Hello, dearest readers,
We’ve arrived. In a few days, my debut novel AT SEA, will be hitting the shelves across North America (5th May). On the 21st of May, hardbound copies of the book will be in bookshops across the UK, and on the 2nd of June, the antipodeans will finally get their hands on copies too. Regarding translations - of which there are a few - I have no idea. But all that to say… PUBLICATION MONTH HAS ARRIVED!!!
Subhanallah. I genuinely did not know if this book would ever see the light of day. I began writing the manuscript in August 2022, but have been obsessed with the themes in this story (and the Macondo crisis dramatised in the text) for over a decade. I did not grow up a writer of fiction, I grew up a voracious reader and believed that writers of literary works were either dead, or lone geniuses who lived alone in the woods, of whom I could never be one. Subhanallah. We never know what life has in store, eh (and ironically, I did write much of the manuscript in various woods across the world!!!)
Now, for the business end of things. I’d love At Sea to reach as many people as possible - and for that, I need your help. Folks often ask how they can support an author, especially with something like a debut novel. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve put together a little list. If you do one of these things, I’ll be ever so grateful. All of them? I’ll consider naming my first born after you. Truly, writers are cheap dates.
Right. Let’s jump into it, shall we?
There’s still time! If you’re in Canada, the US, Australia or the UK, you can pre-order now and the book will arrive on your doorstep, fresh for release day!
Why are pre-orders important? You might have heard it’s about getting on the bestseller lists, which is one thing. But more importantly, pre-orders indicate interest in the book for bookshops. Contrary to what you might think, just because a novel has been published, doesn’t mean you’ll automatically find it stocked in bookshops. The booksellers can’t order in every book published, so they often make judgment calls and focus on bringing in titles they think there is demand for, or that they want to sell. Thus, if you pre-order, especially from your local independent bookstore, they will know there is demand and an audience for it, and are more likely to bring in more stock, read it themselves, hand sell it if they genuinely connect.
Many other authors have written about this before. Pre-ordering the hardback is probably the single most helpful thing you can do - so please, if you can, do!
Say you buy the hardback, listen to the audio version, or borrow from you library. You love it (or you don’t, but you have strong feelings that you SIMPLY MUST TELL PEOPLE ABOUT) - please write an online review.
I’m talking (shudder) Goodreads. I’m talking (more shudders) Amazon. I’m talking (sigh!!!) Google. I’m talking (yay!) Storygraph. Anywhere you might have bought the book, or record your book reading, please write a review - or, if that’s not your style, a simple star rating will do the trick. It makes a HUGE difference. Discoverability, engagement, all that stuff helps people find the work, get involved in the discourse, and make them want to…
Another small, but useful move is to add the book to your ‘want to read shelf’ on Storygraph or Goodreads (!) It gives an indication to other readers and the websites that this is a book worth paying attention to. This is a free thing you can do right now! Just head here and hit that ‘want / to read’ button.
Word of mouth, baby! It still does the trick. If you’ve read AT SEA and love it, tell a friend. Pass the love on. If you tell three friends, there’s a solid chance at least one will think about reading it the next time they’re hankering for a good story. Word of mouth, people! Use that chat!
I’ll be travelling all around North America and the UK for the next month or so. I’ve got a bunch of events coming up, and I’d love to see you at one of them!
You can get tickets for all the events here. Please, even if you’re not usually one for book events, come say hi. I’d love to meet all you lovely readers in person!
Okay, that’s all for now, folks. Thank you so much for your steadfast support of this book. Some of you early subscribers may remember reading sections of it when I shared them on this very Substack a couple of years ago. Know that your encouragement helped me believe there was an audience for it, despite the challenges of finding it the right publishing home. But, Alhamdulilah, here we are! And in only a few days, the story that has lived rent free in my mind for so long will finally meet the world…
Khair inshallah!
See you on the road!
and don't forget to pre-order!
p.s. If you reply to this email and let me know you’ve pre-ordered AT SEA, I will send you a signed special something in the post as my thanks. No matter where you are in the world, I will post it to you! So - pre-order and then let me know!
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