now that's what i call preordering! volume 1
alicia thompson's guide to blowing all your money on books
You may have noticed that all of your friends have suddenly become Corporate Shills for Barnes & Noble. Don’t be alarmed — it’s just that wonderful time of year when, for three days, all preorders placed through Barnes & Noble’s website are 25% off. So here’s me, putting on my B&N hat over my B&N headband with my B&N jersey and opening a big old box of B&N to have a slice of B&N and then wash it all down with a cold fizzy can of B&N and two small pills monogrammed with . . . B. And N.
A few things about preorders!
You’ve heard this by now, but they’re super important to authors. They’re a way to signal interest in a book to the publisher/booksellers, which can result in higher print runs, more promotion, better shelf placement, and on and on.
Generally, you’re not charged for the book until it ships — so the good news is that you won’t be hit with the whole charge at once, but I def recommend you keep track of what you’ve preordered somewhere so you’re not surprised by the charges when they come! Ask me how I know!
You also want to save your receipts because sometimes authors will offer little preorder incentives! For example, I’m going to open up a Google form in a couple months where you can upload any receipt for preordering With Love, from Cold World from any retailer, and I’ll mail you out an art print, postcard, and stickers. So if you do happen to preorder, save your receipt! (And if you DO preorder from B&N, peep that Exclusive Edition with a pink cover and Paramore essay included!!!!)
This is my tech, but — I usually get B&N gift cards from my boss for Christmas, and I love to save them up knowing full well that preorder sale is coming in January. Then I make myself a customized little “BOTM,” where I order some books staggered throughout the year as a little regular treat to look forward to. Or, actually, I often forget — so then they’re a nice little surprise.
Anyway, I kept seeing all these amazing preorder graphics flying around yesterday, and so many people were doing the Work of reposting them all to their Instagram stories and whatnot, so I decided to just start typing up a list for myself so I could remember some of the books I have on my radar. And then I decided to share the list with you, because why not? If I can figure out how to do it (never a guarantee), this list will be posted online through my Substack but not emailed out to anyone because I’m terrified of becoming like Blue Kazoo who texts me about puzzles twice a week when I bought one puzzle from them a year ago. (It’s a very nice puzzle! But how fast do they think I puzzle?!? With a cat who’ll get into everything I try to do?!?!)
If you are interested in weekly emails about songs I’m obsessed with, news about books, insights into writing, whatever, you can always subscribe:
So, with all that being said — here’s my non-exhaustive list of some books on my radar to get my Mrs. Moneysworth out of those B&N gift cards. The list is arranged by date order, with the link to the B&N page for that book. The ones in bold are books that I’ve read or am in the process of reading! All of which I highly recommend!
January 31 - Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni
January 31 - Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano
February 7 - Out of Character by Jenna Miller
February 7 - The End and Then by Hannah Bird
February 7 - Just My Type by Falon Ballard
February 7 - For Twice in My Life by Annette Christie
February 21 - Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot
February 21 - Artfully Yours by Joanna Lowell
February 28 - The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest
March 7 - A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley
March 7 - Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly
March 7 - Off the Map by Trish Doller
March 14 - Love and Other Flight Delays by Denise Williams
March 14 - The Love Wager by Lynn Painter
March 21 - How I’ll Kill You by Ren DeStefano
March 28 - You Wouldn’t Dare by Sam Markum
April 4 - Ana María and the Fox by Liana de la Rosa
April 4 - The Do-Over by Suzanne Park
April 11 - The Nanny by Lana Ferguson
April 11 - To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Waters
April 11 - Diamond Ring by KD Casey
April 18 - The Fiancee Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur
April 18 - Sizzle Reel by Carlyn Greenwald
April 18 - The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton
April 25 - Bear with Me Now by Katie Shepard
April 25 - Happy Place by Emily Henry
May 2 - The Daydreams by Laura Hankin
May 2 - Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
May 2 - Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
May 9 - The Comeback Summer by Ali Brady
May 23 - Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler
May 30 - Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman
May 30 - Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon
May 30 - That Summer Feeling by Bridget Morrissey
June 6 - Pageboy: A Memoir by Elliot Page
June 6 - We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian
June 13 - Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
June 13 - Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler
June 20 - Play for Me by Libby Hubscher
June 27 - Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder
June 27 - Plus One by Kelsey Rodkey
June 27 - The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
July 4 - Wanderlust by Elle Everhart
July 11 - You, with a View by Jessica Joyce
July 11 - Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins
July 11 - A Song of Salvation by Alechia Dow
July 11 - It Happened One Fight by Maureen Lenker
July 25 - In the Case of Heartbreak by Courtney Kae
July 25 - Someone Just Like You by Meredith Schorr
July 25 - A Fatal Groove by Olivia Blacke
August 1 - With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson
August 1 - The Art of Scandal by Regina Black
August 1 - The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley
August 1 - The Deja Glitch by Holly James
August 1 - Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova
August 8 - Accidentally in Love by Danielle Jackson
August 8 - The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter
August 15 - My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine
August 15 - Rent to Be by Sonia Hartl
August 15 - New Adult by Timothy Janovsky
August 22 - Board to Death by CJ Connor
August 29 - Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
September 12 - Thank You for Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz
September 12 - The Name Drop by Susan Lee
September 12 - This Spells Disaster by Tori Anne Martin
September 26 - Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey
October 10 - Love Interest by Clare Gilmore
October 17 - Murder and Mamon by Mia P. Manansala
December 26 - On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe
January 2 - Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz