🗣️ Cover! Preorders!
Friends, I’m so excited to officially share the cover of UP TO SPEED: THE GROUNDBREAKING SCIENCE OF WOMEN ATHLETES with you!
I know. I know. Some of you with keen eyes may have already seen the cover already but isn’t she pretty? It’s designed by Pete Garceau and Helen Yentus and I love it.
To be honest, the idea of a book cover is nerve wracking. Covers do so much heavy lifting! They have to be eye-catching and stand out on a crowded bookstore table, in a collage of other covers, on social media.
Part of me was terrified that my publisher would present me with cover concepts that were essentially a stock image of a woman running or lifting weights. You know, the ones you see used in online fitness articles for getting in shape. Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with that type of cover but I didn’t feel like it fit the tenor of my book.
I wanted something bold and colorful. That reflected that this was more than just a book about exercise and fitness. It's about science and history and culture as much as it is about sports and performance. Luckily for me, Riverhead creates some of the most beautiful covers in the business.
UP TO SPEED will be available everywhere on May 16, 2023. It's received some very kind words from Alex Hutchinson in his 2022 Sweat Science Holiday Book List. It's a book for active women, from recreational to performance-driven athletes, parents and coaches, and anyone supportive of girls and women in sport.
And it’s available for preorder now! It makes a great future gift for yourself or someone you care about. Maybe a Mother's Day gift?
You can preorder a signed copy from my independent book store, Books are Magic.
You can also order from anywhere you like to buy books: bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, etc. You can find all the links here.
If you do preorder, save your receipt! I’m planning a preorder campaign
You’ve probably heard other authors harp about preorders and how important they are. And they really do matter to an author.
Publishers use preorders to gauge interest in a book. When you preorder a book, it sends a message that there’s demand and that can encourage a publisher to invest more resources in marketing and publicity for the book.
Preorders also are a sign of buzz, which can lead to reviews and big press coverage. It also shows retailers that a book has potential and lead them to carry the book or increase their orders or maybe even display it on their front table.
For debut authors like me, preorders help me stand out. It tells the publisher and marketplace that there’s a place for books like mine. And frankly, we need more books on women and sports, books that dismantle gender bias, books that center women and our experiences.
It can help make the book a bestseller. That’s because preorders count towards first week of sales, when most authors make a bestseller list.
But preorders aren't the only way to help. You can also:
Let your local bookstore know you’re interested in UP TO SPEED.
Ask your library to preorder a copy and request it when it’s available.
Add UP TO SPEED to Goodreads.
Suggest UP TO SPEED to your book club
Share this post on social media or with others who might be interested. I know it doesn’t seem like it’s a big deal but any and all word-of-mouth helps.
From here on out, I’ll periodically email with book-related news. I promise not to spam you.
If you or someone you know have an idea for a book-related event or might be interested in hosting a book talk, please let me know! Just reply to this email.
Thank you for reading and for your support. It means the world to me.
Christine
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www.christinemyu.com
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