#book deals

[fated-mates]

So we've been bookbubbing.

We've recommended a lot of books over the last seven years, and while we just started a few days ago, we're in the process of adding them all.

Follow us to get notified about good deals on great books.

[prepollent-coquette]

[apolline-lucy]

to celebrate its 2-month release anniversary, The Anatomy of Dying will be FREE for 3 days! April 2 to April 4 only!

If you like it sad and poetic, yet playful and hopeful, my contemporary sapphic novella is for you! GET IT NOW HERE ~

[wishingicouldfly]

How Books are Published - Some Personal Insight

I have a bit of experience with how the publishing industry works, and I thought some of you might be interested in taking a peek behind the curtain. For the record, I don’t know anything about the veracity of Maya Henry’s novel (Looking Forward) or what she drew from her own life experiences, the quality of her writing, or her individual path to publication. The following is based on my personal knowledge of the industry.

Under the cut for more.

When someone (celeb or otherwise) has a manuscript, generally speaking, they are going to look for the best deal. One of the “Big 5” publishers (or their subsidiaries) are going to be able to offer the biggest advance, the best PR support, etc. While there are reputable publishers that aren’t considered “Big 5” – those smaller entities aren’t going to be able to afford a big advance on royalties. Sometimes publishers will engage in bidding wars to win the opportunity to publish a book that has wide commercial appeal. This would be known publicly, and the deal would be announced with a flourish and a press release.

Even a smaller deal without a bidding war would be announced through Publisher’s Weekly with information about the book, author, and who made the deal (agent), not announced via the authors Instagram account with no information about the publisher or a link on how to pre-order. See examples: Anne Twist’s book announcement on Publisher’s Weekly: Betty and the Mysterious Visitor (publishersweekly.com) and Lottie Tomlinson’s press release for her 7-way bidding war: The Bookseller - Rights - Blink Publishing wins Lottie Tomlinson's 'inspirational' memoir in seven-way auction

For me, it’s telling that Henry’s book appears to be published by a small press (MARS Book Publishing (marsbookspublishing.com) with little to no platform. This is not inherently bad. However, as of May 17, 2024, the website has typos, does not have links to its staff or published works, and both the Instagram and TikTok links on the website lead to accounts with no posts. If you’re a writer, this would be very concerning to say the least. Huge red flag. Even a small press should be able to promote your product. My advice to someone looking to publish a book would be to stay away from this press, as it doesn’t look to be reputable.

That said, if one was going to self-publish, they’d need to have a publisher listed for the business side of things – that’s the way Amazon publishing works. Most self-published authors create a business name for their own published works. Again, this is not inherently bad or wrong, just pulling the curtain back. If you don’t have a book deal with a reputable publisher, then this is the way you can publish your book. From the outside, it appears that there is a publisher attached to the book.

For both traditional and self-published books, authors should have readers prepared with reviews. Currently (as of 5/17/24) there are no reviews on Goodreads, which again, for me, is a flaw if the goal is a longer shelf life and a wider audience.

Ultimately, the quality of the book will be the determining factor. People who read the book will talk about it, recommend it, or not recommend it. Relying on word of mouth, a salacious story, some entertainment magazines interested in a click, and a big-name singer (albeit allegedly fictionalized) attached to the story is certainly helpful to garner interest in a novel. But even on the third day of release (5/17/24) the book isn’t hitting the top marks on Amazon in its selected categories. (Screen shot taken by me on 5/17/24 at 12:06 p.m. ET).

Note: these ratings update and change constantly, this is simply one snapshot in time.

If I were to make an educated guess, the book was shopped around and declined by reputable publishers, leading the author to decide to self-publish. The author created a publishing company name and published via Amazon KDP. In my opinion, it appears to have been done quickly and sloppily, without the amount of professional input it should have had.

Again, I don’t have any first-hand knowledge of this book’s path to publication, so these are educated guesses from personal experience, not personal knowledge of the author’s process.

Not having a deal announced in PW, not having a legitimate publisher website with links to staff and other published works, and not having an author website are all clues to someone wanting to capitalize on something quickly, not someone wanting to take the time to publish with precision.

I don’t have anything against self-publishing, I’ve done it myself. It’s a great way to get a book out if an author doesn't have a book deal and/or the book doesn’t hit traditional niches. However, I think it’s odd for a pseudo-celebrity, with a seemingly compelling story based on life events, to not have a bigger publishing deal with a wider reach.

The reliance on entertainment news outlets for publicity can temporarily raise the interest level; but, not having a book tour, not having books available in bookstores, not having any sort of commercial push for sales will have a detrimental effect on how this book does in the long run, regardless of how many print interviews the author does about her former relationship. Of course, the author could do all of these things at their own expense, so perhaps this is on the horizon.

One last thing to add, a self-published author, with no publishing contract or commitment to a company, has the absolute final decision about everything to do with the book from the content, the packaging, and edits, and the PR.

Self-published books can do quite well in the market, when well written and promoted. I'll be curious to see how this one does.

(For reference, I have professional insight into publishing with Big 5 publishers, smaller independent publishers, educational publishers, and with self-publishing through an independent press).

[aelemercier]

Discount Bitches!!

If you haven't yet read "The Bitchelor" by @simonaniles and myself, it's on a countdown deal on [Kindle USA] and [Kindle UK]!

The sooner you buy the cheaper it is! :D

A HILARIOUS, STEAMY GAY REALITY TV POLY ROMANCE. Against his better judgment, Captain Harrison Pearce, Jr, has allowed his surrogate daughter to talk him into starring on her reality TV show, "The Catch", with its first all-male cast. Now the new queer Mr. Catch has been thrust into the spotlight - and the stresses of reality TV - with eleven men vying for his favor. Soon, Harrison finds himself torn between the affections of the handsome Lord Patrick Montgomery, muscle-daddy Sebastian Cruz, and beautiful, troubled Adrian Fisher... all with their own secrets. Can Harrison find the courage to own up to his feelings before he misses his chance with all three... or worse, his potential-boyfriends all run off with each other?

"The Bitchelor" is a 27,000 word love story filled with erotic polyamorous encounters and comedic show-business shenanigans, where finding love in multiple unexpected places might just lead to happy endings and ratings gold.

[jensjumbledmess]

Six of Crows Ebook is currently available for $2.99 on Kindle, Apple Books, & Google Books! (It’s usually $9.99.) If you’ve been wanting to read it but have been holding off…… 👀

[silentlyscreamingatyou]

If you haven’t ordered it yet, the deluxe edition of Onyx Storm is under $20 right now on Amazon

[bob-artist]

Y'all, I've been sitting on this for TEN MONTHS and now I finally get to talk about it!!!

I have a new QUEER YA HORROR graphic novel coming in 2026! Creepy ghosts, deep queer friendships, gender euphoria and trans self-realization... oh, and a haunted high school musical! It's exactly the type of horror story with heart that I always wanted to tell but didn't think I'd ever be "allowed" to..... and now I finally can!

(Different name 'cause it's YA, but yep, that's me!)

Pretty sure my agent and editor aren't on tumblr, but I still have to shout them out because they are AMAZING. Jen Azantian believed in this story from the start, and her feedback made me cry (in a good way). And Alex Aceves immediately understood the heart of the story, and her feedback has just been incredible. She knows exactly how to bring out the best in a story like this.

I can't wait to share it with all of you!

[spacefruitpress]

Will competitive gymnast Jacob ever really trust his new partner, the seemingly too-sweet-to-function Andy? Or is he ready to put his heart on the line? Find out in Augusta Connor's adorable low-steam MM love story, Catch Me if I Fall, now available FREE on Amazon for a limited time!

[thepeculiarbird]

Just bought 26 books and all that for only 5.20 euros.

[gollancz]

HALLOWEEN SALE

Oh hey, want to celebrate the spooky season with some spooky deals? (idk man I'm not in marketing). Important information:

25% off our horror books with the code: HALLOWEEN24

Head over to the Gollancz Emporium and fill your boots! Our horror authors include Joe Hill, @jonnywaistcoat, Catriona Ward, Peter Straub, and we also have an edition of THE NECRONOMICON that is both big enough to kill a man with (thematic) and apparently impossible for our MD to pronounce. And she kept having to pronounce it. Because people kept buying it. Fun times.

[fated-mates]

Book Deal Time!

Alexis Daria's A LOT LIKE ADIÓS - $2 Liana Brooks's EVEN VILLAINS FALL IN LOVE - $1 Megan Frampton's MY FAIR DUCHESS - $4 Grace Goodwin's MASTERED BY HER MATES - $1 HelenKay Dimon's THE FIXER - $2

We talked MY FAIR DUCHESS in Boss/Assistant and So You Want to Read a Historical, EVEN VILLAINS FALL IN LOVE in Superheroes, MASTERED BY HER MATES in Quick and Dirty, THE FIXER in Road Trips, and A LOT LIKE ADIÓS in Women's Friendships, Homecomings, and Second Chances.

[thelaurenshippen]

A Neon Darkness e-book is only THREE DOLLARS for the whole of Pride month!!

while it's the second book in The Bright Sessions Trilogy, as a prequel novel, it's the first chronologically. that also means you don't need any familiarity with the podcast or other books at all!

so, if you're looking for a story about superpowers that kinda suck, found family, figuring yourself out, kidnapping, scamming people in los angeles, escaping toxic relationships, and just a little bit of murder, this is for you!

given that this is a pride month special, I want to bring special attention to the cast of characters this book features! we've got:

snarky sad boy protagonist whose sexuality can best be described as "god, please someone love me" and who kisses both boys and girls and yet has no game whatsoever

gay disaster with fire powers who keeps setting their kitchen on fire with his food experiments

bisexual girl who is cooler than you'll ever be; electricity comes from her hands, she rides a motorcycle, and she does not suffer fools

bartender lesbian who is kinder than anyone you've ever met and will always know when something is wrong with you and will tell you what you need to hear to fix it, even if its a hard truth

six-foot-a-million, broad shouldered teddy bear of a man who can look into your past and almost certainly has some kind of ally t-shirt that he puts on for every weho pride parade, where he holds drinks for his bisexual bff and her girlfriend as they dance

I loved writing this queer found family and I really hope you enjoy reading about them!!

Art by Victo Ngai

[apolline-lucy]

✨ KINDLE DEAL ✨

to celebrate its 8-month release anniversary, THE SILVER BIRDS is FREE for 48 hours! May 27-28 only—grab the ebook on Amazon now!

🖤 On a cursed island where birds steal hearts and blades of grass cut sharper than knives, two young women driven by revenge take on solving a series of mysterious deaths. 🖤

‪if you love witches, plant magic, sapphic enemies to lovers (where they do actual hate each other), gothic woods, and terrifying birds with a penchant for stealing hearts, this dark fantasy novel is for you!

[the-book-queen]

Hide your wallets, it's that time again! Your daily thread of romance deals is ready, $1.49 to $2.99!

$1.49 ✦ You've Got Bear by Carrie de Croix

A (human) chocolatier who is in danger of losing her shop + a billionaire bear shifter who is her new landlord + fated mates.

KU Title

Paranormal Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/4eI5iJZ

$1.99 ✦ The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest

She's a nonfiction editor who dreams of working in children's books. She asks her neighbor for dating help, not knowing he is secretly the fantasy author she's been emailing.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3CANUtc

$1.99 ✦ All the Ways to Ruin a Rogue by Sophie Jordan

First friends, then enemies. Brother's best friend. They're always clashing while at parties, until one night it goes too far and a kiss changes everything.

Historical Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3CzJaUP

$1.99 ✦ Taken by Cynthia Eden

She managed to survive and escape an infamous serial killer. But now he's started killing again and she might be his next victim -- again. He's an ex-SEAL now working private security.

Romantic Suspense (MF) | https://amzn.to/4fCZtyw

$2.99 ✦ Mingle All the Way by Mia Heintzelman

1st POV. Fake dating + office romance. She works at a social dating app. He's her office nemesis, a web developer.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3ASAPeo

Putting these lists together takes time. If you appreciate this content, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi. http://ko-fi.com/danielletbq

[annafromuni]

What is With White Women Committing Heinous Acts for Publishing Deals?

Over the last few months, I have seen too many stories and “dramas” regarding white women targeting women of colour to better the reception of their books or race-bait as a person of colour to “better their chances” of getting picked up for a publishing deal. Drama like this isn’t exclusive to white women, as there are other current concerns within the book community in regards to censoring books…