This spring turned into a much bigger festival season than I expected. Last spring, I attended six festivals. This year, I attended nine. Three were repeat events, but six were brand new to me, which meant meeting a lot of new readers and introducing my books to people who had never heard of me before.
One of the things that surprised me most was how many people stopped and said, “I didn’t know we had a local author so close.”
That has led to some wonderful conversations and a lot of readers taking a chance on a new series by a new-to-them author. When new readers answer my question “What do you like to read?”, I can point out a book they will enjoy.
Something else became very clear this spring: more people are following along with a paperback while they listen to the audiobook. That used to be a thing, and its returning.
Returning readers searched out my booth looking for the next book in a series or for a new series to start! They wanted to know what was new, what was coming next, and whether Maggie, Riley, Wren, or Jenna had survived their latest adventures.
And of course we talked, which brings me to my next point. I’ve learned something important about paperbacks after years of selling books in person. Covers.
Judge a book by its cover. Please. Because, seriously, we all do.
A cover is what makes a reader stop long enough to pick up a book in the first place. But once they pick it up, the back cover has to do its job too. Readers want to know what kind of story they’re getting into. Surprisingly, not every paperback tells readers much about the story inside. But all of mine do.
That realization about judging books led to a few changes behind the scenes this spring, including giving one older story a completely new life.
Escape to Survive has returned with a new cover, additional story content, and a new paperback edition. It’s a standalone survival novella, not part of the Grid-Down Survival Series, but it shares the same spirit of survival, resilience, and impossible choices.
The new paperback edition will be available at festivals and through Barrett Book Shop.
And finally…
ONE MORE THING. MAGGIE SLOAN
A lot of readers have been asking about Maggie lately.
Let’s just say Maggie hasn’t been resting quietly on a shelf.
She’s coming back. And she is all Maggie!
Do you need to catch up?
Here’s the link. You can thank me later.
https://barrettbookshop.com/collections/maggie-sloan-thriller-series
You keep reading; I’ll keep writing!
Not Your Typical Stories from Not Your Typical Author.
Judith A. Barrett 