Why Do Preorders Matter?
Why do preorders matter? Preordering a book benefits not only you as a reader, but both the author and publishing industry as a whole in several different ways. Today, I’m going to explain each one.
Transcript:
Hi! My name is Lily Meade. I’m the author of THE SHADOW SISTER, publishing with Sourcebooks Fire in Summer 2023. Today I’m here to talk to you about the importance of preorders!
If you follow anyone in the book industry, you’ve definitely heard about preorders. You probably see authors and publishers encouraging preorders all the time. But without context, you’re probably wondering why you should order early when you can just walk into your local bookstore on release day and pick up a copy then. That’s what this video is all about. I’m going to tell you exactly why preorders matter and what your single sale can mean to so many parts of the publishing industry.
Preorders give an indication of interest and potential sales.
If you get a lot, it may convince your publisher to increase your print run, which is how many books of yours they print to sell. When you hear of valuable “first editions,” that means books from that first batch of books ever printed for your book. Once those initial copies sell out, the publisher can print second and third and so on.
This could turn out to be really important if your publisher underestimates demand for your book. If they order a small first print run and you sell out of those copies faster than expected, your readers are out of luck until a new order can be sent to the warehouse to print more. The last thing any author or publisher wants is an “out of stock” banner on every product page, so strong early preorder numbers could tell your publisher to provide more initial stock for launch.
Preorders can convince a publisher to add additional purchasing options.
I’ve known multiple people whose publishers did not create an audiobook for their book because “preorders didn’t justify” one. That is especially annoying to me because some readers need audiobooks for accessibility purposes and disability accommodations should never need to be justified. While my publisher has been super awesome and enthusiastic, this is one of the reasons we kept audio rights when we sold my book. I’d rather pursue selling those on my own with my agent than leave it up to chance. I’ll keep you updated on that journey!
Preorders can convince a publisher to put more effort behind a book.
This is a tough one to talk about because nobody likes to think about some books or authors getting more attention than others, but it’s the truth. While it’s clear to everyone that a brand new author is probably not going to get the same focus from a publisher as a long-time bestseller with a Netflix adaption, disparities in treatment can often come even between authors on the same level of experience.
Two pre-published authors scheduled to publish for the first time in the same year may have vastly different experiences, even if they were paid similar advances or are at the same publisher. Unfortunately, often times the authors with less attention and support from their publisher are marginalized creators, because a publisher thinks their audience potential is smaller due to the diverse focus. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy because a book can never show its potential if it can’t get into the hands of readers.
Preordering—especially preordering books from authors of color, disabled authors, or LGBTQ authors—can tell a publisher “Oh, this book has a wider audience than we thought!” and improve things for the author behind the scenes.
Strong preorders could get you carried in more stores.
Large retailers like Walmart, Target, and Costco are known for typically only carrying blockbuster bestsellers, but I’ve seen newer books at these retailers before. A chain like these shouldn’t be your goal because the chances are still so slim, but they could take an interest in your book if the preorders are impressive.
On Amazon, stronger preorders tell its algorithm that this is a book people are interested in, so it recommends it more to other potential readers.
More importantly, with the recent news that Barnes & Noble will be stocking less debut hardcovers until they proven they can sell, preorders through them especially are a very important way to let them know they should stock this book. Barnes & Noble is consistently having 25% off sales on preorders a few times a year and when they do, you’ll see every author you know pointing out which of their books are eligible because it’s just that important.
But big corporate chains aren’t the only places to focus on, nor the best. Independent bookstores, owned and run by book lovers in your community, are even better places to buy and support books than any of the other retailers I’ve listed. Preorders directly from a local bookstore tell them the same things they inform the chain stores: that your book is important, interesting, and wanted.
But the best part of ordering from an indie is that there is a real person seeing those details. There’s a real person talking about your book to readers and promoting you. Word of mouth is the best marketing and that only comes from real people loving your book. A great place to browse and shop from independent bookstores all over the country is Bookshop.org. I’ll link it in the description below.
And now for the giant, New York Times shaped elephant in the room:
Preorders are CRUCIAL for hitting bestseller lists.
Hitting a bestseller list can do incredible things for an author’s career, and debuting on the list can be even better. The way preorders work counts all early orders—whether they were placed six months before release or two weeks before—as Day One orders. In order to hit a bestseller list, a book must sell thousands of copies in a week. Preorders are often the best chance to give a book those impressive numbers right out of the gate. If you would really love for a book or author to get that flashy “New York Times Bestseller” label above their name, preordering is the best way to help do that.
But that’s not all!
Preorders can get you free presents!
You should always save your receipt when you preorder a book, because authors and publishers will often incentivize early orders with rewards and goodies. This is called a preorder campaign and I’ll make a whole separate video on the details of them in the future, but to summarize: it’s typically a collection of gifts (either physical or digital) to thank you for preordering a book.
For huge books, a publisher may offer bigger items like enamel pins or fancy wooden or metal bookmarks. More commonly you’ll see cool art prints of characters in the book, signed book plates, or stickers. On the digital side, bonus chapters and deleted scenes are well loved exclusives. You don’t have to submit for these goodies for your preorders to count for all the logistical and sales benefits I’ve already mentioned, but it’s another fun reason to preorder.
I hope this video helped you better understand why preorders are so important in traditional publishing and convinced you to preorder more books! I would love it if you started with my novel, THE SHADOW SISTER! It’s got a gorgeous cover and I’ve been told the story is pretty great too. I’ll link more info and quick retailer links below.
Thank you for watching! If you liked this video, please subscribe and like it! Tell me in a comment, what book have you preordered lately?
