One of the most exciting times for an author is when the advance reading copies (ARCs) of a book go out. This is when the book goes from "My friends and editor read it" to "Random internet strangers read it." The early reviews that come from ARCs can be key to making or breaking a book. They can start buzz...or kill any hopes the book has for getting noticed. Unfortunately, the "Destiny and Darkness" quartet didn't particularly benefit from ARCs. None of the early readers (who were relatively few in number) were excited enough about the books to champion them heavily on social media. The books got a few positive (or mediocre) reviews on Goodreads, but that was as far as the hoped-for ARC bump went.
While Ylva distributed its ARCs to a network of reviewers with which the company had connections, Bella uses a slightly different ARC process. Bella, like many small publishers, uses NetGalley. NetGalley is a paid service that connects publishers with reviewers/readers. It's free for readers, and provides publicity for publishing houses both big and small in the form of reviews and (hopefully) buzz. Will NetGalley be a better route for "The Lady Adventurers Club"? I don't know, but I'm hopeful. Because LAC crosses multiple genres, I hope heterosexual fans of female-led action/adventure will also be interested in the book, expanding its audience and its potential reach.
ARCs of LAC should go out on approximately 1 July, which is two weeks from today and a month and a half before LAC's official release. At this point, all I can do is keep my fingers crossed. I hope there's an appetite in the world for the lesbian version of "The Mummy." Or for a female fronted action/adventure historical fiction. Or hopefully just a well written book about Egypt in 1923?
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