of that. We are currently finalizing the cover so you may be seeing it soon.


Meanwhile, other people's great ideas are on my radar--ones to use down the road. I haven't been to a conference of romance writers, so I only recently learned about these genre trading cards. Sweet romance writer Danyelle Ferguson graciously allowed me to share hers with you. She held a contest to see which quote from her book she would use, and she incorporated a scan code to download sample chapters. Smart and creative.
 
My writing journey for this past week included having my editor fix the mistakes I caught during my final read-through, seeing my cover!, writing a new scene for my critique group, and reading through the revisions for my sequel. Staying busy. I'm also finding some great websites for inspiration. If you have any ideas or sites you want to send me to, please leave a comment. Have a great week!