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Last month, my publisher asked me to write a letter to booksellers introducing my book Her Time Traveling Duke.
To be honest, until they asked me to do this last year for Her Knight at the Museum, I didn’t know that authors introducing their work to booksellers was A Thing. I don’t know if most publishers do this!
Even if you are self-published, I think it’s worth considering how to write a letter that introduces your book. After all, you might want to write a letter to an independent bookstore owner, the organizers of a conference or convention, potential book reviewers, and/or media contacts.
I know the author letter can be short and sweet. It occurred to me, though, that it’s an opportunity to share information that isn’t part of the product description, such as:
•Anything that makes the book interesting to locals. For instance, if there’s a scene at the hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque, that would probably be of special interest to a book shop owner in Albuquerque.
•Specific scenes, plot points, or details that are especially exciting, dramatic, or just plain fun.
•Your personal inspirations for writing the book!
Here’s the letter…minus the spoiler! I am doing a different version of this letter that’s specifically for booksellers in Chicago.
Dear Bookseller,
My interest in art, astronomy, and magical lore—not to mention my love of stories like Pride and Prejudice, Outlander, and Bridgerton—all aligned as I wrote Her Time Traveling Duke, my warm-hearted and emotional romantic comedy. Here are five reasons I think your customers will fall in love with the story. But don’t spoil the secret in #5!
1. The hero:
Henry Leighton-Lyons is a wealthy duke and astronomer in England in the year 1818. It’s easy to excuse his curt manners once you know he’s grieving his late wife and searching for the secret to turn back time
2. The heroine:
Rose Novak is a free-spirited social media manager at a Chicago art museum who dabbles in a little magic. After admiring a portrait of Henry, she casts a love spell, but she doesn’t really expect it to work…let alone transport the duke to her apartment!
3. The humor:
Henry had no desire to visit the 21st century, and he’s an indignant fish out of water. Still, Henry has to admit that the future has its charms, including modern sneakers, public libraries, and Rose herself—the perfect sunshine to his grumpy.
4. The heist:
To return Henry to his own time, Rose must recover a magical artifact: an astrolabe, once Henry’s, now owned by a shady billionaire. The mission? Don disguises, infiltrate a swanky gala, and escape security, while not being able to elude their growing feelings for one another.
5. The heat:
In scenes on a city rooftop, at a planetarium show, and at the Chicago Riverwalk, the sparks between Rose and Henry ignite. And in the bedroom, Henry’s dedication to the principles of observation and experimentation proves to be out of this world.
(This paragraph redacted for the spoiler!)
Her Time Traveling Duke is for hopeless romantics everywhere. I hope it finds a home on your shelves and in the hearts of readers.
With love and stardust,
Bryn
In retrospect, I think I should’ve made the letter shorter! At least the numbered list makes it easy to scan.
I decided not to emphasize the fact that it’s a sequel to Her Knight at the Museum. I think it’s an easy book to enjoy whether or not you’ve read the first one! However, people who have already read Her Knight at the Museum will enjoy seeing Emily, Griffin, and Jason Yun again…not to mention Andy War-Howl, who Rose is dog-sitting at the beginning of the book.
If you’re a book lover, I hope you enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing process…and if you’re an author, I hope this got you thinking about book marketing!
Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you’re having a good week!
I love this. I have so much trouble with the blurb type stuff, cause there’s so much I want to mention but half of it is not needed. I have a book on the ropes of potentially heading out to see about publishing but I know that is something holding me back. Plus I will need a cover which is something I certainly can’t do myself and I am not turning to AI for that, ugh… So between those things and my annoying propensity to edit forever and worry about things coming across the way I intend them to, it will be a while yet before publishing is possible.
Hi Raya! Yes, it’s so challenging to describe a book quickly! Good for you for avoiding AI slop for the cover! I am always recommending Streetlight Graphics for book covers because I’ve worked with them on dozens of projects and think they do a great job. They are very reasonably priced, but if your budget is very tight, there are a lot of premade cover sites that are pretty good and don’t use AI. 🙂 Of course, it can all be nerve-wracking, too. I am wishing you good luck with it!
Loved this peek behind the scenes, Bryn! Thanks for sharing
🙂 Thank you for reading!
Thanks for sharing this! I didn’t know about these letters either. 😅 I’m going to share your blog post with my writing group!
Oh, thank you for sharing the post! I hope it’s useful. 🙂
What an excellent letter! As a bookseller I would immediately order the first batch. The humor (indignant fish out of water in modern sneakers) is palpable. Loved it. Thank you for sharing.
Aww, thank you, Beata! I appreciate that!
Excellent information! It’s hard to get the word out and this seems like a perfect “foot-in-the-door” letter. Thank you, Bryn.
Oh! I wanted to tell you (I’ve already told Amazon) how much I enjoyed An Experienced Mistress. I couldn’t put it down. Brava
Now, I’m excited all over again for Her Time Traveling Duke! – PJ
Hi there! Yes, I think a letter like this could be a great “foot in the door” in a lot of situations!
THANK YOU for reading An Experienced Mistress!! I’m so glad you liked it. Please leave a review on Amazon if you have a chance! And I appreciate the support with The Time Traveling Duke!
What a fun thing to do!
(I put my hat in the ring on netgalley for the ARC)
Oh, thank you! And I am going to email you!
Thanks <3
Thank you – this is exceptionally helpful!! Just indie pubbed my debut novella, The Christmas Cherub, (yes, you may recall the premise but this is the beginning book, not the end of the series). I need a publicity media sheet for local libraries and booksellers. This is perfect – you are so generous to share!