Ok, Fam. It is crunch time FOR REAL. Today is the last day you can pre-order Devil of the Deep, and I need us to go real hard for the next few hours.

I know that it may seem a little silly, but there is a reason that all of your favorite Black authors insist on the importance of pre-orders. This industry (like many western industries) is literally designed to limit the impact of Black and brown voices. Strong pre-order campaigns help us to resist that design. They enable us to go to the bookstores, book boxes, and other bookish companies that help to push a book into success and prove to them that readers are serious about these stories.

It isn't something we should have to do. But we do. Which is why we need your help to position Devil of the Deep for success with the limited amount of time we have left.

Here is what we need from you today:

FIRST.. I need you to order your copy today. If you plan to buy a copy of Devil of the Deep for your own shelves, please do it right now. Don't wait. These early numbers make a massive difference, and considering how Black and queer this book is, we have something to prove. Your pre-order helps us prove it.

HERE is a direct link you can use. This link leads to bookshop. And every single copy bought here directly sends a commission to Call and Response Books in Chicago, which is the Black woman owned bookstore that is hosting our launch event. I would love to send these commissions their way so that they profit off of our sales far beyond the copies that sell at the launch party. https://bookshop.org/a/87137/9781967967049

There are almost 3,500 people in this community. I bet we could hit a shocking number of pre-orders just in our community alone. So let's do it. (I can't add emojis on my computer, but picture a little mind-blown yellow face lol)

SECOND... talk about the book. Hundreds of you have already received an ARC, whether a physical or electronic. And dozens of you have already read it. Let's take to the internet streets to make sure everyone sees the book, heard about the book, and knows that it is available for purchase. The more this book is talked about online today, the stronger our launch day numbers will be. So make content, talk about it in your bookclubs, in your chats, on your timeline, throw the cover in your stories. If you see people asking for book recs, drop the link, etc.

And please tag us so we can throw all of your buzz into our stories. Once again, we take every bit of buzz we see as an opportunity to show retailers that you are supporting this book. So tag us so we can throw it in our stories and make sure the companies watching our pages SEE you talking about it. (Tag me, Falencia and Bindery).

LASTLY... if you are in the Chicago-land area or close enough to drive, consider joining us for the launch party tomorrow. There are still plenty of tickets available and I'd love it if there weren't lol. The party will be at Call and Response books at 7pm CST. HERE is a link to RSVP!

Also, if you want to attend but can't afford to buy a copy, we have set aside some copies to give away at the event. HERE is a link to sign up for one (no guarantees, as the amount of copies we have are limited).

Today is our last chance to show out for this book. And considering how few Black women get the kind of support we have to offer in this industry, I really want to make sure we prove exactly what we can do. Let's go hard and make this launch a massive success! Thank you, everybody!!!