On Tour With Sophie

...or at least with her lookalike

Oct 03, 2024

This newsletter describes itself as “a tech notebook with a focus on health - and occasional glimpses of a dog called #sophiefromromania.” But please forgive me if the next ten days or so see rather more glimpses of our Romanian rescue dog Sophie than some of you who come here for healthtech news might like.

Because next week brings a landmark in any author’s life, publication day for my new book Sophie From Romania. Thursday October 10th is the big day not just for me but for hundreds of authors. According to Richard Osman on the excellent The Rest is Entertainment podcast he co-presents with Marina Hyde, the day is known as Super Thursday in the book trade, the peak day for publishers trying to catch the Christmas market.

Around 450 hardbacks will be published on October 10th, including Boris Johnson’s memoir and the latest titles from Ian Rankin, Sophie Kinsella, and Kate Mosse. So my publisher and I are going to have to make a lot of noise about my book if it is to get a hearing. That means two things - trying to get as much coverage as possible on TV, radio and the newspapers and appearing at events promoting the book.

So from Sunday I am starting my book tour with a week of events from the Cheltenham Literary Festival, via Dulwich in South London, Leeds, Edinburgh and Glasgow and ending up at another book festival in Dorchester. There will be further events through the autumn but the main focus will be on the week of publication which in most cases is when a book’s fate is decided.

It is all about getting into two charts, the Amazon Top 100 and the Sunday Times bestseller list - if you don’t make it in week one, then you are unlikely to do so later. Preorders bought to be delivered on October 10th can make a big contribution towards the first week’s sales, so the process of raising awareness of a book begins long before publication day

So far the signs are mildly promising for Sophie from Romania. This week my book soared briefly into the top 20 of Amazon’s Movers and Shakers chart which, rather than overall sales, highlights the fastest growth. It looks as though extensive coverage of the book in the Sunday Times and then the Daily Mail had driven a surge in preorders.

Here’s hoping my progress around the UK next week keeps the momentum going and allows Sophie to see off Boris Johnson, though I think we will have to accept that Ian Rankin will be sailing off into the distance.

Just to clear up any misunderstanding, Sophie herself will not be coming on tour - for a dog who only stepped out of our house for a walk for the first time in February, 14 months after her arrival, a hall full of fans would be just too scary. But look out for the lifesize cardboard cutout which will accompany me some of the way.