Over the past few months, many people have asked me some variant of the question: where can I buy your book in a way that’s most helpful? In just the last 12 hours, Briana, Jen, and Tony did the same, so I think we’ve reached FAQ territory.
First, I’m honored that the question presupposes you should buy it. :)
Second, it’s a question I want to slow down with, rather than simply answering: “Amazon, because algorithms.”
That’s because this isn’t a question about books: it’s one about time, money, and tradeoffs among competing values.
Fittingly, that’s the idea at the heart of Sometimes You Should Be Late.
Life constantly asks us to navigate competing values. The Amazon Kindle version will be the cheapest and most convenient, which are lovely things.
But cheap and convenient are fairly blunt signals. We all make decisions where price and convenience are far from the whole story. Perhaps supporting a local artist instead of buying a similar print online, or going out of your way to buy a friend an expensive birthday cake across town.
The goal isn’t to discover the one “right” answer. It’s to notice the tradeoffs and respond with a little more intention.
If supporting your local bookstore feels meaningful, I’d love that. Bookstores aren’t just places that stock books. They host conversations, create community, allow for meet-cutes in the cookbook section, and help unexpected readers stumble onto ideas. If you buy my book there, they’re more likely to keep it on their shelves, which means someone else might discover it months from now. (ISBN: 9781788609685)
If we have the chance to meet at an event, I’d love it if you bought it there! Not because it’s the most profitable option, though I do earn a little more from each copy, but because I’d love to meet you and sign your copy.
Aside: it may just be me, but I’ve never understood buying a copy of a book pre-signed by the author. For me, the fun is actually meeting them and saying a few words of appreciation. To each their own!
And sometimes you should buy a book from Amazon. The idea of clicking twice and having a paperback magically appear at your home in two days for $17.70 plus tax is a miracle of the modern world. You have a busy life, and this book should fit into the time, energy, and budget of it. And it helps to have Amazon reviews written from verified purchases, so you are helping by ordering it this way!
One more option: if you value the convenience of online shopping and want to support independent bookstores, Bookshop.org is a lovely compromise that lets you do both.
I’m trying to hold multiple truths at once: I want this book to succeed; and I want it to succeed in ways that align with the ideas of the book. Sharing this list is an attempt to do that.
That means slowing down, feeling grateful that you care enough to consider buying my book, and remembering that it has to fit within the tradeoffs and constraints of your life.
That’s why I made the book available as a pay-what-you-can PDF. It’s also why I’ve been stocking my Little Free Library.
And also: I want to make a living as a writer and want this book to reach people at a larger scale. Amazon, local bookstores, and book tour events can help with that in different ways. No way to buy the book is better; they just have different tradeoffs.
So, however this book ends up in your life, thank you for sharing some of your time and money to help these ideas spread! 🦥🐰
In case you missed it: this book can also spread through the more relational ways I wrote about earlier this week: tell a friend, request it at your library, share on social media, write a review, or pass your copy to a loved one once you’ve read it.
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