My publisher, Orion, sent me the very first copies of The Bride Hunter last Friday – and it looks even more as gorgeous in the ‘flesh’ as it does as a computer image (which I attach here as the weeny pic by my profile doesn't do it justice). I fell in love with the cover as soon as I saw it, even though I’ve never been that keen on pink books. I guess it’s the fact that it’s such a lovely shocking pink, rather than a feeble girly rose pink. And the image was so simple and so striking – it’s the perfect Spring accessory, even if I do say so myself.
These last days before publication feel very weird. There’s no way of knowing how the book’s going to sell (if, in fact, it’s going to sell), whether everyone else will like the cover or the story itself. I spend an awful lot of time googling myself and the book title, seeking clues to its likely fate. With more than 200,000 books published in the UK every year, the risk of literary oblivion is quite high – so I am keeping everything crossed.
On the plus side, I have hit the heady heights of Number 5 in the Lovereading charts, based on the number of people who’ve downloaded the opening extract. On the negative side, no-one has bought the book yet on amazon.co.uk. Having now studied the Lovereading charts extensively, I am pleased to be holding up well against Diaries of an Internet Lover (typical phrase: “beautiful French stallions with fixations for performing oral sex”) and The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker (typical phrase: “being spanked by his overweight dominatrix partner”). What I particularly like about the Lovereading site is the little icons that tell you what to expect in the book. Both of the two titles above feature this one:
These last days before publication feel very weird. There’s no way of knowing how the book’s going to sell (if, in fact, it’s going to sell), whether everyone else will like the cover or the story itself. I spend an awful lot of time googling myself and the book title, seeking clues to its likely fate. With more than 200,000 books published in the UK every year, the risk of literary oblivion is quite high – so I am keeping everything crossed.
On the plus side, I have hit the heady heights of Number 5 in the Lovereading charts, based on the number of people who’ve downloaded the opening extract. On the negative side, no-one has bought the book yet on amazon.co.uk. Having now studied the Lovereading charts extensively, I am pleased to be holding up well against Diaries of an Internet Lover (typical phrase: “beautiful French stallions with fixations for performing oral sex”) and The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker (typical phrase: “being spanked by his overweight dominatrix partner”). What I particularly like about the Lovereading site is the little icons that tell you what to expect in the book. Both of the two titles above feature this one:
This signifies 'provocative prose' (and I DO love a bit of alliteration with my erotica). What's fun about this icon is the way it's like those funny pictures which change as you look at them. Depending on your predilection, this could either be a tight black corset with a pair of disembodied boobs spilling out over the top. Or a heart in a corset. Or a pair of buttocks in a corset. OR, if feet are more your thing, perhaps these are two lace-up kinky boots with chubby, sunburned knees at the top. I think, to be fair, that it's probably the heart in a corset but on balance I prefer the idea of the knees, don't you?
The Butcher one also features a heart with headphones, meaning that it's available as an audiobook. Having read some more of the extract (and the typical phrase above is actually rather tame), I can see that some readers would definitely prefer the 'hands-free' experience while 'reading' this particular book.
Now, if you have found your way to this blog by searching for either of the typical phrases on Google (oh, I can imagine the web traffic trebling as I type), then you are probably barking up the wrong tree. Neither domination nor French stallions feature in The Bride Hunter. Though there are some very nice rutting deer in it. And lots of French artisanal bread.
This lack of smut may explain why I have slumped to number 9 in the charts.
*OUTRAGEOUS PLUG ALERT WARNING* You have the power to change this, however. Go on, download the first chapter. You might like it!
*OUTRAGEOUS PLUG ALERT ALL CLEAR* So, 18 days left. I am fighting to reduce the instances of self-googling to one a day, while making a start on my second rom com. This one is less rom than com, as it features a heroine who does not believe in love. If you’ve ever watched a Richard Curtis movie, you’ll probably be able to guess that she may change her mind in the course of the book. But that’s half the fun, surely. We all want to believe that Mr or Ms Right can be life-changing.
My own particular Mr Right is currently mashing potato for dinner so I shall stop there. More tomorrow,
Lots of love,
Amy
1 comment:
Hi, just found you via Cally's blog. The book looks great - I'll certainly keep an eye out for it.
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