Why Should I Pre-Order A Book?

If you’ve been reading my book reviews, odds are that some of the books sound interesting, and you’d like to buy a copy. But when you hop over to Bookshop, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your preferred online book source, you’re informed that the book hasn’t been released yet – but is available for pre-order.

Why should you bother?

Because there’s some very good reasons to do so!

I’ve curated some quotes to show you why the simple act of pre-ordering a book has so much power. Follow the links in any quote to read the entire original article.

“For an author, pre-orders can alert retailers and consumers that they should pay attention to your book. From the bookseller perspective, the pre-order quantity is a good early indicator of a book’s success, and can lead to retailers increasing their initial orders.” ~  Penguin Random House, All About the Pre-Orders

It’s very hard to get a retailer’s attention. This’ll do the trick.

“Debut authors especially need a solid showing in book preorders to prove to the publisher that they have a place in the market.” ~ Book Riot, What Are Preorders And Why Do They Matter?

Having been a debut author, I know how difficult it is to feel like you belong. As a reader, you hold a lot of power over us.

“Nobody can spoil the ending for you, because you’ll be the first person you know to read it!” ~ Barnes and Noble, 12 Reasons Book Nerds Love Pre-Ordering Books

Come on, you like that smug feeling, right?

“Pre-orders give a great jumpstart on word-of-mouth marketing because it gets all of us thinking about the book and telling other people about it, which is a major gift for authors.” Sarah Mae ~ What Pre-Ordering a Book Means For You and the Author

Next time you’re tempted to make small talk about the weather, why not say, ‘Wanna hear about a book that’s coming out soon?”

“Many retailers offer discounts on preorder books, so you can get a sweet deal on your next read!” ~ Independent Publishers, Why Preordering Books Matters

And even if you don’t get a discount, you’re usually protected against a price hike.

“If an author is in contention to hit the bestseller list, the pre-orders can make it happen as all pre-orders count towards the first week of sales rather than being spread across a number of different weeks.” ~ The Irish Times, The power of the pre-order: How to help an author make it

If the book makes a best seller list, you can honestly say ‘I helped!’

And finally, advice from me:

“One less task on the to-do list. Preorder right away and you won’t forget to buy it later!” ~ Lori Alden Holuta