Day 43: 47 Emails, 138 Books and an Unexpected Publisher
Dear Rebels,
Yesterday I finally answered my emails. All 47 of them. Yes, forty-seven. Apparently, ignoring an inbox for a week does not encourage it to sort itself out. I checked. It doesn’t work.
I promised myself that I would answer emails as they arrived, like a responsible, organised adult. A lovely plan. Very inspiring. Unfortunately, my days have been filled to the brim with writing, reading, deadlines, The Chosen and the tiny matter of trying to have a life. So the inbox waited patiently while I pretended I couldn’t see the little number growing.
Yesterday, the emails won. I sat down, opened every message and started answering. By the end, I was surrounded by stories, authors, book proposals, interview invitations and enough reading material to keep me busy until the next century.
And do you know the lovely part? So many of those messages came from independent authors sharing books they’ve poured their hearts into. Some wrote in English, some in Italian, some in Brazilian Portuguese. Psychological fiction, fantasy, memoirs, romances, unusual little stories I might never have discovered otherwise. Choosing what to read next is going to be much harder than answering the emails!
So today I want to show you what the ARC and book review side of Lupe Farkas looks like. The part where I read your books, think about them, and write what I genuinely feel. Tomorrow we’ll get to Instagram and the podcast numbers, because I’ve discovered a whole new world over there and I have QUESTIONS.
First, let’s talk books!
I finally did something I should have done ages ago: I put our ARC history into a proper Excel spreadsheet. Yes, Rebels. An actual spreadsheet. With columns. And statuses. My former quality-manager self is delighted; my writer self is looking at it suspiciously.
Before anyone panics: 138 does not mean I have 138 unread ARCs sitting on my bedside table. It’s the historical record of books and projects we’ve handled, including completed reviews, pending requests, older commitments and books that weren’t a fit. The 30 review enquiries are from our recent working register, not 30 books that arrived yesterday.
What I love is that I can now see how far this little reviewing adventure has come. The reviews already published, the books I’ve loved, the ones still waiting their turn, and the authors who have trusted me with their work. For a website that started as a simple place to talk about books and writing, that’s rather wonderful.
A little reminder from the reading department: My reviews are independent, honest and unpaid. I choose the books that interest me, read them properly and tell readers what I think. Sometimes the book and I fall in love. Sometimes we agree to go our separate ways. Both are perfectly respectable outcomes.
Forty-seven emails and a lot of lovely people
Yesterday’s 47 replies are the result of roughly a week of letting messages accumulate. Separately, our recent tracking exercise identified 40 unique enquiries once we removed repeat messages from the same people. Those are two different counts, Rebels. I’m being terribly organised about this now. Please enjoy it while it lasts.
Many authors sent thoughtful introductions, explained why their books might suit my reading interests and were genuinely kind about my overbooked calendar. Thank you for that. There is something special about someone handing you a story and saying, in effect, “I’d love to know what you think.” It’s a lovely thing to be trusted with, and I take it seriously.
Of course, there are limits. I still have my own novels to write, chapters of The Chosen to publish, and a life outside the computer. I also have five little dogs who are completely unimpressed by the concept of a literary deadline. Their deadline is dinner. Everything else is negotiable.
And then an alleged publisher came knocking…
Because an inbox full of books apparently needed a little drama, I also received an email from someone introducing himself as Michael Walters, Managing Editor at Kensington Publishing Corp. He wanted to know about my manuscripts, my future projects and whether I was interested in traditional publishing.
Now, Rebels, imagine my excitement. A publishing house contacting me! Very glamorous. I almost expected somebody to arrive at the door with a contract and a bouquet of flowers. Preferably not while I was answering email in my oldest pyjamas.
And then my old crisis-manager brain woke up and asked a very sensible question: Who actually sent this?
The email didn’t mention a particular one of my books or explain what had caught the sender’s attention. The name of a real publisher was there, but the message itself was generic. I started checking, and discovered that Kensington Publishing has published an official warning about people impersonating its staff.
To be clear, I haven’t verified who sent this particular message. I’m not saying the real person named in the email did anything wrong, and I’m not claiming this specific email has been proved fraudulent. I’m saying that a familiar company name in a signature is a good reason to check the sender through the publisher’s official channels before sending anyone a manuscript or personal information.
I’ve put Kensington’s official fraud advisory at the bottom of this post, because that’s information worth sharing with other writers. A little caution can save a great deal of trouble.
Now, back to the reason I’m actually here…
Writing! Remember that? The thing I left my career to do?
I’m still writing every day, working on my books and getting chapters of The Chosen ready for you. If you haven’t started reading it yet, the story is available for free on my website. And if you enjoy psychological fiction, Before October Ends is waiting for you in Kindle, paperback and Kindle Unlimited.
I’m very grateful to everyone who’s found the website, read a chapter, left a review, written a kind email or simply come back for another visit. This experiment started with me wondering whether an independent author could build something meaningful without spending money on promotion. Forty-three days in, I’m learning that the people who find their way here can surprise me in the loveliest ways.
Tomorrow we’re talking Instagram and podcast numbers. I discovered something on Instagram that deserves its own post, and the podcast has been keeping me busy too. One topic at a time, Rebels. I’m already trying to fit forty-seven emails into one day.
One last bookish thing…
I recently read my first second-chance romance, Denim and Dust by Harper Dale, and I enjoyed it so much that it has actually changed my vocabulary. I don’t even say “I love you” anymore. I say WUB YOU! So thank you, Harper. This is your fault, and I am perfectly happy about it. I’ve put my review and the link to buy the book below.
Right. Time to get back to the manuscripts, the review queue and the dogs, who have absolutely no interest in how many emails I’ve answered. They would, however, appreciate it if I answered the door to the garden.