Charlotte: The waiting
The beautiful cover of the Advanced Review Copy of Charlotte. This repeating pattern will form the endpapers of the printed novel.
When I met my publishers (Bonnier Zaffre) in person for the first time last year in London, it was the start of a learning curve about how very differently book marketing is done in the UK. I was extremely grateful that they had such a detailed campaign planned for my first novel, Charlotte, but also puzzled: why was the machine firing up for a novel that was launching only eight months down the line? I asked if this was usual, and the team of friendly professionals around the table looked as if I’d asked if the Pope was Catholic.
But here in anglophone Africa, book marketing and publicity campaigns (if we’re lucky enough to get them) are run very differently. They start about six weeks before publication, the book is launched along with a flare of interest and attention that our publishers try to keep going for about four to six weeks, the first review(s) — once again, if we’re lucky — come out after publication and are circulated as widely as we can manage, and then things go dormant unless we’re invited to literary festivals, which form little islands of attention and hopefully sales for about another six months post-publication. Really hard-working authors can sometimes keep this going for up to a year. The point is, most attention is paid after the book launches. It’s the other way round in northern parts.
When the importance of the advance publicity campaign for Charlotte was explained to me, I kept hearing the word “pre-orders”. These are vital in the UK market, for reasons that have finally become clear(er) to me. In South Africa, sales are so small, I suspect that pre-orders don’t have a big impact.
But up north, pre-orders are vital in establishing how and where a book will sell. I found a Twitter thread by Irish writer Helen Cullen (find her on @wordsofhelen — her thread is dated 25 Jan) helpful in unlocking the mysteries of pre-ordering for me. It’s to do with algorithms (which now rule our lives, sigh), and helps both publishers and bookshops make decisions on promotions and stock. And this is why if you’re in the UK or Ireland, it would be great to pre-order your copy of Charlotte NOW — apparently you won’t even have to pay until it ships! So here you are, for those of you in Blighty: https://www.waterstones.com/book/charlotte/helen-moffett//9781785769108; and https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charlotte-Helen-Moffett/dp/1838770755.
The trouble with taking part in the wonderful, professional UK campaign currently whirring along like Mr Darcy’s curricle wheels is that my South African social media contacts are baffled when I post reviews, cover reveals, etc — but the book is not yet available on book store shelves here, a happy event still almost three months away. Fear not: Jonathan Ball (who are doing the local distribution) have set up a system for pre-ordering right here, right now, dear fellow citizens: https://www.loot.co.za/product/bcrz-6747-g960. I cannot help noticing that if you order Charlotte in advance, you get a whopping 33% discount. Just sayin’.) Or ask your favourite local indie book shop for help.
Meanwhile, as it’s my day for being shameless, I continue to be amazed, touched and delighted when TOTAL STRANGERS who’ve received ARCs praise my book. Here’s what historical novelist Becca Mascull had to say: “I loved this book. Fans of Pride and Prejudice will find this a worthy and engrossing companion, beautifully written. Feminist in nature, without ever lecturing the reader, it is an intimate and honest account of a woman's struggles and strengths, painting a vivid picture of female life in the nineteenth century. I always felt Charlotte Lucas and Miss de Bourgh had hidden depths that Austen's story did not have time to explore, so this is a satisfying and compelling addition to the Austen world.”
Maybe Becca isn’t really a stranger, as she is a dear friend of my much-loved Louisa Treger, author of The Dragon Lady and provider of London shelter and succour.
But writer Laura Carlin genuinely is a stranger to me, although after reading this dream review, I intend making her my NBF: “An utterly compelling read and an exquisite rendering of human values. Written with a sensitive and perceptive hand, and with an affectionate homage to Austen’s own unique style; spangles of wry humour and wit adorn the narrative throughout. Charlotte’s distinctive voice chimes as brightly as a just-struck bell. Regarding Mr Collins; no doubt to the outside world he remains as Austen intended: part fool, part prig — these traits are neither denied nor negated — but with the deft skill of the author, we clearly begin to see Mr Collins not only through Charlotte's eyes, but also through her heart; and once his prolixity is understood, his tenderness revealed. Charlotte is a book which complements, rather than copies. There is certainly a link with Pride and Prejudice, but not a chain; and the story moves confidently and freely in its own direction. I believe fans of Jane Austen will adore it!”
And before I lay down my trumpet, here is another shot of the exquisite final cover. It really is something worth bragging about.
