When you want to read a book but can't find it

I get quite a few notes that say something along the lines of:

I love your books SO much and I really want to read _______________ (insert book title there), but I can't find it at my library or bookstore. I would be so happy if you could send one to me please. Please, it would really mean a lot to me.

Okay, first of all, THANK YOU for reading and enjoying my books. I am really glad they've brought you joy. I truly am.

me being happy and saying thank you

But.

You knew there was going to be a but, right?

This is a little bit like if you live in Idaho and you see a dog you LOVE and you ask where the owner got it and she says she got it from a breeder in Maine. And so you go home and email the breeder and ask if she can send a puppy to you in Idaho, please, because you love their dogs SO much and there's no way you can find one in Idaho, but you really, really want one!

I suppose I can see why maybe people might think I can send books to people, since there are a couple of myths floating around out there that go something like this:

a) all authors are rich, and
b) authors get loads and loads of their books for free, because, after all, they wrote them

So let me debunk these myths right here and right now.

First - all authors are not rich, unfortunately. A few of the very well-known ones who've sold millions of books and have movies out and all of that are indeed rich. But most authors have a day job because they don't make enough money writing and selling books to live on. Also, many authors struggle to pay their bills every month because the way we get paid is SUPER crazy.

Traditionally published authors get checks for royalties (a percentage of book sales) twice a year. Think about that for a minute. The majority of people in America get paid every two weeks for their work, or once a month at the least. But not authors. Authors only get paychecks twice a YEAR. But what's even crazier than that is we have absolutely no idea how much those paychecks will be. They might be $10.00, they might be $10,000. We do not know, because the publisher is in charge of keeping track of sales.

What determines how much those checks will be? How many books we sell, through library and school sales, through bookstore sales, through e-book sales, and through on-line retailer sales.

You can imagine how exciting (but also terrifying) it is to get that paycheck every six months. But if I give a bunch of books away? Guess what!? I am missing out on sales that could be in that paycheck that helps feed my family and keeps a roof over our heads.

Second - authors get loads and load of our own books for free.

Nope. We don't. Each contract states how many we get. Standard number, I'm pretty sure, is twenty-five copies. Once I've given those copies away, I have to buy the books like everyone else.

Okay, then, so what do you do if you want a book and you can't find it in the store or at the library?

ASK. Please don't ask the author, ask the book store or library to order a copy for you. They are in the book business. Authors are not in the book business - authors are in the WRITING business.

This is me, writing. Or agonizing. Probably both.

If you don't have a book store or library near you, there are lots of online retailers, besides the big one everyone knows about, who can mail you a book right to your house!

Powell's books ships throughout the United States.
The Book Depository ships world wide.

The other reason it's so important for you to ASK if you can't find a book, rather than give up or email the author for a free copy, is because the publisher needs to make money on the book too. If the publisher loses money, guess what, that author may have trouble publishing books in the future. I am not joking when I say that for some authors (like me, ahem ahem) EVERY sale counts.

Let me be clear:
I love writing.
I love books.
I love it when people, especially kids and teens, love books and want to read more of my books.
I wish I could give every one of my readers free books.
But I also wish I could give homeless people homes and all of the hungry pets food and every child in the world an education.
I am one person who does what she can every day to make the world a better place, but like every other person, I can't do everything I'd like, you know?

My job is to show up on writing days and write the best book Lisa Schroeder can write. I can wish and hope and love things to the moon and back, but the writing is my job and I will continue to do my best as long as my books sell and make some money for me and my publisher.

But the second part of that equation isn't really up to me, is it? :)

The power of the pre-order

Dear readers, I am going to tell you something you may not know.

Apparently, Ewoks speak Tibetan

What a surprise, right? (Ewoks might be my favorite thing about Star Wars, just FYI).

All right, so maybe I'm going to tell you two things you may not know. Are you ready for the second thing?

Pre-ordering a book is one of the very best things you can do for an author whose work you enjoy.

What does pre-ordering mean, exactly? It means ordering the book before its official release date. I'm pretty sure the most common way people pre-order a book is to buy it through an on-line retailer, but did you know you can also pre-order a book from your favorite independent bookstore? What's great about this is that it lets a local brick-and-mortar store know there is interest in this particular book. If they weren't going to carry it before, or were undecided, a pre-order (or two or three) may help them see the error of their ways.

Some independent bookstores have an on-line ordering system, and as soon as the book is up on their site, you can pre-order it. But you can also call the bookstore and pre-order it that way. I'm pretty certain that whatever works for you will work for them! They want to sell you the books you are excited about, trust me.

So why is the pre-order important? Because it makes the publisher happy to see pre-orders. And if the publisher is happy, good things might happen for the author. For example:

Pre-orders are crucial in helping a bookstore decide whether or not to carry a book. Yes, even the chain stores, because believe it or not, some books are NEVER picked up by the chains. Trust me, this is one of the worst things that can happen to an author. With solid pre-order numbers, the sales rep has a much easier time convincing stores to carry the book.

If another book the author has written is being considered by that publisher, pre-orders might help the publisher say yes to the next project.

If this book has a strong start, the author might get more publisher support/marketing dollars for the next book.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the NYT bestseller list. If a book is getting a lot of buzz and great reviews and there's a chance it could hit the list, pre-orders are vital in this situation, because pre-orders all count toward the first week's sales.

In short, pre-ordering a book is pretty much better than ordering a dozen cupcakes from Sprinkles Bakery and having them delivered to the author's home.

Better than cupcakes, people!! You know I don't say that lightly.

Okay, okay, so you really don't want to pre-order, for whatever reason. Maybe you don't have a credit card and are saving up your hard-earned babysitting money so you can buy the book when it comes out. (Anyone who buys books with their babysitting money is TOTALLY AWESOME, by the way). The next best thing you can do is buy the book in the first week or two that it's out. And then read it, and if you like it, tell all your friends about the book, too. I say this all the time - the best thing you can do for a book you love is to tell people about it. Tweet about it, talk about it, instagram it, whatever.

It's true that any time you buy a book, you are supporting the author, bookstores, the publishing industry, etc. and that is a *VERY* good thing.

But pre-orders? Better than cupcakes.

So there you go. A little Ewok trivia AND some things you may not have known about why pre-orders matter so much.

On buying books

Sometimes people make fun of me because when one of my favorite bands or singers has a new CD that comes out, I go to the store and I buy the CD.

Yes. I do.

Here is why. Buying the CD is the very best way I can support those bands and singers I love. I want them to keep making music. And although music is going more and more digital every day, CD sales still matter. And so, I want to do as much for them as I can. Buying the CD says - what you do matters to me. I value you as an artist.

The same can be said for books.

Yes, it's true, we may not get the same mileage out of books that we do out of a CD, since we usually are happy to listen to music over and over again and don't reread books like that. Although I will say, I have a lot of girls who have e-mailed me to tell me they've read my books many times. I think one girl told me she'd read It's Raining Cupcakes seventeen times. Wow!! Sometimes a good book feels like an old friend. I know people who pull out Harry Potter, for example, as a "comfort read."

Anyway, regardless of whether I'll read a book once or five times, I try to do my share of buying books. In fact, I have a book budget - every month, there is a certain amount of money set aside for me to spend on books. I don't always buy for myself - books make GREAT gifts. If I max out my budget, then I hold off and buy the books I really want the next month. And I may have to get a couple at the library.

But the important thing is that I'm buying books!

I've heard from so many people who are sad to see Borders go. If we want bookstores to stay in business, we HAVE to support them. That is, we have to go to the stores, and buy books. It's really that simple.

The same can be said for authors. If you want your favorite author to stay in business, to be able to keep writing books, you HAVE to support them. You have to buy their books.

So let's say you are one of those who says - I just don't have the money. And you may not. And if that's the case, then the library is your best friend. But some day, you will have money. And I hope when you do, you'll do as I do and allocate a certain amount of money every month to be spent on books.

Sometimes people complain about the cost of books. And I have to bite my tongue so I don't ask them the following questions:

How often do you spend $5.00 on a coffee drink?
How often do you spend $6.00 on a frozen yogurt?
How often do you spend $10.00 - $15.00 on a pizza?
How often do you spend $40.00 on a pair of shoes because they're "cute", when you don't really need them?

Three less coffee drinks a month, and you could buy a book.
One less pizza a month, and you could buy a book.
One less pair of cute shoes a month, and you could buy two or three or even four books (if they're paperback).

I hardly ever buy new clothes. I mean, I go shopping maybe twice a year, if that, and often, I shop at thrift stores.

That's what I give up in order to buy books. I wear the same things over and over until I can't stand it anymore, and then I try to find clothes that are cheap when I do shop.

So when you meet me, please, be kind in regard to my wardrobe, okay? I can't wear books, or I would be golden! Maybe I should just get a bunch of t-shirts that say "Buy Books" and wear those every where I go. Or something like this one would be good too.

I know I'm probably singing to the choir here, but every once in a while, I feel the need to do a post about buying books. Thanks for indulging me!!

And thank you to everyone who has bought my books - I appreciate it!