Step Twenty-Two: Publication Day
Well friends, here we are at the end of the road. Step Twenty-Two!
My friend V.E. Schwab wrote a newsletter this month talking about the strangeness of a book release. To paraphrase: “For readers, this is just the beginning. But for writers, this is the finish line.” It’s so true. And this finish line is bigger than most, because this ends the 22 Steps series. Can you believe that? I can’t. From the concept to the publication, I’ve tracked this journey in intimate, sometimes too intimate, detail. It’s incredible to me to realize we’re here, at this point, at last. The series is done. The book is out.
Because publication day commenced August 1, celebrating the release of LAST SEEN!
It might be a little odd to have a book release on a Friday, but that’s how my publisher works. LAST SEEN was chosen for the First Reads program, which meant the book comes out on the first of the month following that month-long AFR run.
Because of that, LAST SEEN really had two publication days… one July 1 when we got to announce AFR and the digital went on sale, and one August 1, when the print and audio went on sale. It was a month-long celebration and also means the marketing and PR stretches two months instead of one.
I’d spent the whole week leading into Friday doing events: Interviews and TV appearances and podcasts and Lives. I made a bunch of reels and posts to share the fun. You’ve read the post about the marketing and PR campaign, so you know I was busy — there were 8 events that week alone.
And then I waiting with bated breath for Friday to roll around, not sure what to expect. Sometimes, a release can be really anticlimactic. I won’t lie, this is my 33rd book, and yes, I’ve had release days that didn’t feel celebratory. I’ve had books drop unnoticed, and books that went on sale early and cannibalized first week sales. Books that didn’t show up to the bookstore, so the event was just…me. You just never know what release day might bring.
This one was awesome, in spades. It was a really great day. I got a lovely box of chocolates from my publisher to celebrate, and I’d sent flowers to my team to thank them for their hard work, so had a chance to talk to all of them, too. (An aside—reward the people who work hard on your behalf. That makes them very happy.) I did a Substack live with my pal Jayne Ann Krentz, which was a blast for us both, and then I worked on the 2026 book, YOU KNOW WHY, because even though it was a celebratory day, I still needed to get my words in. I packed for the trip to Arizona, got the house, laundry, and cat squared away, interspersing all of these tasks with jumps online to bask in the glory that was release day.
And then we were off to Parnassus for the big release day party. And I do mean big. The store was packed, because we sold out the tickets a week out.
I admit, I was a bit blown away by that. I also found out after the fact that some people I’d invited couldn’t get in because of the RSVP system, (SORRY!) so next time I‘ll know to share my list with the store, too, as backup. But the store was chock full, and as per tradition, my darling Ariel was my in-conversation partner. We both got some butterflies backstage but it all disappeared in the face of the lovely people waiting for us. RJ introduced us, and we walked out to a lovely crowd. Many I knew. Many I didn’t. And THAT is what I want from an event — new faces!
It was a wonderful, thoughtful, funny interview. I will suggest to anyone who is doing a launch to do so with a friend, if you can. Having someone who knows you intimately is really fun for the audience because they will say things that you’ve never thought of. It’s fun!!! And it takes the pressure off. I’m not as comfortable with just standing out in front of a crowd talking about myself as I am being interviewed.
I’ve been doing events for 18 years now. They have run the gamut, from the one person who shows up after I’ve traveled across the country to huge theater and ballrooms packed with people. I never take for granted that anyone is coming. So I was quite surprised to hear the launch event had sold out, especially because a friend of mine opened a bookstore in Franklin and was hosting her own launch party the same night, and many of my usual event participants were heading to that event. I would have been there too, if I could have. I don’t know that many people in Nashville.
A Friday in summer sell out was unexpected, considering. But the wonderful joy of it was the many new to me readers in the audience! I mean, that’s the goal, always, to bring in new readers. And they were there in droves!
We laughed, and we had some very serious conversation about the impetus behind this book, and we took questions from the audience — always a favorite of mine. It was a blast. I signed books late into the evening, then went with my small crew of pals to an Italian restaurant nearby for pizza and champagne.
And yes, I kept an eye on my rankings and reviews and sales figures. Of course I did. 🥰
I never know how a release day is going to go, and I am so incredibly grateful that it was fun, and full of friends and readers and people celebrating the hard work that it takes to get a book into your hands.
I would be remiss not to mention all of the back end work that it takes, too. From the bookstores to the suppliers to the sales and marketing team at APub to my editor and publisher and agent and publicist and assistant who have all had a hand in getting us to the finish line— I send you a hearty, heartfelt, THANK YOU!
And now, since LAST SEEN is on its own out there in the big old world, and I’ve wrapped the bulk of tour, I’m on to the task of finishing YOU KNOW WHY, so we can do it all again next year!
Thank you for buying the book, reading and reviewing, sending me notes of encouragement, sharing the book with your friends and on your social media. There are no books without you!
I’ll be back next week with some final thoughts about the writing of this series. In the meantime, thank you so much for the support, for reading, and for following along on this journey. I hope it’s been educational and as always, ask me anything.
So with that, I will say bon voyage, baby!
This post is part of my paid craft series delineating the 22 Steps of a novel’s lifecycle from concept to publication day, following my journey as I write my new novel, LAST SEEN. Start here if you’re new and you’d like to follow along in order, and if this is your free post, upgrade your subscription to get the entire series as it releases.
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